Painting Toronto - Red, Gold, and Green

The atmosphere in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) has really been amplified, especially with the anticipation of the first Ghana match. Ghanaian flags have been popping up on flags, homes and even on body parts.

The pundits have all ruled as out of qualifying from Group D. So in essence they have us losing to Serbia, who has suddenly become the darling team of many.

Everyone has Serbia pegged as a dark horse in this tournament, and even some have team winning group D ahead of 'mighty' Germany. Thus Serbia should easily defeat the Michael Essien-less Ghana.

The consensus from everyone around the world is that Ghana will fail, especially with the loss of Michael Essien through injury. What many fail to see is that Ghana is not a one-man team, nor are we a team that depends on stars.

Yes missing Essien will be a big blow, and I wish he was fit and able to play in the tournament, but the truth is this will not be the first game we play without Essien, and of course this will not be the last game we play without him. In actual fact we have lost games with Essien, and have won games without him. His quality will be missed, but our team is just that a TEAM, and I expect nothing less than a win on Sunday.

This tournament and especially the game will be a chance for the pundits and the world to learn more about our youngsters, and especially Kwadwo Asamoah. Most of our attacking play will flow directly through Asamoah, and with his great passing ability I am extremely confident that he will cause the Serbian team many problems. But Asamoah will not have to carry the team on is his own as he will have Inter Milan's Sully Muntari, and the on form Striker Asamoah Gyan there to help him carry the offensive load.

Gatherings have been planned for weeks, from restaurants, to barber shops, to house parties. The Point Restaurant, formally known as "Mama P's" on Jane and Wilson in North York, will be where I get my world cup party kicked off on Sunday.

With the great anticipation, especially with our recent success and eventual win at the FIFA World Youth Champion, Ghanaians of all walks of life have started to come together with great hope and belief in the Black stars.

Sunday will surely give us another excuse to party, and turn the city Red, Gold, and Green.