Columbus Crew SC made a major move to bolster their backline Tuesday, announcing that they've signed 26-year-old Ghanaian defender Jonathan Mensah as a Designated Player.
A two-time World Cup veteran who has earned 51 caps with Ghana, Mensah comes to Columbus after spending the last year with Anzhi Makhachkala in the Russian Premier League.
Prior to moving to Russia, the center back spent parts of five seasons with FC Evian in France’s Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 and one year with Granada FC, helping the Spanish club earn promotion to La Liga. Mensah began his pro career in Ghana with the Free State Stars.
To date, he’s made 127 appearances on the club level.
Mensah will slot into a Columbus backline that is down two key pieces from the 2016 season; Michael Parkhurst was traded to Atlanta in December and fellow center back Gaston Sauro will reportedly miss all of 2017 due to injuries.
Mensah started every group stage match for Ghana at the 2014 World Cup. He also featured for the Black Stars at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, starting twice in the group stage and playing the full 120 minutes in the country’s 2-1 win over the US in the Round of 16.
He also played a pivotal role in Ghana’s run to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final, playing every minute of every match at the competition.