Ghana (National Football)

This USA team reminds me of the 2002 squad that made it to the quarterfinals only to lose 1-0 to Germany in a match where the Americans outplayed the opposition. The United States should have had a penalty kick, and Germany should have had a red card for a handball on the goal line. 

That team came out with fire in its eyes, believing that its could beat anybody.  And the Americans did, blowing away a very fancied Portugal side with three goals in the first half-hour of the opening game.

The 2010 team has that same fire and that same self-confidence that didn't exist on the 1998 or 2006 squads. 

The United States faces a tricky game tomorrow against a Ghana team that stumbled into the Round of 16 thanks to Australia.  Ghana's two biggest problems are the absence of star midfielder Michael Essien for the entire tournament, and an offense that has only scored two goals thus far—both from penalties. Those two problems are related.

The Americans are coming off the incredible high of Landon Donovan's extra time goal to save their tournament.  That will be a huge asset as confidence is essential in the knockout stage.  Ghana will have a huge weight on its shoulders as the last team standing from Africa. That can cut both ways. 

The U.S. is stronger at the back because of Tim Howard, and he has been excellent throughout this World Cup.  It's often the little things that make the difference in a game, such as his quick and accurate throw that led to Donovan's game-winning goal against Algeria. 

For Ghana, Richard Kingson is solid in net and has likewise been error-free in the tournament. 

The U.S. defense has been solid with Jay Demerit and Carlos Bocanegra both having exceptional tournaments.  Oguchi Onyewu should be back for this game as well.  His height and size will help keep Ghana's attack at bay. 

Ghana have a solid defense that has given away little including holding Germany to one unstoppable goal.  John Pantsil, John Mensah, and the newly promoted Jonathan Mensah have all been solid and disciplined and will force the U.S. attack to work hard. 

The midfield matches up fairly evenly despite Essien's absence.  For the U.S. Michael Bradley has been stellar with a controlled level of aggression.  Donovan can break open a game and Clint Dempsey is showing the wealth of experience he has garnered playing for Fulham.  

Ghana's midfield has surprised.  Anthony Annan has become one of the standout holding midfielders in the tournament, and 20-year-old Andre Ayew is excelling.  Kevin Prince Boateng is another player who could cause headaches for the Americans. 

Up front Jozy Altidore has played well, proving he can play at this level despite not scoring yet.  A goal would surely boost his confidence.  Ghana needs Asamoah Gyan to come unstuck for them to have any chance at a victory.  He was woeful virtually every time he got the ball in a critical situation against Germany, wasting a number of chances. 

Despite struggling through the group stage, Ghana has been consistent with few errors.  The ball control skills and short passing of the midfield could give Team USA headaches. The U.S. will need an error-free defense to win.   

The intangibles favor the United States. The Americans' team unity, commitment, and aggression can get under Ghana's skin, and if that happens the United States will prevail quite comfortably.  It could be a game of few clear-cut chances and whoever takes advantage of them will win. 

This game could end up hinging on a lucky break, and after the group round the United States seems to have used up their allotment of bad breaks. 

Soccer at this level can be a fickle mistress.  The odds slightly favor the United States which is an accurate reflection of the game's prospects.  Ghana has more skill but the United States has heart, cohesion, and determination, attributes that have not been as evident for Ghana. 

The United States should prevail by the odd goal, but expect a well-played, tight game.

Going into the 2010 FIFA World Cup, hopes were high for the African nations in what was supposed to be "Africa's World Cup."

But with the group stage almost over, it has become apparent that only one side (Ghana) will be able to advance to the next round.

Overall, Ghana finished second in Group D, but they were still able to have a solid first round with a great win over Serbia, a disappointing draw with Australia, because the Black Stars were up a man for almost the entire match, and a loss to Germany.

In group stage, Ghana had only two goals, both of which were from Asamoah Gyan off the penalty marker. This no longer matters as Ghana have advanced.

Now, Ghana will have to travel to the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg to take on the United States, who finished first overall in Group C.

The United States were able to play with a ton of heart during the first round, gaining ties against England (at Rustenburg) and Slovenia, before Landon Donovan's stoppage-time goal propelled the USA into the round of 16.

Of course, these two sides met back in the 2006 World Cup where Ghana got a controversial penalty at the end of the first half, which led to the Black Stars winning 2-1. This allowed them to reach the round of 16 in their first World Cup.

Now, the USA are back and ready to face Ghana. The Americans believe they can reach the quarterfinal against either Uruguay or South Korea on July 2 at Soccer City.

And with that, Ghana have really gotten the short end of the deal here, as they face a hot and united American side instead of an English side that is not playing as a team.

