Noted soccer experts, casual fans and some random guy who just dropped an envelope in the mail slot preview Saturday’s World cup Round of 16 match between the U.S. and Ghana. Vuvuzelas up … let’s begin.
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* Questions you might have about Saturday’s match. We actually played Ghana in the last World Cup. We lost 2-1, officially eliminating the United States from the tournament. It was another damned bad call that doomed them; Oguchi Onyewu was called for a penalty with the score tied 1-1 just before halftime, giving the Black Stars a penalty kick. Stephen Appiah banged it home, and the U.S. was never really in it after that. – Will Leitch, New York Magazine.
* Momentum, Intangibles Should Lead USA To Win Over Ghana. 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. 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. – Philip Cramer, Bleacher Report.
* A Pick ‘Em Game. What were the Americans doing even having to snatch games from disaster at the last minute against the likes of distinctly mediocre teams such as Algeria and Slovenia? The defense still gives up too many convertible chances. It’s also not a particularly good strategy to continually play from behind. The US and its supporters may also be overconfident (one online poll had 90% of Americans expecting the team to win). Yes, the US won its group but it was a very weak one. – Stephen Stark and Harrison Stark, Real Clear Sports.
* Unlikely pairing collide at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium. Ghana could be without centre-back Isaac Vorsah for the knockout encounter as the defender struggles to win his fitness battle. Vorsah missed the draw against Australia through injury and was hoping to be in contention for the loss to Germany, however Rajevac was forced to start him on the bench. There was better news for fellow first-choice John Mensah, who also returned from the sidelines to complete 90 minutes, meaning Ghana may field an unchanged starting XI. – Danny Wright, Sky Sports.
* USA – Ghana Preview. Ghana not only carries the weight of a nation, but also the hopes of an entire continent on their shoulders. Africa’s sides were supposed to shine during the ’10 tournament. They haven’t, but the Black Stars represent one last chance to inspire. The squad present problems for the Americans. “Their athleticism will be difficult to deal with. My guess is that they’ll have quite a bit of support,” Landon Donocvan said. “Like a lot of African teams, they are fairly unpredictable sometimes, which can be a plus or a minus.” – Noah Davis, Goal.com.
* Reunited and It Feels… This iteration of Ghana has relied on an organized and stingy approach, typically opting for something resembling a 4-2-3-1. It tasks Kevin-Prince Boateng and Anthony Annan with breaking up play and distribution behind a fluid three-man attacking midfield combination that will likely feature Prince Tagoe, Kwadwo Asamoah, and Andre Ayew. And the danger man up top, Asamoah Gyan, is responsible for both of Ghana’s goals to date in the competition, netting penalties in the win over Serbia and the draw with Australia. – World Cup Blog.
* World Cup betting preview. Having watched all six games involving these sides, I’d say this match is about as close to 50-50 as a second-round tie could get. The prices of USA at 2.76 and Ghana at 3.00 to win the game look about right to me, but given that I view this as a pretty even three-horse race I’d rather back the outsider – the draw – at 3.20. – James Eastham, Betfair.com.
