USMNT, Ghana friendly will hit East Hartford

The USMNT and Ghana’s World Cup rivalry comes to Connecticut in July.

East Hartford is the place for a July 1 match, one that will come after June’s World Cup qualifiers but before the Gold Cup.

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The Yanks beat Ghana in the 2014 World Cup but were eliminated by the Black Stars in the knockout rounds of the 2010 and 2006 tournament.

Obligatory quote from USMNT coach Bruce Arena:

“Ghana is certainly a team that brings different challenges, and it’s the type of competition we need as we continue to develop our program. Winning the Gold Cup is one of our priorities in 2017, so this is an important opportunity. We’ve always had great support in Hartford, and look forward to more of the same this summer.”

Ghana plays Mexico three days earlier in Houston, and will be gearing up for CAF World Cup qualifiers in late August and early September.

The Black Stars made it to the AFCON semifinals before losing to Cameroon and then Burkina Faso in the third place game. The U.S. is 23 in the FIFA Rankings, while Ghana is 45. In ELO, the U.S. is 32 and Ghana stands 65.

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