For the third consecutive World Cup, the United States men's soccer team will face a Ghana team that seems to have its number. Can the Yanks defeat their African enemies? Jon Arnold takes a close look.

BY Jon Arnold Posted

December 09, 2013

1:16 PM SHARE THIS STORY



Editor's Note: American Soccer Now will be all over Group G and the entire World Cup experience from this day forward. We now have early looks at Germany and Portugal ready for you.

ESSENTIALS

Every American soccer fan knows Ghana (6pm Eastern, June 16; ESPN) as the team that eliminated the U.S. from the last two World Cups—a 2-1 win in extra time during a round of 16 match in 2010, and a group stage win by the same margin in 2006 that kept the Stars and Stripes from reaching the knockout round. (Ghana also defeated the U.S. under-20 team, 4-1, at the 2013 U-20 World Cup.)

The Black Stars are renowned for their talent and speed, and as soon as they were drawn into Group G with the Germans, it seemed a foregone conclusion that the West African nation that has quirkily become a U.S. rival would be on the slate in 2014. If the past triumphs weren't enough to convince U.S. fans, Ghana is currently ranked as the second-best team in Africa and is ranked 24th overall in the FIFA rankings.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Ghana breezed through the first stage of Confederation of African Football qualification, scoring the most goals of any team and missing out on points just once (a 1-0 loss to Zambia) in the group portion. Then, the Black Stars dispatched former U.S. coach Bob Bradley's Egypt team in the two-legged playoff. A 6-1 win in the home leg basically sealed qualification, and the team avoided collapse by losing 2-1 in Cairo for a 7-3 aggregate victory.

THE COACH

James Kwesi Appiah, a former Black Star himself, has led the team since the summer of 2012 after a surprise promotion after Goran Stevanovic was fired for failing to win that year's African Cup of Nations. Stevanovic was the third foreign coach Appiah worked under and the former left back has become an outspoken supporter of African coaches leading African teams. A fourth-place finish in this year's African Cup of Nations didn't see Appiah fired, likely because of the focus on World Cup qualification results. Aside from this job, Appiah hasn't led any major teams, though he did spend time learning from coaches throughout Europe, including those at Manchester City.

KEY PLAYERS

Asamoah Gyan, the man who scored the goal to eliminate the U.S. in 2010, likely needs little introduction, though perhaps some people will need a refresher. He moved from Sunderland to Al Ain in 2011 and still represents the UAE-based team at the club level. That makes him no less potent of a scoring threat for Ghana, scoring 39 goals in 77 career appearances for the Black Stars. He also seems more focused than ever, earning the captain's armband in recent matches.

The Ayew brothers, Andre and Jordan, are also potent up front, with the elder, Andre, likely to make a move to one of the world's giant clubs if Marseille can't shell out the cash. He's probably more likely to play wide for the Black Stars with another capable forward, Majeed Waris, on the other side.

In the midfield, there's a similar glut of talented, young players with Kevin-Prince Boateng, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu and Kwadwo Asamoah on the rise and likely to learn from the experience of Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari.

With all that attacking firepower, Ghana's defense seems like it could be exploited by the U.S. and the other Group G teams, but the reality is the unit has grown strong and is often the key to springing the Ghanaian attack.