United States coach Bruce Arena has warned that Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien "could make the difference" in Thursday's decisive clash against Ghana in Nuremberg.

Both countries - just like Group E leaders Italy and second-placed Czech Republic, who battle it out in Hamburg at the same time - can still book their tickets to the knock-out stages.

With the bottom-placed Team USA desperately needing a win, Arena has warned his players about the talent of Essien.

"He is one of the best players of the tournament," Arena said. "He works both on offence and defence, passes a lot and sets up goals.

"He makes the difference between a good team and a very good team."

And striker Brian McBride admits it is crucial that the United States shut down the 23-year-old midfielder.

"We need to neutralise him (to beat Ghana)," McBride said. "But in order to do so he might not get a lot of touches.

Meanwhile, Arena has hailed Landon Donovan for his sensational performance in the dramatic 1-1 draw against Italy which featured three red cards.

After Daniele de Rossi was given his marching orders for a vicious elbow against McBride, Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope were also sent off which meant Donovan had to lead his team at both ends of the field.

"Landon did things against Italy that I've never seen him do before," Arena told ussoccer.com. "He demonstrated to the world, and more importantly his team-mates, that he is a great player in any kind of game."

Arena also expressed his full backing for the former Bayer Leverkusen striker who now plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"I believe in Landon," Arena added. "I think he is a great player.

"He's still 24 years old - it's not like he's been through the wars and fully developed at the international level. He's got a lot of great years ahead of him."

Ghana pulled off a major surprise last Saturday when they handed the high-flying Czech Republic a stunning 2-0 defeat.

Striker Otto Addo claimed they simply "had to set a mark for Africa".

"It is not just about Ghana," he continued. "All of Africa has high hopes in us because we want a sixth starting spot for the World Cup in four years."

And Addo believes his team can go a long way in the tournament.

"If we advance, a lot of things will be possible, even the semi-finals," he said. "We played well against the Czechs but we can still play much better."