USMNT prepares to face old foe in Ghana

However all just isn’t misplaced for the USMNT. It has yet another probability to grab a statement-making worldwide win earlier than its gamers return to their membership groups this weekend — and the opponent in query could not be extra historic.

On Tuesday, the USMNT will tackle Ghana, one in all its greatest and fiercest rivals on the worldwide circuit. New followers is perhaps shocked to listen to in regards to the stress between these faraway nations, however make no mistake: in terms of soccer, america and Ghana have been duking it out for years.

The primary assembly got here in 2006, throughout the group phases of the World Cup. Ghana hammered an underperforming USMNT to seal its elimination from the match. 4 years later in 2010, the 2 sides met on the World Cup — this time within the Spherical of 16. Ghana received once more, clinching a 2-1 victory within the 93rd minute of play to interrupt American hearts.

When the 2014 World Cup rolled round, American followers groaned when Ghana was as soon as once more drawn into the identical group because the USMNT. Few gave the USMNT a preventing probability; in any case, Ghana had knocked it out of the final two World Cups in a row. 

However the USMNT, led by fiery ahead Clint Dempsey, wasn’t inquisitive about happening a 3rd time. It beat Ghana, 2-1, kicking off its World Cup in type, and got here again to defeat the Ghanaians once more throughout a pleasant in 2017. The 2 groups are actually stage in head-to-head statistics; the winner of Tuesday’s match will take management of the rivalry for the subsequent few years.

Ghana is especially sturdy in midfield; common viewers of the Premier League will acknowledge Arsenal’s Thomas Partey and West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus. However whereas Ghana excels and holding and passing the ball, it hasn’t been changing possibilities into objectives — it misplaced 2-0 to Mexico a couple of days in the past and faltered in African Cup of Nations qualification video games towards Angola and Madagascar. If Ghana needs to beat the USMNT, it should regain its attacking edge and deal with getting the ball within the web.

The USMNT, in the meantime, hasn’t had any issues scoring — it is netted eight objectives in its three most up-to-date video games. However whereas it saved clear sheets towards opponents like Oman and Uzbekistan, it conceded three foolish objectives to Germany, largely due to mix-ups between defenders Sergiño Dest, Chris Richards and Tim Ream. Dest, Richards and Ream must enhance their communication rapidly in the event that they want to lastly put the USMNT on the successful facet of its Ghana rivalry.

The USMNT and Ghana will play in Nashville, Tenn. on Tuesday.