USA vs. Ghana, 2023 Friendly: What to watch for

The United States Men’s National Team return to action tomorrow when they take on Ghana at GEODIS Park in Nashville. The USMNT are coming off a 3-1 defeat to Germany over the weekend and they hope to get back on track against a Ghana team that has been a real rival over the years.

The two teams have met 4 times previously, with the series split evenly. Both sides have won twice, and each match has ended with a 2-1 score. The last time the two teams faced each other was in July 2017, which was a 2-1 win for the United States. Can history repeat itself with the scoreline? It won’t matter for the United States so long as they get the win.

Latest Form

USA

L (1-3) - Germany - Friendly

W (4-0) - Oman - Friendly

W (3-0) - Uzbekistan - Friendly

D (1-1) - Panama - Concacaf Gold Cup Semifinals**

D (2-2) - Canada - Concacaf Gold Cup Quarterfinal*

W (6-0) - Trinidad & Tobago - Concacaf Gold Cup Group A

*Advanced on penalties

**Lost on penalties

Ghana

L (0-2) - Mexico - Friendly

W (3-1) - Liberia - Friendly

W (2-1) - Central African Republic - Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying

D (0-0) - Madagascar - Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying

D (1-1) - Angola - Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying

What To Watch For

Get the defense back on track. Germany made the American defense look disorganized for much of the second half, so it’s important for guys to not let Ghana get behind them and create chances. Ghana can get frustrated if their intensity is matched, and on the field the USMNT needs to bring the energy to keep Ghana on their heels.

Who steps up on offense? The offense was stagnant in the 2nd half, and most considered it pretty aggressive for much of the first. They need to finish chances, and that’s going to come in time. The hope is that the attackers can string a couple of plays together to get open shots on goal, or to use our set pieces to create a good scoring chance.

The subs need to make an impact. The substitutes in the past few matches haven’t given us a ton to sing about. They hopefully recognize that they have the chance to make an impact and fans want to see one of them do just that tomorrow.

Lineup Prediction

The USMNT will likely have some changes in their starting XI, but some of the continuity will continue when they take the field against Ghana:

Matt Turner will once again be in goal, with DeJuan Jones, Tim Ream, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Sergiño Dest will make up the back line. In the middle, we will once again see Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, and Yunus Musah, while up top, Ricardo Pepi will get the start alongside Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic.

Prediction

The USMNT get back on track with a 2-1 victory.