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Monday June 16th - 4:00PM | ||
| vs | USA | ||
| FIFA RANKING 38 | FIFA RANKING 14 | ||
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| HOW THEY QUALIFIED |
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| GHANA Ghana survived one of the continent's toughest qualifying groups by winning five of their six matches against 2012 African champions Zambia, Lesotho and Sudan. A 1-0 defeat in Zambia was their only set-back in a campaign that saw them outscore their opponents by 15 goals to three. That sent them into the final play-off round, where again the Black Stars were done no favours by the draw, which set them up against seven-time African champions Egypt. However, a resounding 6-1 win the home first leg basically settled the tie and sent them into their third FIFA World Cup in succession even before a meaningless 2-1 defeat in Cairo. USA The Americans had an ominous start to their final round of qualifying in the CONCACAF zone, losing out 2-1 on the road in Honduras. The result had many in the US media questioning Jurgen Klinsmann’s approach and tactics. All that suspicion quickly melted away, however, as the German proved totally up to the task, guiding the Stars and Stripesdeftly to a first-place finish in the six-team Hexagonal. He experimented with old players in new positions, new players throughout the squad, changed formations freely and generally created a new atmosphere of confidence and competition in the team. They won an astounding seven of their ten games, scoring a Hexagonal-high 15 goals, conceding only eight, losing only once, and finishing four full points above runners-up Costa Rica in the final standings. If the trajectory continues for Klinsmann’s rampaging side, the sky might just be the limit in Brazil. |
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RECENT RESULTS |
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| GHANA | USA | ||
| 19/11/13 - EGYPT 2-1 GHANA 15/10/13 - GHANA 6-1 EGYPT 06/09/13 - GHANA 2-1 ZAMBIA |
15/10/13 - PANAMA 2-3 USA 11/10/13 - USA 2-0 JAMAICA 10/09/13 - USA 2-0 MEXICO |
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| PLAYERS TO WATCH | |||
| GHANA There are few better midfields in the world than Ghana's as the Black Stars can call on veterans Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari as well as players hitting their prime like Andre Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Up front, the athletic Asamoah Gyan will be a vital focal point and no doubt anxious to prove that Ghana can be the undisputed class of Africa. |
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| USA Jozy Altidore, of English Premier League outfit Sunderland, emerged as the complete package during the final qualifying competition. Left out of the team due to poor form and attitude in the semi-final round, Klinsmann reconsidered and wasn’t let down by his burly striker, who scored goals for fun and was the perfect partner for Clint Dempsey in attack. Landon Donovan, long-time creative icon of the US national, made a return to football after a self-imposed months-long ‘sabbatical’ and linked up beautifully with the sturdy central midfield presence of Roma’s Michael Bradley. With Tim Howard still a dominant presence between the sticks, the Americans are loaded with ability wherever you look. |
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