Four years ago, Ghana hammered the final nail in the coffin to knock the U.S. out of the World Cup in the final game of the group stage.
And now, in 2010, the United States is ready for its revenge.
"It's a good chance for us because it's a rematch," said U.S. forward Jozy Altidore. "A lot of the guys were on that team in 2006 that got knocked out by them. They all understand what the game means and how important it is to all of us."
By finishing first in Group C ahead of England, the U.S. drew Ghana, who finished as Group D runner-up, in the round of 16.
The U.S. faces a tough task for Saturday's match, due to the emotionally and physically draining nature of their last match, the 1-0 win over Algeria.
"Luckily we've been through this sort of time frame before," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley to members of the press. "As always the day after the game is regeneration for starters or guys who played over 75 minutes, the others we take them out and train. Now we look forward to a light training session today but I think the focus is good and people have come out of the game feeling really good."
The game is being played in Rustenberg, site of the U.S.A's first game of the 2010 World Cup against England and where the U.S. beat Egypt 3-0 in the 2009 Confederations Cup and miraculously qualified for the semi-finals. And coach Bradley seemed pleased about the venue.
"We're lucky to be back in Rustenburg; we're comfortable here and the travel is easy," he said.
Meanwhile, Ghana is now left as the last African team in the World Cup, and the consensus is that many South African locals who attend the match will cheer for the Black Stars.
"We are extra motivated to go all out because we are not only representing Ghana. We know we are carrying the hope and aspirations of the African continent," said Ghana defender Lee Addy.
Ghana made it out of one of the so called "Group of Death"s along with Germany. Ghana beat Serbia 1-0, tied Australia 1-1, and lost to Germany 1-0. Asamoah Gyan scored both goals for the Black Stars, both on penalty kicks.
"They're [Ghana] physical, they're strong, they're fast, the can create special moments one-on-one," said U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Ghana has surprised some critics by making it this far without their star player Michael Essien, who was forced to miss the World Cup due to a knee injury.
They're going to be a very difficult team to play with," said U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan. "I thought they would struggle a little bit without (Michael) Essien but I think they've looked very good. Clearly their athleticism will be difficult to deal with. Like a lot of African teams, they can be unpredictable sometimes, which can be a plus or a minus."
But the Black Stars know that they have no easy task facing the Americans.
"The USA has a fantastic team, run a lot with the ball and are also very physical," said Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac."They have a strong team with most of their players playing in top flight leagues in Europe. It will be a tough match and we are preparing feverishly for the encounter."
The Americans have come a long way to make it into the knockout stages, but they know this is just the beginning of their journey to win the World Cup.
"You certainly have moments where you think, 'We're capable,' if we continue to build on the successes so far we can go to the end. That's what it's all about," said Bradley.
"That was our first goal, but that wasn't our only goal."
Watch the U.S.A. take on Ghana at 2:30PM ET, Saturday on ABC
