United States-Ghana: Six Things To Watch For

Speedy midfielder Andre Ayew is Ghana's most creative player. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

JOHANNESBURG — Six things to watch for in the World Cup second round game between the U.S. and Ghana on Saturday (ABC, Univisión, 2:30 p.m. ET):

• Can the U.S. take advantage of this bracket? No game is easy in this tournament, but the Americans will never have a more workable path to the World Cup semifinals than this one. In fact, the U.S. (No. 14 in the latest FIFA rankings) is the highest-ranked team in its quadrant of the bracket, ahead of Ghana (No. 32) and potential quarterfinal foes Uruguay (No. 16) and South Korea (No. 47). These games aren’t played on paper, of course, and Ghana has beaten the U.S. before in the World Cup: in 2006, when the Black Stars eliminated the Yanks with a 2-1 victory. Still, Ghana is missing its best player (the injured Michael Essien), and the Ghanaians haven’t scored in the run of play during this World Cup, mustering just two penalty-kick goals. As for the revenge factor, there may not be much for the Americans. Only seven of the 22 starters from the ’06 U.S.-Ghana game (four from the U.S.; three from Ghana) are likely to be in the lineups on Saturday.

• Can the Americans rediscover their finishing touch? Landon Donovan’s 91st-minute goal against Algeria released a few kilotons of pent-up frustration not just because it saved the U.S.’s World Cup campaign in the most dramatic fashion possible, but because it also came after the U.S. had missed a series of scoring chances in the Algerian goalmouth. Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey and Edson Buddle all failed to convert good chances, and Altidore was particularly wasteful, launching a shot from seven yards over the crossbar. Altidore has found a way to be useful even though he hasn’t scored yet in this World Cup, but the time has come for the talented 20-year-old to hit the back of the net.

• Can the U.S. defense handle Ghana’s speed? Just because the Black Stars haven’t scored in the run of play in this World Cup doesn’t mean their attack isn’t dangerous. Forward Asamoah Gyan is a seasoned scorer who can challenge defenses with his speed. Midfielder Andre Ayew is just 20 years old, but he’s Ghana’s most creative player on the ball. And Kevin Prince Boateng is another relentless attacker. The U.S. doesn’t have the fastest back line, so it will be doubly important that the U.S. defenders play smart positions and cover well for each other. Will Oguchi Onyewu return to the lineup after being dropped against Algeria? It’s possible, but I’m doubtful. Ghana doesn’t play a lot of aerial balls into the box—Onyewu’s strong suit—and its team speed might better be handled by the faster Jonathan Bornstein at left back (with Carlos Bocanegra playing next to Jay DeMerit in the center).

• Which rising star will win the midfield battle? Two of the most promising young players of this World Cup will be going head-to-head in the central midfield: Ghana’s Kwadwo Asamoah, 21, and the U.S.’s Michael Bradley, 22. Asamoah, who plays for the Italian club Udinese, was the breakout star of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, leading an Essien-less Ghana on a surprising run to the final. Meanwhile, Bradley (who plays in Germany for Borussia Mönchengladbach) has emerged as one of the young stars of the World Cup, running off three straight sterling performances as the U.S.’s destroyer and midfield engine. Asamoah and Bradley both cover a ton of ground, and they’ll seek to put their stamp on this gargantuan game from the opening whistle. Whoever wins this battle will have a big advantage in the match itself.

• Could penalty kicks come into play? Now that we’re in the elimination rounds, I’d be surprised if at least a few games aren’t decided by penalties after a 120-minute deadlock. Could the U.S. handle the psychological pressure of having its World Cup rest on a series of spot kicks? We may find out. Donovan is the Americans’ first-choice penalty taker, and he has a remarkable record of success, having failed to convert only once in his U.S. career and setting the all-time record for conversion percentage in Major League Soccer. But Donovan has mysteriously failed to convert penalties twice in Cup finals: the 2007 Superliga final and the ’09 MLS Cup final. How would he perform from the spot on this stage? And who would be on the U.S.’s five-man list to take penalties? My guess: Donovan, Dempsey, Bradley, Bocanegra, Altidore.

• Will the referee play a controversial role again? The U.S. has had two legitimate goals waved off in the last two games, which makes you wonder if the Americans might be due some luck when it comes to the officiating crew. The man in the middle on Saturday will be Hungarian Viktor Kassai, who refereed the 2008 Olympic men’s final and is working in his first World Cup. (He also refereed Brazil’s 2-1 win over North Korea.) Kassai doesn’t have a major history of controversial decisions and is known as someone who doesn’t hand out many red cards, but he has been known to liberally pull out his yellow card. Kassai handed out five yellows in Fulham’s Europa League win at Wolfsburg (i.e., Clint Dempsey knows his work), and the Hungarian issued no fewer than 11 yellows in a single domestic match earlier this year.

My predicted U.S. lineup: Tim Howard; Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein; Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey; Jozy Altidore, Robbie Findley.

What’s your take on U.S.-Ghana? Can the Americans keep their storybook run going? What else should we be talking about heading into the game?