At this stage, the United States might finally be able to take advantage of this Ghanaian defense and score some goals, something that no one in Group D was really able to do.

Meanwhile, Ghana will face a disciplined American defense, and a goalkeeper in Tim Howard who is among the top 10 goalkeepers in this World Cup.

Right now, Ghana's backs are against the wall, and it will be interesting to see if the Black Stars will have a chance of beating the United States on Saturday in Rustenburg.

While the United States and Ghana might still be biting their teeth at a possible exit from the group stages, both will be mighty pleased that results fell in their favour and both deserve to be in the final 16.

But in terms of who is the better team, not just on paper but in regards to their performances at the World Cup thus far, you will have to look at Ghana and agree that they have it in them to send the United States packing come Saturday night.

Yes, the United States might have been unlucky with decisions not going in their favour. Yes, the United States might have been lucky when Robert Green fumbled the ball to allow an equalizer that gained them a point.

But World Cups need luck, sometimes something needs to fall in your favour before you go on and do it yourself.

Ghana, on the other hand, were also lucky that Australia beat Serbia and that they did so by a fine margin ensuring Ghana progress on goal difference.

So why do I suggest that Ghana will beat the United States? Well, looking at all six games and the road to the last sixteen, Ghana had a tougher route, while I accept that all games in the World Cup are tough and competitive, we need to understand that playing weaker opposition at the start might give you a false sense of how good you really are.

The United States played England, in a game that England should have won even though they played badly; it was ultimately a mistake that gave the United States a point.

Then they faced Slovenia, who are not the greatest test, well English fans might disagree with me there. Nevertheless, they ended the game tied 2-2, but that was after Slovenia lead 2-0. Yes, there was a goal disallowed for I don't know what reason but that's football, things like this happen.

In their final game against Algeria, they managed a late goal in extra-time from Landon Donovan, which brought smiles to the entire United States.

Thus ensuring five points and the top of Group C as they scored one more goal than England, although they finished with the same goal difference.

On the other hand, Ghana won their first game with a penalty against Serbia, who are one tough team boasting some top quality players.

Ghana then faced Australia in Rustenburg, but were kept at bay for a draw.

Last night, three time World Champions Germany faced the Black Stars at Soccer City in front of 83,000 people. Both teams squandered opportunities and in the second half Germany finally responded to a Ghana defensive tactic with a wonder strike by young Mesut Ozil.

Ghana proved that they have enough attacking players to break through the Germany defence on a number of occasions; however, their finishing was disappointing.

Ghana also made the final 16 in 2006 only to be knocked out by Brazil in a 3-0 thrashing.

The United States showed some great performances in last year's FIFA Confederations Cup having made it to the final only to be outclassed in the second half by a Brazilian team that came from 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.

Many will disagree when I say that the United States just doesn't have enough to progress further.

If Ghana can consistently play Donovan out of the game, the United States will fail to progress. Ghana has played with more team efforts rather than individual performances, something that is key even more this year. 

The final Group D match between Ghana and Germany could prove to be one of the most unusual contests seen at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Germany already has supplied a very bizarre spectacle in their match against Serbia, where they failed to notice that the referee had gone card-happy.

So now, with 8 of their 11 players holding yellow cards, and at this stage really needing a win to ensure they won't be eliminated, the German team is in a very precarious and unusual situation.

Therefore, if they play too hard, they could earn more yellow cards.  Then, even if they do make it through to the next round, they will have key players missing, which is always bad news in the Round of 16.

On the other hand, if they don't play hard enough, then it could be sufficient to handing Ghana a win. Even a draw is not really an acceptable result for Germany, currently standing in second place, and at risk if Serbia win the match against Australia.

It will be interesting to see how the tactics unfold. 

Adding an extra twist to the strategic outcome of the match is the fact that finishing second in the Group could be seen as an advantage, as the runner-up in Group D will play against the United States, rather than England.

The difficulty would be in arranging it.  That is because the second place slot is quite a dangerous place to be until the end of the match between Australia and Serbia.

If somehow the German coach can find out how things are progressing at the other game (yes, that is dishonest but entirely possible), and if Germany are ahead by two goals, then the team could be instructed to give the opponent an easier time, to perhaps ensure that Germany remains in second place.

It is a risky (and illegal) strategy though, and very unlikely.  But the German team is definitely not in a comfortable place until they, firstly, score a goal or two against Ghana, and secondly, know for certain that Serbia has no chance of beating Australia.

Date : 23 June 2010

Venue : Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg

Germany, the three-time champions, are on the brink of elimination. And, yes, you heard me right.

