Afful, Mensah feature as Columbus Crew beat FC Dallas in MLS

Defenders Harrison Afful and Jonathan Mensah produced a solid performance as Columbus Crew kept a clean sheet in their first victory in their new MLS season over FC Dallas.

The Gold and Blacks earned their first three points at MAPFRE Stadium under head coach Caleb Porter with Saturday's 1-0 win over FC Dallas in an inter-conference matchup.

Center back Gaston Sauro grazed home a header from atop the six-yard box in the 10th minute.

Portuguese winger Pedro Santos whipped in a corner kick, and Sauro executed the training ground-esque move – just like he did two weeks prior against the New York Red Bulls.

The result marked Dallas' first defeat of the 2019 season, as they largely lacked the final product. They were held without a shot on target in the first half, and only managed two the entire game.

Both Afful and Mensah played the entire duration of the game, but there were no place in the team for compatriots Eddie Opoku and Lalas Abubakar.