PREVIEW: USA v Ghana
When German legend and USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann openly said that it was unrealistic to expect the United States to win the World Cup, he did not say that people should not expect them to not make it out of the group. In true German fashion, Klinsmann is being realistic about the teams overall chances at the tournament, but despite that, he is very confident in the ability of his players and the team as a whole – he believes they can make it out of the group of death. To do so, as he also stated, they would have to play as close to perfect as possible in each of their group matches to have a chance, and that still may not even be enough. Never the less, the USA is ready, calm, confident, and even without national team icon Landon Donovan, they believe they can win.
Even though captain-Clint remains prominent in the side, Michael Bradley is the keystone for the USMNT – the engine room, their creator and their inspiration. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Ghana are much the same as the past two tournaments they have featured in. In both 2006 and 2010, the makeup of their team remained a constant – tough and physical midfielders, physically imposing center backs, wing backs with pace, tricky and mobile attacking players, and Asamoah Gyan up front. This summer, Ghana bring a very young team to the tournament, but despite their tender age (only 9 players are above the age of 25) they do not lack experience at top clubs around Europe – this team is talented, far beyond Gyan, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien. They are more than capable of putting on fantastic performances, and they are equally as confident in themselves as the USA are.
Jozy Altidore (left) must keep the scoring touc that saw him net twice against Nigeria in the USMNT’s final warm-up match. He must take his chances well in Brazil. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
With both teams having Germany and Portugal remaining the least they will be looking for is a point, from this match, but ideally, both will want the full three. With Germany the heavy favorite to win the group, this is the match where both the USA and Ghana will have to take their chances, and take them well. Will the Black Stars overshadow the Starts and Stripes, or will rockets red glare fill the skies above Natal after 90minutes? Here is our preview and predictions.
"Projected starting XI’sUSA: Tim Howard; DaMarcus Beasley, Geoff Cameron, Matt Besler, Fabian Johnson; Jermaine Jones, Kyle Beckerman; Michael Bradley; Alejandro Bedoya, Jozy Altidore, Clint DempseyGhana: Adam Kwarasey; Jonathan Mensah, John Boye, Kwadwo Asamoah, Samuel Inkoom; Sulley Muntari, Mohammed Rabiu, Kevin-Prince Boateng; Andre Ayew, Asamoah Gyan, Jordan Ayew"
Key’s for the USA:
– Keeping faith in Jozy Altidore. He showed his scoring touch and potential for influential play against Nigeria, and his pace and physical nature will be important against Ghana’s back-line. Do not give up on him just yet.
– Ensuring that Michael Bradley is allowed to be influential not only in the attacking third, but in the defensive third as well. He may like to get forward, but his engine allows him to operate more like a box to box midfielder than a playmaker – he is crucial to their success.
– DaMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson love to get forward and contribute highly to the USA attack, but the pace of the Ghana front three will find them out if they are not as equally responsible on defense as they are going forward
Key’s for Ghana:
– Allowing their front three to keep the USA back-line on the back foot all match will limit the amount of time for Johnson and Beasley in forward operating positions. If you subtract them from the attacking equation by way of their own attacking nature, that hits the USA on multiple fronts.
– Making sure Clint Dempsey and Altidore are not allowed to succeed in their hold up play to bring in the likes of Johnson, Bedoya and Bradley into the play via the late runs they love to make. The midfield must be aware at all times and track back as much as necessary, as the USA loves to do this.
– Hoping beyond all hope that Adam Kwarasey is stellar in net. Ghana will create their chances on Howard, but the USA will certainly create plenty of their own, and Kwarasey must put on a top class performance if he wants to help put his country on the right track.
Key Battles:
– Michael Bradley v Mohammed Rabiu – the match is won or lost here, for both teams. If Bradley shines, the USA wins. If Rabiu wins the duel and keeps him quiet, Ghana go on to win instead. Matches are won and lost in midfield, and when it comes to the USA, that is magnified more than anything else.
– Fabian Johnson v Andre Ayew – Johnson loves to get forward in the attack for the USA, especially with late runs from deep. That said, not only will it be important for Ayew to track back and help mark him, but more importantly, to keep Johnson occupied far away from Ghana’s final third with influential play of his own.
– Tim Howard v Asamoah Gyan – Howard is so commanding in the box and so quick off his line; he will have to call on his abilities in those departments today if he wants to sniff out any chance or even any half-chance that Ghana try to carve out for Gyan. He has aged, but Gyan still has his pace and ability in the box to make the USA pay for any mistake.
German-born Fabian Johnson has become one of the most vital pieces to the USMNT jigsaw puzzle. Any good performance from him usually means they come out on top. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
"Staff match predictionsDrew: My gut tells me this will be a draw, and rather open. As such, I will go with 2-2. It’s not necessarily ideal for either side, but a draw is a far better stepping stone to build on than a loss right out of the gate, especially with Germany and Portugal still to come for both sides.Young: I really feel the USA will win this one and break their duck against Ghana. It’s going to be a blue-collar affair – no match will be uglier than this, but it’s the type of fixture that the USA will shine in. Altidore can truly be effective in a match like this, so I will say 2-1 USA.Charles: I am going with Ghana. They have such athleticism, height and physical presence, plus they are far more capable of dealing with the potential weather conditions. The USA midfield risks being dominated by Muntari and Rabiu as well. I will be bold, and go with 3-0 to Ghana."