At age 30, defender Jonathan Mensahhas consistently been atop or near the top in every major defensive statistical category, and he's done it by playing every single minute of the 2020 regular season.
Mensah ended the season as the League leader in blocks (30) and co-leader in clearances (114), headlined by a 14-clearance performance vs. the New York Red Bulls in Matchday 2 of the MLS is Back Tournament, which ended as a 2-0 win for Columbus and marked a notable performance for a few reasons.
One reason, in particular, is that the Crew gave up exactly zero shots on goal against the Red Bulls, marking the first time RBNY failed to register a shot on goal since June 2013 as the Crew looks forward to seeing them again at MAPFRE Stadium on Nov. 21.
Additionally, all of this came five days after Mensah completed the second-most passes in an MLS game in nearly a decade:
Mensah's 14 clearances tied the League's single-game-high in 2020, and after that match, Head Coach Caleb Portersimply called him a "man among boys."
As one of only two defenders to play 2,070 minutes in this truncated season, Mensah led the regular-season in successful passes (1,298), led by the 135 successful passes vs. Cincinnati on July 11. Notably, he's done it all without an error leading to a goal.
As team captain, Mensah has inevitably been a standout figure as it relates to Columbus's co-League-high nine clean sheets, with five of them coming at home, another co-League-high.
Now, a 13-day window stands between the regular-season finale and the Crew's Round One match vs. RBNY in the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs, which inherently means more time for preparation and recovery.
What ensued the last time Columbus had more than 10 days between games this season was prior to the start of the MLS is Back Tournament? Three straight shutouts.
