Since making its FIFA World Cup debut in 2006, Ghana is coming into its fifth tournament ranked 73rd in the world. They are an underdog to win the championship.
Now that they’re in Rhode Island, chief Nana Awuah Panin III hopes Rhode Islanders will count them as the hometown team. The Black Stars chose Bryant University as its base because it’s much quieter and closer to Foxboro than Boston.
“This is a good home for Black Stars,” said Panin, who is Asokwahene, or chief, of New Juaben, which is in the eastern region of Ghana.
On Friday, accompanied by Rhode Island state police, Ghana’s Black Stars arrived at Bryant University for their first practice session since landing in Providence the previous evening.
On campus, placards saying “Welcome Ghana,” “Team Ghana” and “Black Stars of Africa” were ubiquitous. The country’s red, gold and black colored flag swayed in the wind on a flagpole next to the American flag.
Augie Boadi is Ghanaian and a recent Bryant University graduate. He was ecstatic to see the team choose his campus as their home base for the tournament.
“No words can describe it — two of my homes coming together through a sport I’ve loved since I was a kid,” he said.
At Bryant on Friday, the Black Stars made their way off the bus and into the strength and conditioning facility as sounds of Afrobeat wafted through the air.
Moments later, star player Antoine Semenyo — a stand out at English Premier League giants Manchester City —walked on to the recently watered pitch wearing a yellow jersey with number 11 on it, and dribbled the ball. His teammates soon joined him and they quickly gathered in a circle, arms interlocked.
“Makes us stronger!” they bellowed and scattered over to the center of the pitch to begin their drills.
“Move, second movement must be quick. One touch on the outside,” a coach shouted as players exchanged quick passes. “Let’s go!”
The team will kick off its tournament run next week in Toronto against Panama. They will then head back to New England for their marquee matchup against England on June 23 at “Boston Stadium” in Foxborough, and round up the group phase against Croatia a few days later.
Ghana comes into the tournament with some pedigree, having made it to the quarterfinals in 2010. But they failed to advance past the group stage in 2014 and 2022.
“The achievement is what we are looking for,” Panin said Thursday night, of Ghana’s title hopes. “We want them to be the best team. We want to be able to beat every team they meet. We look at them as underdogs and … They’ll overcome.”
Ruth Saah of Pawtucket said meeting the team was an amazing opportunity. She wants to attend a team practice with her son.
“Rhode Island has been on the map for other things but for the Africa community, I think this summer is going to be amazing,” she said.
Saah is going to the team’s practice in part because tickets to the World Cup are expensive.
“And it just so happens to be a World Cup team,” she said. “He can look back and say, ‘My first experience of soccer was watching the Ghana team practice.’ ”
Saah has been watching the Black Stars since she was a child and said seeing them in person is “surreal.”
Her World Cup winner prediction? “Ghana, all the way.”
Panin described the people of Ghana as peaceful, loving, and God-fearing.
“We are a close, tight family, so we always want to be with our family, we always want to raise our children here to good schools, like Brown (University) and other schools around here, so we want to grow with our family, with our children, so that they can go to the next level,” he said.
Panin said he hopes Rhode Islanders embrace them like they would any other local team.
“This is their home,” he said. “They (Black Stars) don’t feel like visitors here. This will be their home base and they are looking forward to them.”
This article has been updated with information from the Black Stars first practice at Bryant University.
Carlos Muñoz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @ReadCarlos and on Instagram @Carlosbrknews. Omar Mohammed can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter (X) @shurufu.