Flashback: Watching the World Cup with Portland's Ghanaian Immigrants

This afternoon, the United States takes part in what's becoming a quadrennial tradition: playing Ghana in the World Cup.

The match-up went badly for the U.S. squad four years ago—when the Black Stars stunned Landon Donovan and a resurgent Yankee team in the knockout round.

But that result delighted some Portlanders. In 2010, I wrote a WW cover story featuring the city's smallest and perhaps most passionate soccer fan base: the Ghanaian community.

Here's how we met:

WW spent a morning with Allotey and his countrymen as they gathered in a Northeast Portland home to watch Ghana play a quarterfinals game against Uruguay.

There was drumming, dancing and fried doughnut holes called "goat's balls." Then, there was heartbreak.

This year, the Ghanaian rooting section has grown larger. Mychel Tetteh, who is hosting a viewing party today, has purchased a high-definition projector with a six-foot-tall image.

"It's likely to be a mix of Ghanaians, Ghanaian-Americans, and Americans," Tetteh tells WW, "some who have mixed feelings about this seemingly unending rivalry that's been born simply due to the luck of the draw."

WWeek 2015

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