Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah marked his debut for San Jose Earthquakes in the 2023 Major League Soccer opener against Atlanta United.

The veteran center-back started and lasted the entire duration as the Blue and Blacks threw away a first-half lead to lose 2-1 at the Mercedes Benz stadium.

Mensah, as usual, was solid as a rock, but a lapse in concentration in the dying minutes saw San Jose fail to pick a point on the road.

Jeremy Ebobisse opened the scoring for San Jose in the 12th minute after connecting to a Cristian Espinoza assist.

But in injury time, Atlanta United leveled through Thiago Almada before the attacker sealed the win late in additional time.

Mensah joined San Jose in February 2023, after six successful seasons with Columbus Crew, where he won the 2020 MLS title.

The Ghana international captained Crew in the last three season before leaving the Ohio-based club.