Categories
Ghana soccer team finds a home at Bryant University
Ghana soccer team finds a home at Bryant University
Michael Petraske, Providence JournalMon, July 20, 2026 at 3:14 PM UTC·5 min readFor almost 40 days straight, the United States was immersed in cultures from around the world, whether it be Algerians in Lawrence, Kansas; Scots in Boston; or Ghanaians in Providence, as the World Cup finished its summer tour across North America with Sunday's final between Spain and Argentina on July 19.
All 48 participating countries set up base camps in different locations across the continent, and for the first time in Rhode Island’s history, one of the national teams chose the Ocean State as its base camp. Ghana, which was looking to advance past the group stage for the first time since 2010, chose Bryant University in Smithfield as its training grounds.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTo even be considered as a base camp, Bryant had to put in a bid and then negotiate and sign a contract with FIFA to be included in a “team brochure,” according to Bryant Deputy Director of Athletics John Ruppert.
More: Ghana fans' spirits still high despite World Cup loss to Croatia
“[FIFA] had to go and find about 70 different sites across the U.S., Canada and Mexico for all the teams,” Ruppert said. “So we were included in that brochure of all the available host sites in November [of 2025]. Over the course of November and December, we had about 10 to 12 countries coming to our facilities to look at it.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSome of the other teams that toured Bryant were Haiti, Scotland and Morocco, according to Ruppert. The USMNT also toured Bryant as a training ground if the team had advanced to the quarterfinals. Though Bryant ended up being Rhode Island’s representative for practice facilities, another school was in the mix to be selected, according to Ruppert.
“I think that [the University of Rhode Island] originally reached out as a possible base camp as well,” Ruppert said. “But things didn’t work out there. The contract that FIFA signed is very one-sided towards FIFA. So, I think that scared a lot of people away.”
Ruppert believed that the benefits of hosting a national team, such as more international recognition for prospective students, outweighed the costs that FIFA’s contract entailed. (Exact details of the contract were not provided.)
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the months and weeks leading up to the Ghana team arriving for the World Cup, Ruppert said that there was a lot less communication between Bryant and the Ghana Football Association than he thought.
“We ended up sending a delegation from Bryant and Rhode Island over to Ghana to meet with the team and did a lot of the prep work there,” Ruppert said. “But Ghana switched coaches [in April], which made the communication a bit more difficult. We had done a lot of the legwork by going over to Ghana and doing that as well.”
See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
Football fans stand in the tribunes with England scarves and a Ghana flag prior to the during the 2026 World Cup Group L football match between England and Ghana at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough on June 23, 2026. (FRANCK FIFE, AFP via Getty Images)See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
See the best fans, moments from Ghana-England World Cup match
Ruppert mentioned that as the team arrived at the facilities and began group stage play, the campus rallied around the team.
“We became big Ghana fans,” Ruppert said. “The entire campus and the state of Rhode Island, to a certain extent, were on their bandwagon. We were flying a Ghana flag on campus.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThough most of the team was unfamiliar with the area, one assistant coach knew his way around.
Mick McDermott, an assistant coach for the Ghana national team from Belfast who played for URI from 1992 to 1995, was returning to the Ocean State for the first time in 30 years.
Not only was Rhode Island where he continued his love of soccer, but the place where he met the love of his life, Karla. Karla was a fellow student-athlete, playing volleyball, at URI.
“Some close friends started sending me messages saying, ‘Hey, your base camp’s going to be at Bryant,’” McDermott said. “So, I started digging some more, [and] I realized after a day that we would be staying in the Graduate Hotel in Providence. It was amazing because a lot of the friends that I played with, teammates, my whole family that helped put me up when I was on my trip from Belfast United, head coach of Rhode Island College Kyle Froberg and head coach of URI Gareth Elliott.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMcDermott mentioned that it was nice to see all these people and the support they would provide him and the rest of the team if they needed it.
“When you’re in camp in a foreign country, sometimes you need support, advice and logistics. It’s nice to have the support of FIFA and all your security, but it’s nice to have people on the ground,” McDermott said. “I knew the distances, the places and times if we want to go [to Bryant]. So, that was a really big positive for us to be based in a place where I was really familiar with, and also if we needed support in terms of some things around the camp, it was as easy as a phone call.”
When Carlos Querioz, McDermott and the rest of the coaching staff were hired on April 13, they didn’t have a chance to play a friendly with the team before rosters were due, and played just one friendly total before their first group stage match against Panama. This makes Ghana’s defeat of Panama in stoppage time and tie against England all the more impressive.
Though the Black Stars’ run ended in the Round of 32 against Colombia, McDermott said that he would love to return as an assistant coach if Querioz’s contract with Ghana is renewed.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe next time the United States can host the World Cup is in 2038, and with the tournament's success this summer, a return as a host country seems more than likely. So start preparing for the I-95 traffic now.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ghana soccer team finds a home at Bryant University
Story byThe Providence Journal