From the moment of the World Cup draw in December, the U.S. has waited half a year for another shot at nemesis Ghana, spent over half a year preparing for a must-win game against a team it never beats. The U.S. did just that, a 2-1 victory in Natal, Brazil, with enough twists and turns and drama for a “Game of Thrones” episode.
After Clint Dempsey’s lightning-quick goal just 32 seconds in gave the U.S. a lead, Andre Ayew — who had guaranteed victory for Ghana — erased it in the 82nd minute, beating right back Fabian Johnson. But John Brooks — who had come on at halftime for injured John Besler — scored the winner on an 86th-minute header, the first World Cup goal ever by U.S. substitute.
With Germany and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal looming in the Group G — the so-called Group of Death — the U.S. needed to beat a team it never beats, a dangerous African side that had knocked the Americans out of the last two World Cups. They did just that, thanks to big saves by Tim Howard and scores from Brooks and Dempsey, the latter the sixth-fastest in World Cup history.
The win wasn’t without cost, with starting forward Jozy Altidore — the only target forward coach Jurgen Klinsmann picked on his 23-man roster — pulling up with a first-half strained hamstring, and very much in doubt for Sunday’s game against Portugal. But at least the U.S. goes into that tilt with the three points it needed.
The U.S. improved to 8-1-1 in the World Cup when it scores first, and this one was quick. The crowd in Arena das Dunas — including Vice President Joe Biden — had barely had time to settle into its seats by the time Dempsey struck, touching off cheers of “I Believe That We Will Win” from the hefty U.S. support.
Dempsey ran onto a one-touch pass from midfielder Jermaine Jones and made a quick cut that left Ghana defender John Boye spun around helplessly in his wake. He put a low, left-footed, acute-angle shot past the keeper for the score, crossing himself afterward in celebration.
Indeed, the U.S. couldn’t have prayed for a better start. It had not only suffered 2-1 defeats at the hands of Ghana in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups — eliminated by both losses — but heard Ayew essentially guarantee victory, saying “If we’re fit and 100 percent there’s no way we’re not going to win this game.’’
Ayew did his part, beating Johnson and then Howard in the 82nd.
But nobody could have foreseen this ending.
The U.S. came out in what was officially a diamond 4-4-2, but was really in the 4-5-1 — or 4-3-2-1 — that Klinsmann sprung on Nigeria in the final tune-up win in Jacksonville, Fla. It let Dempsey drop back off Altidore’s left shoulder, and started both Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman to let Michael Bradley get forward and create.
It worked early, although the U.S. did little creating after the first 20 minutes. But they were so organized and pragmatic the U.S. would’ve made Italy proud — or Klinsmann’s German teams.
Altidore had a shot blocked by sliding defender in 19th minute, and two minutes later pulled up after breaking out on the counter, trying to chase down a longball.
Klinsmann turned to young Aron Johannsson, one of five players on the roster born outside of the U.S. (The other four were all born to serviceman fathers and German mothers).
That forced the U.S. to switch to more of a true diamond, because Johannsson, who got just his ninth cap, isn’t a target striker. Altidore was the only one on the roster, logging 260 of a possible 270 minutes in the send-off series. And Klinsmann’s hands will be tied, unable to call in all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan or anybody else, since the deadline passed at 6 p.m. Sunday.
Besler, coming off with what appeared to be a leg cramp, was also replaced at halftime by Brooks. But the 21-year-old Brooks — making his first appearance for the U.S. in an international competition — scored the winner.
The U.S. will get a somewhat weakened Portugal, with Pepe serving a red-card suspension for his mindless head butt and fellow defender Fabio Coentrao out following a nasty-looking injury.
