Ghana carry Africa's flag into their 2010 FIFA World Cup Last 16 clash with the United States in Rustenburg on Saturday, hopeful of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
The Black Stars exited at the Last 16 stage against Brazil in 2006, and are hoping to join Cameroon (1990) and Senegal (2002) as the only sides from the continent to reach the quarter-finals.
The USA were always expected to make it out of Group C, but not many people thought they would top the pool and England finish second.
That, coupled with Ghana's second-place finish in Group D, has set up an intriguing second round tie that is a repeat of the 2006 group stage meeting at the World Cup in Germany, when the Black Stars triumphed 2-1.
The USA are a more accomplished side nowadays and in the free-scoring Landon Donovan they have a top performer. Ghana beat Serbia 1-0 in their opener, but then struggled to beat the 10 men of Australia in a match that was drawn, and went down to 1-0 Germany in their final pool game.
They created enough chances in that match to suggest they will be dangerous here, but the USA have a lot of experience against what is a young Black Stars outfit.
The Americans have also had terrible luck with the match officials so far, having two legitimate goals ruled out that might have made their passage smoother, and so they are due a bit of good fortune.
Ghana's star striker, Asamoah Gyan, says that while his team respect the USA, they believe they can beat the Americans.
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"The USA are a very good side, solid, full of running and they play well as a team. Still, we know we have the quality to beat them," Gyan said.
USA striker Jozy Altidore says he believes his side are gaining momentum at just the right time, suggesting the USA players feel the trophy is there for the taking.
"We'd be delighted with two more wins but why stop there? Nothing is impossible. Winning the World Cup is what we're here for," Altidore said.
The clash in Rustenburg should be a fascinating one, not least because it is between two evenly-matched teams, on paper at least.
Ghana will probably not have a better chance to win a place in the Last 8 of the World Cup for some time, but they will need to improve on the finishing they displayed against Germany on Wednesday night.
For the USA, it is a chance to show the world that they are an emerging superpower in the game. Many believe that the money available to develop players in the USA will ultimately see that country win a World Cup one day.
This tournament might be too soon, but they can take a giant step towards instilling that belief in themselves, let alone others.
