In an international friendly played in Tennessee, the United States defeated Ghana in a surprising 4-0 victory, their third straight triumph over the Black Stars.
Dortmund midfielder Giovanni Reyna scored two goals, former Chelsea player Christian Pulisic converted a penalty, and Monaco striker Folarin Balogun also found the back of the net for the American squad during the first half at Geodis Park.
Ghana suffered their second loss during the October international window after the damage was done in the opening 45 minutes of the encounter. The Black Stars had earlier lost to Mexico 2-0 in North Carolina. Coach Chris Hughton had already acknowledged the defense’s shortcomings against Mexico and promised not to make the same mistakes against the USA. On Tuesday night, though, their defense was even poorer, and the USA took advantage of it.
Ghana has now lost to the USA three times in a row after winning the previous two encounters in 2006 and 2010, both World Cup games. At the 2014 World Cup, the USA exacted its retaliation, and ever since, they have won every matchup between the two sides.
Hughton made adjustments to the team that was defeated by Mexico, including putting Abdul Nurudeen, a goalkeeper from Belgium, in goal in place of Lawrence Ati-Zigi. Nurudeen was maybe Ghana’s finest player in the first half despite giving up four goals.
Jordan Ayew, Inaki Williams, Thomas Partey, and Mohammed Kudus all entered the game as starters, but the USA kept them all quiet. Williams in particular left the game after 75 minutes in despair as his goalless drought with Ghana reached 11 games.
The Black Stars will return to play in November when they begin their campaign in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with vital matches against Madagascar and Comoros. After that, they will concentrate on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations competition, which will begin in January 2024. The four-time African champions are placed in a group with Mozambique, Egypt, and Cape Verde.
