I can't believe we drew Ghana.
There is no doubt that the much more serious concern is the fact that Germany and Portugal are the overwhelming favorites to advance to the knockout stages, but six hours after finally turning the TV off in disgust all I can think about is Ghana. Why does it have to be Ghana?
It's hard for me to imagine a stranger sporting relationship than that between the soccer teams of the United States and Ghana. As far as I can tell, the 2006 and 2010 World Cups are the only times that the Yanks and Black Stars have ever faced each other, and they both stand out as two of the most traumatic memories of my sporting life. Twice I have had to watch an overwhelmingly pro-Ghanian crowd celebrate as my heroes sink to the pitch, defeated. Twice I have seen my favorite team's spirits completely crushed out on the field by an entirely beatable opponent. Twice I have concerned those around me with days long episodes of introverted rage. Twice seems like more than enough, and it's these memories that consume me now.
These were not straight ass kickings either. Both games were entirely winnable for the United States, and both featured mind-numbingly stupid plays that crippled their chances early on. Claudio Reyna didn't make a mistake like this more than ten times in his entire career, and also managed to get himself hurt in the process badly enough to leave the game. Ricardo Clark had no business even being on the plane to South Africa, a fact that Bob Bradley capitulated to by using a non injury substitution on him during the first half. Throw in an entirely dubious penalty called on Oguchi Onyewu, and you can understand why I didn't leave either of these games feeling as though we were bested by a vastly superior opponent.
So what does it mean when you're only exposure to a team is during the two worst losses of your life as a fan? It's hard to call them a rival of ours, considering that we don't play regularly and could conceivably never face each other again, but this is clearly not just another matchup. There is a part of me that truly hates the Ghanian national team, and would like nothing more than to see them fail for the rest of their existence. But do I hold a special place in hell for them like I do with the Mexican National team? Not quite, but there is something sharper and more painful about my association with Ghana, and I don't know if my psyche can handle another World Cup loss to the Black Stars.
Despite all of this, Ghana remains an eminently beatable team. They are talented of course, but Michael Essien is not the same player he once was, Asamoah Gyan now plays in the UAE instead of in France or England, and they have been dealing with a slew of injuries of late. Combine that with a USA team that has never looked better or been on such an impressive run of form, and there is no reason the Americans shouldn't be favored when the time comes. Not only that, but this time around we will be playing Ghana in our opening match. I don't know if that will make for more or less nerves when kickoff comes, but at least the dynamic should be different from the past two meetings.
Germany and Portugal are two of the top five ranked teams in the world, but that is irrelevant if we don't beat Ghana. With three points against the Black Stars, the Yanks can look ahead to Germany and Portugal with confidence and an optimism that they will advance. I truly believe that with three points from that first game, the USA will find a way to secure passage to the knockout stages. If we lose to Ghana, the end of the road will suddenly look mighty close.
It's the ultimate chance for redemption for the USMNT. It is also the most terrifying outcome I could possibly have imagined.
Thoughts and opinions on Major League Soccer, the USMNT, and the future of Soccer in America.
I sense that you are bitter towards Ghana for defeating the US in the last two World Cups. There's no reason why you should be bitter. Ghana was the better team. Ghana is an elite African team and they play in the stronger African CAF region, whereas the US's only real competition in the CONACAF is Mexico. Ghana is a football nation. Ghanians focus on and celebrate football. America, on the other hand, is not a football nation, and its talent is spread across sports such as American football, basketball, baseball and hockey.
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't have been disappointed or bitter if you accepted the fact that the US was the underdog when it faced Ghana. Now, once again, you're underestimating Ghana by saying that the US is favored to win against Ghana. You're being arrogant. You're underestimating an opponent you know little about. The irony of the situation is that the opponent that you're overlooking is actually better than you. The stereotypical cocky American.
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DeleteThe Americans simply have no respect for Ghana, it's as simple as that. Every football nation knew that Ghana had the quality to beat the US (I blame the Ghana coach at the time who was far too conservative against the US in 2010. I believe if they would have attacked they would have destroyed the USMNT)
DeleteNow this doesn't change the fact that Brennan McNulty is reasonable or not, a quick peruse on SoccerNet on ESPN or any pro American site will give you a very good indicator of what the US public and a few Analyst think of Ghana. The only thing the US can hope for to gain any kind of success at the World Cup is either: a nation underestimating them, problems in various camps such as the issues surrounding the Columbians or English or the French, a mistake by a player on the pitch at a key moment.
The US are highly dependent on set-pieces these will be few and far between in 2014 as it will be a highly technical World Cup and they don't have the players or the quality to breakdown defenses or exploiting space, Ghana, Portugal and Germany most definitely do.
