Having been exposed to both perspectives of the soccer rivalry between Ghana and the United States, it's a good bet that not many will be watching tonight's FIFA World Cup rematch between the two sides closer than Crew midfielder Kingsley "Fifi" Baiden. Ghana won both the 2006 and 2010 meetings by a 2-1 final, with the latter coming in extra time, and Baiden expects more closely played soccer tonight.
"I think it’s going to be a great game…I think it’s going to be a very good game and a very close game from the [matches] that they played in the past," said Baiden. "My prediction is that it will be a tie or a 1-0 win for Ghana."
Born in Accra, Ghana's capital and second-largest city, the 22-year-old looks to a pair of Ghanian strikers to be difference-makers in this match and the tournament as a whole, with one highlighted name sure to be familar to fans of U.S. Soccer.
"[Watch for] Asamoah Gyan, a big target forward, he scored the winner at the last World Cup. He’s one big target," said Baiden. "There’s [also] a young forward named Abdul Waris. He hasn’t had any experience playing against the U.S., but I think he’s been playing great throughout the qualifying series."
It's a common sentiment among U.S. Soccer fans that with traditional powers Germany and Portugal also in the group, tonight's match figures to be a difference-maker if the Americans are to go through. Speaking from the Ghanian perspective, Baiden echoed those thoughts.
"This game against the U.S. will be the deciding factor. I know it will be tough playing against Portugal and Germany, but I feel like if Ghana can get three points against the U.S., we might end up getting a tie against Germany or Portugal. My prediction is Germany and Ghana going through."
