By Sean Mashlin, MLS Multiplex
Canada? Ghana? Washington D.C.? RFK Stadium? Why not?
International football fans may get to check one match off of their “probably saw it in a FIFA video game but not in real life” if the Canada-Ghana friendly gets off of the ground.
A report revealed by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) it was confirmed that the two sides may square off in an international friendly on October the 13th at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C.
Although there perhaps might not be a more odd pairing of teams and a location it should be a very interesting match. Canada is coming off of a two game series against Belize which saw the side advance to the fourth round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying. Playing against the 27th ranked team in the world in Ghana should give them a strong test ahead of the next round of qualification. Canada’s MNT will play Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador starting on November the 13th.
For the Black Stars this will be an excellent opportunity to iron out some of the kinks heading into World Cup Qualification against Lesotho or Comoros. Expect for Chicago Fire forward David Accam to be called into this match.
While the match seems to benefit both teams in the sense that it could be a quality match the question is why it is being played in Washington D.C.? Perhaps the Canadian and Ghanaian football associations have important trade work to do in one of the most international cities in the world. But it is more likely due to money.
Playing in the United States is nothing new for Canada. The Canadian MNT in the past year has already played friendlies against Colombia and Iceland in the United States and of course played in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. But given the strides that the Canadian Soccer Association has made in popularizing the sport in Canada. Not allowing their supporters to watch their national team in their home country is a step backward, not forward.