Ghana won their first game, 1-0 against Serbia, and drew their second game against ten-man Australia 1-1. Asamoah Gyan popped up with penalties in both games. Germany won their first match, 4-0 against Australia, and lost their second game to Serbia 1-0, playing with ten men for most of the match.

Due to referee Undiano's error, Germany now must play a do-or-die clash against the Black Stars. However, all losses are meant to serve as a notice to the coach to make changes. Joachim Loew made changes to the Euro 2008 team after they lost their second match 2-1 to Croatia, and hopefully will do the same this time.

Qualification

Ghana won all of their home matches against Gabon, Libya and Lesotho. Their only away victory came over Lesotho. Ghana finished top of their group on goal difference and qualified.

Germany drew twice and won eight times in their campaign. Both of their draws came against Finland. They qualified with one match to spare. Germany scored 26 goals and conceded just five.

Tactic:

Joachim Loew will definitely make changes considering Miroslav Klose is suspended for this match. I would like to see Joachim Loew revert to a 4-4-2 formation, with Philipp Lahm and Arne Friedrich as the wing backs, Per Mertesacker and Holger Badstuber the central defenders, Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos as holding midfielders, Bastian Schweini and Mesut Ozil the wingers, and Lukas Podolski alongside Jeronimo Cacau as the strikers.

Loew actually tried out Kroos as a defensive midfielder before the tournament, and that's why I think he might give it a try.

The best formation for me, though, would be a 4-5-1 with Friedrich as the left back, Toni Kroos as the playmaker, and Jeronimo Cacau as the lone striker.

I think Loew will just make two changes. He will bring in Cacau as the lone striker and Boateng as the left back, placing Holger Badstuber on the bench.

Ghana will be defensively strong, as they have suggested, with just one front man. It will be up to Germany to return to the old pragmatic tactics of crosses and headers as well as long balls. Without Miro Klose, the task becomes very difficult. There is also no Michael Ballack to blast free-kicks, so Germany could be in trouble.

Probable Line-Ups

Ghana : Kingson, Pantsil, Mensah, Vorsah, Sarpei; Annan, KP Boateng; Tagoe, Asamoah, Ayew; Gyan

Germany : Neuer, Lahm, Mertesacker, Friedrich, J. Boateng; Schweinsteiger, Khedira; Mueller, Ozil, Podolski; Cacau

Other Thoughts

Could Germany really not be part of the World Cup come the knockout stage? Germany might be eliminated if they draw or lose and Serbia goes on to beat Australia. Considering the fact that the match is in Johannesburg, the fans could play an even bigger role for the Ghanaians than in the other matches.

Prediction

I don't even want to try. I welcome the readers to make their predictions.

With a convincing victory in their opening round match against Australia, Germany seemed well on their way to advancing through to the knockout phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

In what was a breathtaking display of attacking football, the youthful exuberance of the Germans would win out. With deft through balls and clever runs, the Germans would lay siege to the Australian goal, their efforts culminating with a landslide 4-0 victory.

Days later, German jubilation was replaced with heartbreak, as Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium played host to yet another upset.

In a highly anticipated match, the scrappy Serbians managed a gutsy 1-0 victory. Offering the German attack little of the time and space it had enjoyed in it’s previous match, the Serbians remained committed to their defensive effort. The proof was in the pudding.

Not much went right after veteran striker Miroslav Klose was sent off after earning his second yellow card of the match. The Serbians would quickly capitalize on their man advantage as a well struck Krasic cross would eventually be hammered home by Jovanovic.

But perhaps the most critical moment of the match was a missed penalty by Lucas Podolski. Podolski who had been off target all day, placed a marginal spot kick into the outstretched arms of Serbian keeper Stojkavic.

Chalk it up to poor officiating, blame it on a dubious decision my manager Joachim Loew to nominate Podolski to take the penalty, but the fact of the matter is, the Germans have no one but themselves to blame.

They responded poorly to the sending off of Klose and almost looked lost in the 10 minutes or so immediately following his red card. They generated a bevy of quality scoring opportunities but the quality of finish was anything but world class.

Despite all this they could still manage to finish atop the Group D with a win over the Black Stars.

Klose will be missed, but the second half performance of the Germans proves they are capable of playing without him. They have the quickness needed to match the pace of Ghana and superior talent.

Expect a quality match and a close one. But don’t count on the Germans letting anymore points slip through their finger tips.

Prediction: 2-1 Germany

So far in this World Cup, there haven't been any sides that have been able to secure a spot in the round of 16.  But at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, Ghana were able to get closer to making the round of 16 with a 1-1 draw with Australia.

To start off the match, Australia responded to the loss of Tim Cahill due to suspension by replacing him with Harry Kewell.

And the Socceroos came out hungry in Rustenbrug as they started to attack a Ghanian side that was too relaxed to start off the match.

In the 10th minute, the Aussies were able to capitalize on the mistakes by the Black Stars defense, as a free kick by Mark Bresciano got juggled by Ghana keeper Richard Kingson and Brett Holman was able to capitalize on the rebound to give the Aussies an early 1-0 lead.

After the goal Ghana started to slowly spring to life, and in the 23rd minute it appeared that the entire match was about to turn in Ghana's favor.

Off a corner, Harry Kewell handled the ball off of the line causing Italian referee Roberto Rosetti to send off Kewell and give Ghana a penalty, which Asamoah Gyan was able to convert to tie the match at one apiece.

After the goal, Ghana continued to be on the attack, but were not able to beat Socceroos keeper Mark Schwarzer, as Schwarzer looked much better today than he did against Germany in Durban six days earlier.

And with that, the score was 1-1 at the half.

In the second half, Ghana continued to push themselves forward, but instead of trying as a team to tie the match, the Ghanaian players tried as individuals to tie the match, which almost never works.

As a result, as hard as Ghana tried in the second half, they were never seriously able to get a legitimate charge at goal.

With that, Ghana were not able to score again, and despite some solid chances from Australia, they too couldn't score and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

With the draw, Ghana are now at four points in Group D, which puts them in first place.

Meanwhile for Australia, they are at one point and will need a miracle to advance onto the round of 16 again.

Ghana's next match will be on June 23 at Soccer City in Johannesburg against Germany in what should be one of the best matches of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Australia will also play on June 23 at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit against Serbia in a must-win game.

So far in this 2010 FIFA World Cup, we have seen some great play and some surprises as we have finished the first week of the World Cup.

However, the most surprising fact has to be that the African sides have really struggled in South Africa to this point, with only Ghana registering a win.

But now, Ghana will have their second World Cup match, as they play the Socceroos of Australia in the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.

With Ghana and Australia's World Cup fate on the line in this match, here is my official preview of what should be a fantastic Group D match.

First Match:

Serbia 0, Ghana 1

Germany 4, Australia 0

Team News:

Ghana:

For Ghana, they will have the services of Sulley Muntari after Muntari missed the first match due to a thigh injury.

Australia:

The absence of Tim Cahill after a controversial red card against Germany has opened the door for Harry Kewell to start.

What is on the line:

Ghana:

For Ghana, it is their chance to get a favorable road in the knockout stage with a win.

Australia:

Meanwhile for Australia, a loss here would end their World Cup dreams and could cause the Socceroos to finish last overall.

Key Players:

Ghana:

For Ghana, their goalscorer from the win against Serbia (Asamoah Gyan) will be the player to watch.

The reason why was that Gyan was instrumental in forcing pressure onto the Serbian backline, and this match could only increase his stock as a great Ghanaian player.

Australia:

Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer looked like an ancient goalkeeper against Germany in what was one of his worst matches of his career.

Now, the Socceroos keeper must be great in goal like he was in 2006 for Australia to win here.

What each side must do to win:

Ghana:

Ghana have to have a strong offensive match and have to take advantage of a weak Aussie defense here.

Australia:

The Socceroos must forget about Germany and pretend that the World Cup starts here. By doing this and having a strong defensive effort, they could win.

Biggest key to victory:

Ghana:

The strong play of their defense. The defense for the Black Stars was spectacular against Serbia, and must play great again here.

Australia:

Play strong defensively and make sure to capitalize on the counterattack.

Projected Lineups:

Ghana (4-2-3-1)

                                                        Kingson

               Pantsil                Mensah                        Vorsah                 Sarpei

                                         Annan                        Muntari

                      Tagoe                        Asamoah                        Ayew

                                                         Gyan

Australia (4-4-2)

                                      Kennedy                      Kewell

            Emerten               Bresciano                     Grella                  Culina

           Wilkshire                  Neill                          Moore              Chipperfield

                                                    Schwarzer

X-Factor:

The X-Factor here will be the weather in Rustenburg.

With the match starting at 16:00 South African time, the temperature will be dropping at a constant rate with sunset near and the days in South Africa getting shorter.

Now, who will be better equipped to play now in this match?

Prediction:

Right now, the Socceroos are not nearly as formidable of a side without the services of Tim Cahill.

With Cahill, Australia had a chance, but they will lose to a Ghana side that will all but clinch a spot in the round of 16 with a 2-0 win, raising their total to six points in Group D and sole position of the top spot.

