As one of only four Major League Soccer players in the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), Crew SC defender Jonathan Mensah and the Ghanaian Men’s National Team open up AFCON play against Benin on Tuesday, June 25 in Ismailia, Egypt.
The Black Stars are four-time AFCON champions and have made the semifinals in each of the last six editions of the tournament, including finals appearances in 2010 and 2015.
Following Tuesday’s match vs. Benin, the Black Stars then face Cameroon (June 29) and later Guinea-Bissau to finish out the group stage. The top two teams of each group – along with the best four third-placed teams – are set to advance to the Round of 16 stage of the tournament.
Mensah has earned 57 caps with the Ghana National Team. He made his debut with the Black Stars in 2010, making a substitute appearance in a friendly match against Bosnia-Herzegovina (March 3).
Prior to this summer's tournament, Mensah’s most recent appearance for Ghana came last year in a 2019 AFCON Qualifier against Ethiopia (November 18). In 2019, Mensah has made 14 regular-season appearances (all starts) for Crew SC, helping the Club post five shutouts.
Overall, a total of 103 players representing 35 national teams will play in either international friendlies or tournaments including the Gold Cup, African Cup of Nations, CONMEBOL Copa América 2019, UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers, and the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Ghana - Group F - 2019 African Cup of Nations - Standings
<strong>Pos.</strong> |
<strong>Team</strong> |
<strong>GP</strong> |
<strong>W</strong> |
<b>D</b> |
<b>L</b> |
<strong>GF</strong> |
<strong>GA</strong> |
<strong>GD</strong> |
<strong>Pts.</strong> |
1 |
Cameroon |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
Ghana |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
Benin |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
Guinea-Bissau |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Ghana - Group F - 2019 African Cup of Nations - Match Schedule
June 25 |
4 p.m. ET |
vs. Benin |
Ismailia, Egypt |
June 29 |
1 p.m. ET |
vs. Cameroon |
Ismailia, Egypt |
July 2 |
Noon ET |
vs. Guinea-Bissau |
Suez, Egypt |
