Are They Ghana Do It?

Is this the biggest day in the history of United States soccer? Hard to argue it. Never have more eyes been on the American team than today, when it faces Ghana in the first knockout round of the World Cup.
So will the U.S. rise to the occassion or crumple under the pressure of playing against the only African nation left standing after group play?
It's hard to believe the United States can top the drama it provided in the three games of group play. The lucky goal against England, the hard-fought comeback against Slovenia and the shocking last-minute goal against Algeria. Has any team provided more drama than the United States? I mean on the field, France.
Well, it might have to, as the crowd will certainly be with Ghana, which carries the hopes of the entire home continent. The United States does have the motivation of paying back the Black Stars for knocking it out of the 2006 Cup, but will that be enough?
For me, the biggest question besides how the Americans will react to having a crowd mostly against it will be how they recover from such arduous games over the last week. Bouncing back from the Algeria match just a few days ago is going to be quite a task, and reserves could play an even bigger role than they have so far.
I didn't think Ghana would get this far. In fact, I picked it last in the group. I didn't think the Black Stars could recover from the loss of superstar Michael Essien to injury before the tournament. Boy was I wrong. The Ghana defense, led by center back John Mensah, has been awesome, allowing just two goals. The midfield has allowed Ghana to control play as Kevin Prince-Boateng and Anthony Annan have really stepped up in place of Essien.
The good news for the United States is that Ghana has not been good on offense, as striker Asamoah Gyan has struggled to get much going and the attacking midfielders haven't been very creative. In fact, the only two goals Ghana has scored have come via penalty kick. For an American team that has struggled on the back line, that will be a welcome change. But the United States can't be complacent, as it only takes one breakdown for the very fast Ghana offense to score against a slower U.S. defense and get momentum.
A huge key will be the United States midfield, especially center mids Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu, who have to battle Ghana's mids for control of the ball and not allow any quick strikes coming from the midfield. If they can do that, that should free up Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey on the wings to create and get into the box, really putting pressure on a Ghana back line that will have to focus on the tall, fast Jozy Altidore, who is right on the cusp of getting his first World Cup goal.
So, what will happen?
I think the U.S. midfield will rise to the occassion. I see Michael Bradley having a really strong game and making life tough on the Ghana mids. Landon Donovan's speed will give Ghana some trouble and they'll get sucked into stopping him, freeing up Jozy Altidore inside. Altidore will score his first goal today, putting the U.S. ahead early in the second half. After some scares on defense and more great play by Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey will break free on a counter and show off his creativity, netting a second goal for a 2-0 U.S. win.
Hopefully I'm right for once.