It's so funny reading the comments on these American sites: they think if they stop Ronaldo they stop portugal utterly,utterly child like naivety.
The fact remains all you can do if you're Ghana is beat the US again and again and again. It's the only way to deal with arrogants of this nature.
I have never viewed Ghana as an inferior opponent, I am simply saying that we (the United States) are entirely capable of beating them. Anybody who watched the games in '06 and '10 would say the same thing. I'm not saying that we SHOULD have beaten them, and in fact I think that in both cases Ghana was the better side. But they were not blowouts by any stretch of the imagination, particularly considering the 2010 match went to extra time.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't think it's being arrogant to suggest that the team currently ranked 14th would be favored against the team currently ranked 24th. It's not an overwhelming advantage, but it seems reasonable to suggest that a slight edge would be given to the Americans. And this has nothing to do with one country being a 'football nation', it's about the product that they will eventually put on the field. I am not here to pretend that the USA has the same passion and dedication to the game that Ghanians do, but when the game starts that is completely irrelevant.
And (last thing I promise) I don't think it's fair to say that I'm overlooking an opponent that I just dedicated an entire post to worrying about. If I thought that the Black Stars were going to be walkovers, I wouldn't be a traumatized fan in the first place. No American who has paid attention to soccer over the last dozen years would take Ghana lightly if they had even half a brain.
All that said: Thanks so much for reading and commenting Solaire! You sense correctly that I'm bitter toward Ghana, but isn't that all part of being a fan?
I agree that the US is entire capable of beating Ghana. Yeah, both the 2006 and 2010 matches were close. And I wouldn't be surprised if the US beat Ghana in 2014.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I strongly disagree that the US should be slightly favored to win over Ghana. Most football fans agree that FIFA's rankings are inaccurate. The US is also ranked above the star-studded Cote d'Ivoire (17) and African champions Nigeria (36), and yet I assure you that each of the elite African teams (Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria) should be favored in a match against the US. As I said, Ghana was better than the US in their last two World Cup encounters and the CAF region is stronger than the CONCACAF region. It follows that the elite African teams should be favored over the US. Additionally, the elite African teams have more talented players (more on that below).
Being a football nation affects the product that a country puts on the field. It's the reason why a country (Ghana) that has less than a 10th of the US's population and 0.2% of the US's GDP is able to produce more talented and accomplished players that play in more prestigious clubs, in more prominent roles, in more prestigious leagues than the US's players. Being a football nation is the reason why the Ghanian team was better than the US team in each of the last two World Cups, even if it was by a small margin.
The real game doesn't start on the field. It starts in the players' childhood, and it's about how they develop as football players. The culture, the passion and dedication to the game is what sets Europe, South America and Africa apart from the US. And it's the reason why despite the US's great wealth, its football team is weaker than the top (and much poorer) African teams. The US's national team's greatest advantage relative to Africa is the country's wealth (facilities, club system, etc.). Yet it's human resources, i.e., the talent, skills and knowledge of its players and coaches, is weaker than that of the top African countries. That was what made the difference between Ghana and the US in the past. And that's why Africa produces world-class players like Drogba, Yaya Toure, Essien, Prince-Boateng and Eto'o (just to name a few), whereas the US has never produced a single world-class player, and even its "B-class players" are fewer than those of small countries like Ghana.
Perhaps you're right that being bitter is part of being a fan. However, Ghana doesn't deserve to be the subject of bitter feelings. Ghana isn't trying to prevent the US from succeeding. It's not personal. Winning and losing is part of the competition. As long as the other team plays fair, I don't have any issues with them.
I apologize for my rudeness by the way. I enjoyed reading your opinion.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right that being a footballing nation makes all the difference in the world when it comes to the product that is eventually put on the field, which is of course why the USA aren't a world power in the first place. I meant more that once the game starts, the teams are as good as they are going to be.
ReplyDeleteAnd luckily for the Americans, Drogba, Eto, and Yaya aren't walking through that door for Ghana. I actually agree with you that perhaps Ghana should be favored, butthe United States are putting out the most talented team they have ever had. I think it's going to be a fantastic game, one that I will anticipate with that familiar mixture of excitement and dread.
And I didn't think you were rude at all, I really appreciate all differing opinions. All i can give is the way that I experience it, and I love to be exposed to opposing points of view. Hope to see you around the comments!
Its amarzing how every Pro American TV have no respect my Ghana team the Black Stars and certainly i can feel it in your article. sometimes we need to take the emotions out and face the facts. U.S.A will find it very very very very diffcult to beat the Black Stars of Ghana. ESPN can't seem to shock me enough with their polls putting Ghana at 29% to advance and the U.S.A at 39%; This is some laughable stats. Goodluck on making it past the group stage.
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