[ 2014-03-05 ]

USA World Cup hopes rest on beating Ghana in opening Group G game
When I saw the U.S. World Cup draw, I thought it
was great for football generally. Group G will be
full of tension and Germany, Ghana, Portugal and
the U.S. gives it a broad global appeal.

The best way to approach the group is to
appreciate that progress is possible for the U.S.,
but not probable. We need to stay humble and let
the boys fly under the radar—hoping they can get
something out of it.

The silver lining, of course, is that games at the
World Cup have a different dynamic in the group
stages. It is always is about the first game—at
least for countries like ours. The fact that the
U.S. start against Ghana, with all due respect,
gives Jurgen Klinsmann’s team the chance to get
off to a winning start.

History tells us otherwise in our games against
Ghana—the U.S. lost 2-1 to Ghana at both the
2006 and 2010 World Cups—but despite the
physical challenges, I believe spirit and tactical
understanding of the game might be enough to see
the U.S. to victory.

I wouldn’t be as hopeful playing Germany or
Portugal in the first game.

But if the U.S. can beat Ghana, then there’s
always the possibility of making it through to the
knockout stages. The U.S. certainly have the
mentality to achieve the impossible. There’s an
undeniable spirit to Klinsmann’s group for this
tournament.

What worries me is their lack of pace and a
defence which may be found wanting. We should be
worried that the U.S. defence has barely improved
in the four years since the 2010 World Cup.

If you remember what happened in South Africa, the
U.S. gave up early goals and lacked
concentration.

Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler are forming a
promising combination at center-back, but
they’ve never played together in a big
tournament. Is Geoff Cameron a centre-back or a
right-back? And at left-back, we have question
marks with Fabian Johnson and Damarcus Beasley.

In midfield, Michael Bradley is undeniably a
better player than he was in 2010, and Graham Zusi
may give us an idea that he is the answer. But you
could easily make the case that Landon Donovan and
Clint Dempsey are no stronger than they were in
South Africa.

Source - Ghanasoccer

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