Ghana and Columbus Crew duo Harrison Afful and Jonathan Mensah have been nominated for the 'Defender of the Year' award in the Major League Soccer.

The pair has been instrumental for their side this season in the MLS as Columbus Crew continue their chase for a play-offs spot.

The Gold and Blacks are fifth on the Eastern Conference table with two games left in the regular season.

Tough tackling centre-back Jonathan Mensah has featured in 26 games this season and has scored once for the side.

The 28-year-old has appeared in the MLS team of the week many times this season.

Meanwhile, Afful, 32, has also been very impressive defensively and provides some advantage when the team attacks.

He has made 30 appearances, scoring two goals and providing three assists.

Their Ghanaian compatriot Eddie Opoku has also been nominated for the Rookie of The Year.

Players, media, and technical staff will vote for each category, with each group representing a third of the vote. Voting for each of the 10 categories began Monday, Oct. 15 and award finalists will be announced on Oct. 31.