Tuesday's Brazil-Ghana game has special meaning for Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. It was in Ghana that Parreira, a fitness coach by training, worked as a head coach for the first time. He was only 24 in 1967 when he went to work in Ghana, on the recommendation of the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations.
''At that time, I didn't dream of coaching Brazil at the World Cup,'' said Parreira. ''I hadn't even thought of being a coach. I wanted to be fitness trainer. I worked for 13 years in that job, before I realized I could be a coach.''
Parreira, 63, spent two years in Ghana, working with the national team and Kumasi's Asante Kotoko. Ghana was Africa's dominant soccer country in the 1960s, though soccer was still very unorganized.
''At that time, it was very amateur,'' said Parreira. ''We virtually camped in army tents. Now, they are much more experienced. They've lost their innocence.''
Parreira's two-year stay in Ghana was the first of seven coaching stints in foreign countries to go along with jobs at nine Brazilian clubs and five stints with the Brazil national team.
He was Brazil's fitness trainer on its 1970 World Cup championship team and coached Brazil in 1983, 1991 and 1992-94, leading it to its fourth World Cup title at USA 1994.
He spent 13 years (1976-82 and 1985-1990) working in the Middle East — he coached Kuwait and the UAE at the World Cup finals — and has also coached clubs in the USA (MLS's MetroStars), Spain and Turkey.
Parreira began his fifth stint with Brazil in 2002, taking over for Luiz Felipe Scolari as head coach following Brazil's fifth World Cup championship.
IN AND OUT.
Young Robinho, who had played so well against Japan in Brazil's Group F finale, is out with a thigh injury. Parreira says he'll stick with his first team — five of whom were rested against Japan — though Juninho Pernambucano could keep his spot in midfield with Ronaldinho moving up front in place of Adriano. Ghana is without Michael Essien, suspended for picking up his second yellow card of the tournament against the USA. Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan, who were suspended for the USA game, return.
HISTORY.
Brazil won the only meeting between the two teams, defeating the Black Stars, 8-2, in a 1996 friendly.
PROBABLES.
Brazil (4-4-2): 1-Dida (89 caps-0 goals); 2-Cafu (147-0), 3-Lucio (53-2), 4-Juan (41-2), 6-Roberto Carlos (129-10); 17-Gilberto Silva (41-3), 5-Emerson (72-6), 8-Kaka (37-10), 10-Ronaldinho (69-30); 9-Ronaldo (101-64), 7-Adriano (34-24).
Ghana (4-4-2): 22-Richard Kingson (36 caps-0 goals); 15-John Paintsil (24-0), 13-Habib Mohammed (3-0), 5-John Mensah (36-0), 7-Shilla Illiasu (5-0); 9-Derek Boateng (13-3), 10-Stephen Appiah (44-12), 20-Otto Addo (15-1), 11-Sulley Muntari (18-6); 14-Matthew Amoah (19-7), Asamoah Gyan (15-9)
Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).
TV.
ESPN, live, 11 am ET.
Univision, live, 11 am ET.