ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The World Cup won’t happen for another six months, but already Detroit Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah is making a prediction.

His home country, Ghana, will beat the country he now resides in, the United States.

“I know for sure we’re going to beat USA,” Ansah said.

Why?

“We beat y’all twice,” he followed up with.

Ghana has beaten the United States in the past two World Cups, defeating the Americans in the Group Stage of the 2006 World Cup and then eliminating the Americans from the World Cup entirely in 2010, beating the US, 2-1, in the second round.

Ansah was already in the United States for that game and said he ran around the streets of Utah following the win with some of his friends from Ghana who were also in the United States.

Ansah, unsurprisingly, also played soccer growing up and said he could beat fellow defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, who also played soccer as a kid. Ansah played all the way until he left for Brigham Young University in the United States, where his path shifted from basketball to football and eventually becoming a No. 1 draft pick.

Then and now, he also pulled for his two favorite Ghanian soccer players, striker Asamoah Gyan and midfielder Michael Essien. He has not met anyone from the squad, but hopes to one day.

And as for this World Cup, Ansah is debating making the trip to Brazil to watch his native country play, but hasn’t decided yet. One thing he does know, though, is that the group both his home and current countries are in will be difficult as they are paired with Germany and Portugal as well.

“That’ll be a tough one,” Ansah said. “But we’ll be all right.”