Americans must forget about payback

“It’s good because I think, with our team, we have a lot of young players and with each game we’re improving,” Altidore said. “It’s good to have that, and going forward I think we have a lot of bright spots.”

Fatigue could play a factor in a match that will be played just three days after both the United States and Ghana played their final group matches. The Americans can draw on their experiences in last summer’s Confederations Cup, when they overcame a quick turnaround time to upset Spain.

“We’re not worried about the quick turnaround, which is good,” Donovan said. “Last year, the games happened so fast, and this time it was almost a little relaxing to have some much time (between games).

“I think we’re prepared for this. A lot of our guys have played Saturday or Sunday games in Europe and traveled across the ocean to play in qualifiers two or three days later so from that standpoint there’s absolutely no issues.”

The Americans also have a lot of confidence after a pair of thrilling results to reach the Round of 16. Their success in this World Cup, coupled with the successful run to last summer’s Confederations Cup final, has this U.S. team believing it can go further than most could have expected before the World Cup began.

“Now, we feel, like I’ve always said, that we can compete and beat any team in the world,” Donovan said. “Saturday happens to be Ghana. We’re going to throw everything we can at them.”

Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the U.S. national team and Major League Soccer.