Mexico friendly a key test for Ghana’s Black Princesses, Sampson says

Ghana’s Black Princesses will face Mexico in a closed-door friendly on Friday, with head coach Charles Sampson viewing the match as a more meaningful test of the team’s readiness for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Kick-off is scheduled for 12:00 GMT at Stadion Miejskiego Klubu Sportowego Gornik Walbrzych in Poland.

The match will be Ghana’s second preparation game since the team began its training camp in Poland. The Black Princesses opened their programme with a 4-0 win over Polish side Sleza Wroclaw, with Jacqueline Ntoso, Priscilla Mensah, Ruth Amponsah and Diana Amoako scoring.

Sampson sees the Mexico fixture as an opportunity to assess how his players respond after that opening victory. He viewed the first game mainly as a way to settle the team and reduce early-match anxiety, while the encounter with Mexico should provide a clearer indication of their competitive level.

The Ghana coach also considers the opposition’s approach relevant to the team’s wider preparations. Ghana have been drawn in Group C alongside Ecuador, South Korea and France, and Sampson believes Mexico’s style will offer useful preparation for facing Ecuador at the World Cup.

The Black Princesses are expected to have almost their full group available, with one remaining player still due to join the team. That gives Sampson an opportunity to examine the group in a fixture played under more demanding conditions than the opening warm-up.

Ghana will be appearing at the tournament for an eighth successive time, but they have not yet advanced beyond the group stage. Their World Cup campaign is scheduled to begin on September 6, making the Mexico game an important checkpoint as preparations continue.