Match: Canada v Ghana
Date: Tuesday, October 13
Time: 1130pm GMT 

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Avram Grant has named four debutants for the Black Stars game against Canada in Washington later on Tuesday. Ghanaians will be keen to see what different dimension these four players will add to the side.

German based Phil Ofosu Ayeh, former Kotoko full-back Gideon Baah and US duo of Lloyd Sam and Kwadwo Poku are the four who will be given the honour to don the Stars jersey tomorrow.

Who are they?

PHIL OFOSU AYEH

The 24-year old is born to a German mother and a Ghanaian father.

He currently plies his trade for German second division side Eintracht Braunschweig. Phil is predominantly a right full back, but occasionally makes his way to the right midfield role. He has about 156 appearances for various lower tier German sides over the span of five years with five goals in his six years as a professional.

Ayeh was reportedly invited to the Black Satellites in 2011 but failed to make it due to issues regarding paper work. Ofosu Ayeh has good pace about him and at 6fts, he is relatively tall for the full back position.

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LLOYD SAM

The New York red bulls winger will be hoping he stays fit for this game after his first call up was hampered by injury.

Lloyd began his footballing in England with Leyton Orient before moving to London side Charlton Atlethic and just like the typical English wingers, he is blessed with pace and loves to hug the touchline.

He has however evolved over the course of time and can now play in a central attacking area where he still deploys his pace to devastating effect. Lloyd currently plays in the United States with the New York Red Bulls where he joined in 2012. Despite struggling with form and injuries in the beginning, he has now settled to life in the MLS this current season and has been very pivotal for his side bagging ten goals.

The downside to Lloyd will be his age as he may not be in the Stars team for long. At 31, he may not be well suited to replace Asamoah Gyan in the long run who is also currently in his 30’s.

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GIDEON BAAH

Baah is, admittedly, the most common name amongst the debutants.

Right from his MTN Soccer Academy days in Ghana, many had tipped the youngster for great success. A horrific injury for Kotoko against Hearts of Oak which kept him away for almost two years may have curtailed his progress, but he has grown in leaps and bounds afterwards.

He is predominantly a left full back blessed with a terrific left foot. He currently plays for Finnish side Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi. At 6ft 1, he adds additional height to defence as well as being strong and physically imposing. Marking and tackling are some of his attributes and opposing wingers are often given a tough time with Baah.

At 24, he has a lot footballing years ahead of him and his contest with Baba Rahman for the left full back role will be a interesting, going forward. For a side, which cried for a natural left footed full back in recent years, we could as well be spoilt for choice as we are blessed with top notch personnel in that department now counting Jeffrey Schlupp and Frank Acheampong who can also be deployed in that role.

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KWADWO POKU

The 23-year old midfielder was born in Kumasi and began his life there.

The former Kotoko youth player has earned great reviews in the MLS this season following a string of impressive performances. Why not? Poku has still made a name for himself in a team where he was likely to be overshadowed by international stars, David Villa, Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo.

He is a physically imposing midfielder and has been likened to Man City and reigning African player of the year Yaya Toure. Poku has bags of energy and can power his side forward with driving runs. Not only has his game been focused on the physical aspect, he has great technique and a great eye to thread eye through the needle passes as well as score a few goals.

In modern terms, he is an all round midfielder who will contribute to all facets of the game.

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