US coach scoffs at Satellites

United States coach, Tab Ramos, has scoffed at the challenge his side will be facing from Ghana when the two sides meet in a final Group A clash tomorrow, insisting his team have the quality to dismiss the Black Satellites’ bluff tomorrow for the three points at stake to progress to the next stage of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Turkey.

The USA face Ghana in a crucial decider tomorrow at 30,005-capacity Kadir Has Stadium in the Turkish city of Kayseri, in a game the Ghanaians need to win by a good margin to stand a chance of qualifying as one of the best three third-placed sides.

The Americans already have only a point in the bag after holding France to a 1-1 draw last Monday, and a win against Ghana will further boost their chances of claiming one of the three slots for the second of the competition.

Coach Ramos’ side, initially touted as the weakest in Group A after losing 4-0 to Spain in their opening match, secured a glimmer of hope when they earned a point from their second game against France. Indeed, they came very close to beating the French youngsters but missed a penalty kick on the day.

Speaking to the media at a post-match conference, Ramos said he was confident  his side would overcome the Satellites tomorrow and even move into the last four of the competition.

“The Ghanaian team has not been the vintage side that they usually advertise at the youth competitions. They lack the tenacity that we know them to have and that is the reason behind our confidence,” he stated.

“So far they have not been impressive, at least after the first match. May be they are waiting to express themselves more strongly in their second game which we are yet to see this evening,” he noted in reference to the game against Spain moments later.”

He lauded his boys for the resilience they showed against France and hoped they would replicate it against the Satellites.