After the Ivory Coast secured World Cup qualification in 2006, Didier Drogba led his teammates and begged their fellow countrymen to end a civil war in their homeland. 

The people listened and Drogba became a national hero for more than just soccer.

That moment represents the power and sway that soccer holds for the entire African continent. 

Sadly, there is a flipside.

Pele famously predicted that an African team would win the World Cup by 2000. 

A decade later, it is still uncertain when an African team will reach that feat. Cameroon (1990) and Senegal (2002) have gone the furthest in World Cup play, losing quarterfinals matches in extra time.

It's not for a lack of talent, because the globalization of soccer has attracted the world's best players to ply their trade in the world's best leagues.

Many of the African teams are selected entirely from European clubs. Player development has improved, particularly in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, where soccer academies produce a constant flow of players to European leagues. 

Africans have an unbridled passion for soccer equal to South America.  For many, it's the one outlet in a daily struggle to survive. 

However, all that talent and passion is often negated by corruption and worse.

Dictators use soccer as a tool to enhance their power, and officials and politicians routinely looted money. Coaching is also an ongoing problem. 

Few, if any, quality coaches have emerged from Africa, so teams tend to hire foreign coaches leading to the World Cup, who then move on to greener pastures. All these factors lead to World Cup struggles.

The story of African teams in 2010 has followed the usual script of great talent being wasted by bad coaching, a lack of discipline, and other errors. 

Unfortunately Nigeria, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast all lost their best players. True Didier Drogba will be playing, but the Ivory Coast could have beaten Portugal were he healthy and able to start. 

Thus far African teams have compiled a dismal record of 1-2-5. Yesterday, we saw Sani Keita lose his mind with Nigeria beating Greece 1-0 in a moment of sheer madness that probably cost them the win. 

Cameroon lost because of a bizarre decision by manager Paul Le Guen to start a team with virtually no attacking midfielders against Japan. There are now reports about turmoil in their camp.

This story has been writ in virtually every recent World Cup.

There are no easy solutions, but the first would be to bring in experienced coaches with longer contracts and then ensure that the country's officials and politicians take a step back. 

Ironically, the few countries that have financially viable local leagues have lagged behind some of the others because their players tend to play locally and don't get the needed exposure to European leagues. 

South Africa and some of the North African countries such as Egypt, Algeria, and Morocco have this problem. It's not so much the lack of talent as the lack of experience. 

Hopefully, one of the African teams will still be able to shine in South Africa, but it won't be the hosts or Nigeria. 

Ghana, even without Michael Essien, looked good and Germany's 1-0 loss to Serbia puts them in a strong position. 

Cameroon can still get it together while Sunday's clash between Brazil and the Ivory Coast, with Drogba likely to start, will be intriguing.

It would be fitting for an African team to finally get to the World Cup semifinals, especially in the first World Cup held on African soil, but the prospect is looking much dimmer than a week ago.

I would heartily recommend reading Africa United: Soccer, Passion, Politics, and the First World Cup In Africa by Steve Bloomfied.  It is both harrowing and hopeful. 

The last line in the book sums it up, referring to a game in war-torn Somalia.

"For 90 minutes nothing else mattered."

Ghana narrowly defeated Serbia in the opening match of Group D in Pretoria yesterday.

An Asamoah Gyan penalty in the 83rd minute gave the Black Stars all three points against a Serbian team reduced to 10 men following the sending off of Aleksander Lukovic for a second yellow card.

Ghana will go into their next match against Australia full of confidence after defeating a highly rated Serbian team who now face a tough task to better their group stage exit of four years ago.

Gyan’s conversion from the spot after substitute Zdravko Kuzmanovic handled inside the area secured the first win of the tournament for an African team.

The penalty was the decisive moment of a tight encounter, with neither side able to break the deadlock in open play.

Serbia controlled the early possession and limited Ghana to half chances, but created little themselves. Kwadwo Asamoah struck a left-footed shot for the first real opportunity of the game in the 15th minute, John Mensah saw his header go over from a free kick shortly afterwards

Ghana grew into the game and started the second half well, but Serbia enjoyed the better chances. A Marko Pantelic cutback in the 57th minute couldn‘t find a red shirt, Nikola Zigic failed to hit the target at the back post minutes later.

The dismissal of Lukovic in the 74th minute for tugging down Gyan invited further Ghanaian pressure, but it was Serbia who then spurned the best chance of the game.

Danko Lazovic cut the ball back for Pantelic, who missed a simple shot. The ball then fell to the largely anonymous Milos Krasic, who struck his shot straight at Richard Kingson in the Ghana goal.

Five minutes later and Gyan’s penalty gave Ghana all three points.