The United States Men’s National Team takes on arch-nemesis Ghana in its opening match at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil on June 16th.
The Black Stars knocked the United States out of both the 2006 and the 2010 World Cups, so the Yanks will be anxious for revenge. The 2010 defeat was particularly heart-wrenching, as the United States was coming off the incredible last-second goal that Landon Donovan scored against Algeria to advance out of the group stage, grabbing the entire nation’s attention. With even the most casual soccer fans tuning in (15 million people in the U.S. watched), Ghana scored the go-ahead goal in the 93rd minute and then proceeded to set soccer fandom in this country back five years through its abhorrent displays of time-wasting and flopping that confirmed casual fans’ prior opinions about the sport. This year’s matchup takes place in the so-called “group of death” and, with powerhouses Germany and Portugal also in the group, this match is a must-win for both Ghana and the United States if they harbor hopes of advancing into the knockout rounds.
Ghana celebrating after Gyan's 93rd minute winner over the USMNT in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. (Photo: @Safaribet | Twitter)
Ghana, a West African nation, obtained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1957 and retains English as its national language. It is a significant producer of petroleum and natural gas, as well as gold and diamonds (all rather useful I’d say). Ghana is a unitary presidential constitutional republic with a president, parliament, cabinet, council of state, and independent judiciary. Its motto is “Freedom and Justice” and has a beautiful national anthem, entitled “God Bless Our Homeland Ghana”. Ghana has also maintained great relations with the United States (off the pitch, anyway), as the last three U.S. presidents have made diplomatic visits there. Ghana qualified for the World Cup via the the Confederation of African Football by winning its group in the second round and then defeating former United States manager Bob Bradley’s Egyptian squad 7-3 in aggregate over two matches in the playoffs.
Ghana will be led by several well-known players, including captain Asamoah Gyan, Michael “Bison” Essien, and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Gyan missed a crucial penalty in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinal defeat to Uruguay in extra-time, after Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez committed an intentional handball on the line to prevent a goal. Uruguay would go on to win the match on penalties and advance to the semifinals. Gyan’s international nightmare continued when he missed another crucial penalty kick in the 2012 African Cup of Nations, in a semi-final match that Ghana lost 1-0 to eventual champion Zambia. After a break from international football following the defeat in the Cup of Nations, Gyan has returned to the Black Stars and will hope for redemption on the world’s biggest stage in Brazil.
The US backline will have their hands full with forward Kevin-Prince Boateng along with his playing partner Asamoah Gyan. (Photo: @FranklinAklino | Twitter)
Essien, the current A.C. Milan and former Chelsea and Real Madrid central midfielder, was once one of the greatest players in the Barclays Premier League during his time at Chelsea. Essien then suffered a rash of injuries, mostly to his knees, that caused him to miss the 2010 World Cup. Although no longer the player he once was, Essien can still be effective and his ability to impose his will in the center of the pitch will be critical in determining how far Ghana will go in Brazil.
Prince-Boateng has played for numerous clubs in Europe and currently plays for FC Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga. His most notable moment may have been while playing for Portsmouth in the 2010 FA Cup Final against Chelsea. Prince-Boateng delivered a devastating tackle against then-German captain Michael Ballack, which injured Ballack’s ankle, keeping him out of the 2010 World Cup and effectively ending his international career. Prince-Boateng, who has a German passport, played for Germany at the youth level before switching the Ghanian team in 2010, shortly after the incident with Ballack (coincidence?). His brother, Jerome, plays for the German National team.
Although it is a quality squad, the Ghanians represent the weakest of the opponents the United States will face during the group stage, even in light of the last two World Cups. It is absolutely critical that the U.S. win this opening match if it has any chance of advancing to the knockout round. The U.S.’s matches will only increase in difficulty and it will not want to be in a position to have to defeat Germany in its last match in order to advance. A loss to Ghana would put the United States behind the 8-ball right out of the gates and would make Jürgen Klinsmann’s job considerably more difficult. If the U.S. is able to hit the ground running and avenge its defeats in the last two World Cups by vanquishing the Black Stars, it will be in a great position once it turns attention to the European powers it must face next.
The United States plays Ghana on June 16, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.
