World Cup 2014 Preview – Ghana

Ghana are hoping to represent the continent of Africa well this World Cup, although they have a difficult path to the knockout round being placed in the "Group of Death" with Germany, Portugal, and the United States.

A sure fire way to advance in any soccer tournament is having a solid midfield, and Ghana definitely possesses that. A.C. Milan star Michael Essien leads this stout unit, who are capable of completely controlling the pace of any match. Essien has the skills to play out wide, in the center of the pitch, or even back in the defensive third of the field. Also in the midfield is Kevin-Prince Boateng. Boateng's place on the pitch as a defensive midfielder and you know what production you'll get from the 27 year old stud for Schalke 04, one of the top teams in Bundesliga.

Up front, Asamoah Gyan hopes to carry the offensive load on his back for the Ghanaian squad. His last kick of the 2010 World Cup was something he wants to forget, missing a crucial penalty kick against Uruguay in extra time of their quarterfinal match. He was awarded the penalty kick after a blatant hand ball from Uruguayan star Luis Suarez that resulted in a red card for Suarez. Gyan's gamewinning kick bounced off the crossbar, which then led to a penalty shootout, of which Uruguay won 4-2. Gyan will definitely be looking to bounce back from that soul-crushing missed shot, so look for him to have a great World Cup performance.

My prediction: Ghana are in over their heads. They're ranked #35 in FIFA's World Rankings, and they don't quite have the guns to compete in the "Group of Death." Ghana finish 4th in the group stage, although I'm pretty sure they could advance should they have been placed in any other group (not to mention Ghana just seems to have a knack for beating the United States in critical situations, so don't be shocked if we drop our match to them).