Columbus Crew manager praises Harrison Afful

Columbus Crew Sporting Director Gregg Behalter has praised the leadership role played by experienced right back Harrison Afful in the club's 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union in the MLS on Wednesday night.

The Ghanaian right back, was the oldest player in the Crew line up and played a vital role in the team's success. His cross was met at the far side by Cristian Martinez who lashed on the ball to American born Ghanaian Gyasi Zardes to score the only goal.

The former Kotoko defender has become an inspirational figure for the club as most of the young players look up to him when the going gets tough on the pitch.

Following his impressive performance on the night, manager Greg Berhalter was full of praise for the Ghanaian.

"I liked that. We rely on Harrison [Afful]," he said after the game. "Some of the older guys- he was the oldest one in the lineup tonight- we relied on him heavily to set the tone for the group," he added.

"Being such a young group, they needed some guidance, and I was glad to see him do that. I think he played a good game, but more importantly I think was a good role model for performance tonight."

Meanwhile, Harrison's compatriot Lalas Abubakar and Jonathan Mensah were solid at the back as they prevented David Accam and C.J Sarpong from scoring. Gregg Bekalter described their performance as excellent.

"I think we played pretty well defensively, save for that one chance they had towards the end which wasn’t good. I think overall, we didn’t get troubled that much; they did an excellent job. I think whether its Johnny (Johnathan Mensah) or Josh [Williams] or Alex [Crognale] or Lalas [Abubakar], I think all of those guys have a similar mindset, and it’s to be aggressive, and make it be difficult to play against,' he said.Columbus Crew Sporting Director Gregg Behalter has praised the leadership role played by experienced right back Harrison Afful in the club's 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union in the MLS on Wednesday night.

The Ghanaian right back, was the oldest player in the Crew line up and played a vital role in the team's success. His cross was met at the far side by Cristian Martinez who lashed on the ball to American born Ghanaian Gyasi Zardes to score the only goal.

The former Kotoko defender has become an inspirational figure for the club as most of the young players look up to him when the going gets tough on the pitch.

Following his impressive performance on the night, manager Greg Berhalter was full of praise for the Ghanaian.

"I liked that. We rely on Harrison [Afful]," he said after the game. "Some of the older guys- he was the oldest one in the lineup tonight- we relied on him heavily to set the tone for the group," he added.

"Being such a young group, they needed some guidance, and I was glad to see him do that. I think he played a good game, but more importantly I think was a good role model for performance tonight."

Meanwhile, Harrison's compatriot Lalas Abubakar and Jonathan Mensah were solid at the back as they prevented David Accam and C.J Sarpong from scoring. Gregg Bekalter described their performance as excellent.

"I think we played pretty well defensively, save for that one chance they had towards the end which wasn’t good. I think overall, we didn’t get troubled that much; they did an excellent job. I think whether its Johnny (Johnathan Mensah) or Josh [Williams] or Alex [Crognale] or Lalas [Abubakar], I think all of those guys have a similar mindset, and it’s to be aggressive, and make it be difficult to play against,' he said.