USA vs. Ghana 2010 World Cup: Weak Little Ghana Defeat Omnipotent USA

In the world's greatest sport and biggest sporting competition besides the Olympics, a truly magnificent moment epitomising the power of sport has lit up the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Little, weak Ghana, full of poverty, has overcome the omnipotent United States of America in a scintillating encounter which went right down to the wire and saw The Black Stars emerge 2-1 AET victors.

With the backing of almost every person in Africa, a battling Ghana side, in beating the USA, managed to become only the third ever African side to make the quarterfinals of the tournament, after Senegal in 2002 and Cameroon in 1990.

And it was an achievement they managed without superstar midfield maestro Michael Essien, who has established himself as one of the world's best holding midfielders in recent times with Premier League and FA Cup champions Chelsea.

But most importantly, it was a result that showed just how great sport is; officially the poorest country in the tournament with a GDP per capita of $671 has beaten the richest country in the tournament, with a GDP per capita of $46,381.

It's a colossal difference which reflects not only the wealth, but also the sporting infrastructure of both countries, making Ghana's victory even more all-round brilliant.

The likes of Asamoah Gyan and 20-year old Andrew Ayew particularly caught the eye for Ghana, with the France-based duo surely set for transfer moves to bigger and better clubs in the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga or La Liga.

Their performance, and especially Asamoah Gyan with his goal, helped drive Africa's top footballing nation to an unexpected place in the quarterfinals, where they'll face a very tough test in Uruguay, who beat South Korea 2-1 earlier in heavy rain.

The likes of 19-year olds Jonathan Mensah and Lee Addy also came of age for the Ghanians, and whilst some may say US "soccer" has a bright future, it pales in comparison to the future of Ghanian football.

By the time of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the aforementioned Addy and Jonathan will be 23, Ayew 24, whilst the likes of Kevin-Prince Boateng, Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari, Anthony Annan and Prince Tagoe will be hitting the prime-time of their careers.

Essien should still be around, and AC Milan's 20-year old prodigy Dominic Adiyah will be a more rounded, experienced superstar having learnt from the likes of Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho, Filippo Inzaghi, Klaas Jan-Huntelaar, Marco Borriello, etc.

It's safe to say that if these stars all gain the experience that they will most probably gain playing at the highest level against the best players in the world, then Ghana will have a big group of superstar individuals come 2014.

Also, with the fighting spirit that accompanies all African sporting sides, these superstar players should have no problem gelling as a team.

And thus, weak little Ghana not only beat a virtually omnipotent nation in the "people's game", but also proved they can potentially eclipse this nation in the world's most powerful sport.

To quote everyone's hero, Nelson Mandela, "sport can create hope where once there was only despair."

For all the poverty-stricken children, men and women alike whose relief and escape comes from watching football, The Black Stars of Ghana finally wrote the future and lifted the morale of an entire continent, carrying their hopes of glory even further.

These Ghanian men created hope for all African children, showing them that there is hope, that they can defy the odds, and that they themselves can exploit their natural talent and become world superstars.

Because Nelson Mandela is undeniably a legendary men full of wisdom, here is his powerful quote on sport which most certainly can be applied to Ghana, USA and the World Cup.

"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.

"Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. [Football] laughs in the face of all types of discrimination."