Your co-workers will bolt from work early today . Bars will make a killing . And even the most indifferent of your friends will feign a slight interest in the World Cup . For today , the United States begins its Brazil adventure when it goes toe-to-toe with its nemesis , Ghana . The Black Stars have knocked the U.S. out of competition the last two go-rounds -- in 2006 and 2010 . Can the U.S. avoid a three-peat ? It 'd better , if it wants to see its World Cup ambitions stay alive . Because after Ghana , the U.S. takes on two giants : Germany and Portugal -- ranked by FIFA as the second- and fourth-best teams in the world . For its part , the U.S. is ranked 13th . Ghana is 37th . No wonder Group G -- the one the U.S. finds itself in -- has been nicknamed the `` Group of Death . '' Why focus on the negative though ? Sure , America 's odds of lifting the most coveted soccer trophy in the world are 100 to 1 . But the 23 players on the squad have dreamed of playing on the grandest stage of soccer since they were kids . Kyle Beckerman , 32 , was one of them . As a child , he 'd leave notes for his mom , signed , `` Kyle Beckerman USA # 15 . '' Now , he signs autographs that way . This is their moment . `` For one month every four years , the world stops , everybody is watching , '' said team captain Michael Bradley . `` To have the opportunity to represent our country , to wear our colors , there 's nothing else like it . '' WHY YOU SHOULD WORRY . Ghana has n't been kind to America 's World Cup soccer aspirations . It knocked out the U.S. from the group stage in 2006 with a 2-1 win . In 2010 , the Americans gave them a run for the money . But alas , an extra-time goal from Ghana -- in the 93rd minute -- sent the U.S. packing once again , 2-1 . Seven players from the 2010 Ghanaian team are back Monday , including the lightning-fast Asamoah Gyan , the team captain . They 're unpredictable . And the U.S. will have to be ready for anything . WHY YOU SHOULD N'T WORRY . In the warm-up matches ahead of the tournament , the U.S. won all three of its games -- against Azerbaijan , Turkey and Nigeria . Ghana lost two of its three -- to Montenegro and the Netherlands . ( It beat fellow World Cup participant South Korea handily . ) Second , none of the U.S. players is hobbled by injury . One of Ghana 's best , Michael Essien , is . He 'll start the match against the U.S. on the bench as will Kevin-Prince Boateng , who scored against the Americans in 2010 . Finally , it 's very , very wet and rainy in Natal , where the game will be played . `` When there 's rain in a soccer game , it means that it 's pretty much an equalizer a lot of the time , '' says CNN correspondent Lara Baldesarra . `` Anything can happen . '' WHO TO WATCH . Ghana 's Ayew brothers . There are two of them : Andrew and Jordan . They 're fast and they 're a threat -- especially Jordan Ayew , who has worked his way into the starting lineup against the United States . When Ghana beat South Korea in the warm-up , he scored all the goals but one in the 4-0 wipeout . This , after coming in as a substitute ! On the U.S. side , hopes are riding high on 26-year-old Michael Bradley , the best American midfielder of his generation . He 's creative and attack-minded . Look for him to come up with some dazzling plays . Then there 's goalie Tim Howard . He 's one of the best in the world . Oh , and he scores too -- the way he did for Manchester United in a Premier League match against Bolton Wanderers . WHO WO N'T BE THERE . Landon Donovan , the all-time top U.S. goal scorer ( 57 ) . For fans , coach Jurgen Klinsmann 's decision to leave him out does n't add up . Klinsmann said other players were `` a tiny little bit ahead of him , '' and though he did n't want to go into details , he alluded to the 32-year-old Donovan not having the speed and ankle-breaking one-on-one skills he once possessed . WHAT SHOULD YOU IGNORE . Klinsmann , a tough-talking German who won a World Cup himself , took over from Bob Bradley as the U.S. coach in 2011 . All his work has been building up to this moment . So fans were n't too pleased when they heard him say this : . `` For us now talking about winning a World Cup , it 's just not realistic . First we 've got to make it through the group . So let 's keep our feet on the ground and say , let 's get that group first done , and then the sky is the limit . '' There 's another way to look at it . Maybe he 's managing expectations . Or using reverse psychology . Best to ignore it . After all , Klinsmann himself struck a more optimistic note Sunday . `` We wan na go far , that 's definitely our goal , '' he said . `` I booked my flight after the final . '' WHO WILL WIN . Depends on the counterattacks . The Ghana players are fast and nimble . The Americans are creative at seizing opportunities . So it 'll come down to whichever team can disrupt possession and run with it . Our guess ? It 'll be a 1-1 draw . 5 things : What to watch for Monday at the World Cup .
One of Ghana 's top players , Michael Essien , to start match on bench . Ghana has knocked U.S. out of competition the last two times . None of the U.S. players is hobbled by injury . Comment: