The United States defeated Ghana 4-0 in an international friendly in Tennessee, their third straight victory against the Black Stars.
Dortmund midfielder Giovanni Reyna scored a brace, former Chelsea star Christian Pulisic converted a penalty, and Monaco striker Folarin Balogun also scored at the Geodis Park.
The damage was done in the opening 45 minutes of the game, and Ghana couldn’t recover, falling to their second defeat in the October international window. The Black Stars had earlier lost 2-0 to Mexico in North Carolina. Coach Chris Hughton confessed their defensive shortcomings in the Mexico game and pledged not to repeat them against the USA.
However, their defence was much poorer on Tuesday night, as the Americans took advantage of their awful play.
This is Ghana’s third straight defeat against the United States, after winning the previous two games in 2006 and 2010, both at the World Cup. The United States avenged themselves in the 2014 World Cup and have since held the upper hand anytime the two sides have met.
Hughton made changes to the lineup that lost to Mexico, including replacing Lawrence Ati-Zigi in goal with Abdul Nurudeen, who is based in Belgium. Despite allowing four goals in the first half, Nurudeen was undoubtedly Ghana’s finest player.
Mohammed Kudus, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, and Inaki Williams all started the game, but the USA kept them quiet. Williams, in particular, left the field disappointed after 75 minutes, extending his goalless drought with Ghana to 11 games.
The Black Stars will return to play in November, beginning their campaign in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Madagascar and Comoros. Following that, they will focus on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in January 2024. The four-time African champions are in a group with Egypt, Cape Verde, and Mozambique.
