Asamoah Gyan believes Ghana’s youngsters will prove too strong for the United States when the sides meet in their FIFA World Cup™ opener on Monday. The Black Stars have beaten the United States at the past two World Cups and face the reigning CONCACAF champions in Group G.
While warning against complacency ahead of meeting Jurgen Klinsmann’s side, Gyan, the Black Stars’ record goalscorer, feels technical supremacy will trump the Americans’ reputation for grinding out results.
“They’re coming for revenge. Mentally they don’t want us to beat them for the third time, so it’s going to make the match very difficult,” said Gyan. “The USA are a good side, they’re a very dangerous team, but we think of ourselves first.
“We’ve got young, talented players who are coming up and playing well in their clubs. They’re in great shape. I think we have the youngest team at the tournament.”
Ghana made their debut at the World Cup in 2006 and current head coach Stephen Appiah is the first Ghanaian to lead the country at the competition. The former international insists they are ready to meet the biggest challenges the tournament throws their way.
“We have prepared very well, we’ve not had many injuries, which has been good. And there’s unity and discipline within the squad. The boys are totally focused and looking forward to tomorrow’s game.”
Gyan is likely to spearhead Ghana’s attack and after the feats of 2010, the 28-year-old admits there is pressure to replicate that success from back home.
He said: “The expectation is high back home, everyone is expecting us to prove ourselves. Ghana have been rated as underdogs every time. But we’ve seen a lot of surprises in the tournament so far. We enjoy being the underdogs.”
Confederation of African Football (CAF) News
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate