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The U.S. Men’s National Team renews its rivalry with Ghana in a warmup for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday, July 1 at 4:45 p.m. ET (ESPN, UniMas and UDN).
Here are five things you should know about Saturday’s opponents.
THE COUNTRY
Located in West Africa, Ghana’s southern border sits prominently on the Gulf of Guinea and is touched by Ivory Coast (west), Burkina Faso (west and north) and Togo (east). Colonized by Great Britain in 1874, Ghana declared its independence on March 6, 1957 and became a republic on July 1, 1960.
Today, Ghana has a population of 27 million and is one of the more prosperous nations in Africa. Known as “The Black Stars”, the National Team derives its nickname from the single black star that is front and center on Ghana’s red, yellow and green-colored flag.
FOOTBALLING HISTORY
While Ghana didn’t qualify for a World Cup until 2006, the Black Stars have been one of the most powerful nations in Africa since the country’s Football Association was founded in 1957.
READ MORE: U.S. MNT Roster for Ghana Friendly, 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The Black Stars are four-time champions of the Africa Cup of Nations, winning in 1963, 1965, 1978 and 1982. More recently, Ghana has placed in the top four at each of the last six tournaments and finished as runners-up at the 2010 and 2015 editions.
One of the prime contenders in African football, Ghana has qualified for each of the past three FIFA World Cups, advancing from the Group Stage in both 2006 and 2010. In the latter tournament, the Black Stars came painstakingly close to a Semifinal appearance, but fell victim to a Luis Suarez hand ball before falling 4-2 to Uruguay on penalty kicks in the Quarterfinal.
U.S. RIVALRY
