USA vs. Ghana: Time, Live Stream and TV Schedule for 2017 Friendly

The United States men's national team will have a welcome respite from competitive action when they host Ghana in a friendly fixture at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in Connecticut this Saturday.

The Stars and Stripes have been busy in their efforts to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup of late, and with the 2017 Gold Cup just over a week away, manager Bruce Arena is contesting across multiple campaigns.

Ghana could make for a good distraction from tournament matters this weekend, though, especially when considering coach James Kwesi Appiah's side have won just twice in their last seven outings, losing three of those games.

The United States, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last seven matches, although Arena is still seeking more bite among his attack after drawing three of their last four matches 1-1.

Read on for an in-depth preview of Saturday's clash in East Hartford, Connecticut, including live-stream information and fixture details.

Date: Saturday, July 1

Time: 4:45 p.m. ET / 9:45 p.m. BST

Venue: Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Connecticut

Live Stream: WatchESPN (U.S.), fuboTV (U.S.)

TV Info: ESPN (U.S.), Univision Deportes (U.S./Mexico)

Preview

Both Arena and Appiah pose some striking resemblances in terms of coaching credentials entering Saturday's duel, having both been reinstated as national team managers in recent months, each starting second stints in their respective positions.

For Arena—hired again as coach in November 2016—this has been a much longer-awaited reunion considering he first coached the USMNT between 1998 and 2006, while Appiah's first tenure at Ghana's helm was between 2012 and 2014.

Similarly, neither coach has been infallible thus far since returning to the positions, although one would agree Arena's second reign in charge of the United States has been far more prosperous, as he's yet to lose a match in 2017.

But it hasn't been perfect. The official U.S. Soccer Twitter account provided a look at the team's status in 2018 World Cup CONCACAF qualification as they prepare to divert their attentions elsewhere until August:

Saturday's outing will provide opportunities to experiment for both teams, and while star names such as Christian Pulisic, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore will be missing for the hosts, Arena has other hopefuls to call upon.

Chief among those is New England Revolution forward Juan Agudelo, who recently spoke about the chance he and others now have ahead of them with a bulk of the squad's established veterans currently absent:

The same goes for the Black Stars, however, and while the likes of Asamoah Gyan will need to be restrained, the African representatives have showcased some underlying talent.

One of those rising prospects is Kwadwo Poku, the Miami F.C. forward who recently ousted Atlanta United from the 2017 Open Cup with a 3-2 injury-time winner that drew major praise from beIN Sports' Chris Wittyngham:

Ghana lost 1-0 to Mexico in their most recent matchup on Thursday, and although he missed his chance to debut in that defeat, defender Samuel Sarfo can complete a rags-to-riches tale of massive proportions this Saturday, per the BBC's John Bennett:

"

Samuel Sarfo could make his Ghana debut today v Mexico. He is still a serving policeman. & a year ago he spent time guarding the Ghana squad

— John Bennett (@JohnBennettBBC) June 28, 2017"

He'll be one of 13 Ghanaians looking to make their debut against the United States in Connecticut, with only five of Appiah's 12 selected midfielders boasting prior experience on the international stage.

Whether that gulf in senior experience will be telling—Arena has only four uncapped players in his squad—remains to be seen, but the hosts will suffer a big setback in morale and Gold Cup preparations should they fail to win on Sunday.