Sweet Revenge: U.S. Bests Ghana, 2-1, In Its World Cup Opener

NPR | By Scott Neuman

Published June 16, 2014 at 8:03 PM EDT

Clint Dempsey scored Team USA's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2014 Group G preliminary round match against Ghana at Estadio Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil, on Monday.

The U.S. Men's National Team beat Ghana in the group stage of the World Cup, payback for losing to the Black Stars in the previous two World Cups.

Team USA captain Clint Dempsey surged past Ghana's John Boye to score 29 seconds after the start of the game, marking one of the fastest goals in World Cup history.

But about 20 minutes into the game, star center forward Jozy Altidore was taken off the field with a strained left hamstring, leaving the Americans short a top scorer. In the second half, center defender Matt Besler also went out with a bad hamstring.

Ghana's Andre Ayew tied it up some 80 minutes into the game. But USA's John Brooks followed up quickly with another goal to make it 2-1 with just a few minutes of play remaining. And that's where the game stayed until the whistle.

The game was attended by thousands of U.S. fans. As we reported earlier, one newspaper estimates as many as 20,000 have flocked to Brazil for the World Cup.

The U.S. plays Portugal, considered a tougher opponent than Ghana, on Sunday. Portugal lost 4-0 earlier today to Germany, which is the third team the U.S. must face in the Group G competition.