From Belfast to the World Cup - McDermott's American odyssey

"To go from Belfast, to Rhode Island, to the Middle East, to Glentoran, to Qatar, to Cobh Ramblers, to Ghana and back to Rhode Island in 30 years is an interesting story and I'm glad to get the chance to share it."

Mick McDermott has seen it all during a long coaching career that has taken him all across the world in various roles.

The Belfast native is speaking to BBC Sport NI from Providence, Rhode Island, Ghana's base for the World Cup.

He is part of Carlos Queiroz's backroom staff once again and is also working as a performance co-ordinator for the Black Stars.

It is the second World Cup McDermott has worked at after also linking up with Queiroz for Iran's campaign in 2018, but this one means a bit more to the former Glens boss.

With their base in Rhode Island, the 52-year-old comes full circle and returns to a place which holds plenty of special memories and one which ignited his footballing journey.

"It's unbelievable, I had no idea this job was going to appear, which is common in football. I lived in Rhode Island, I played football at the university on a scholarship," he told BBC Sport NI's Thomas Kane.

"Karla played volleyball, that's where we met and got married, so I lived here for six years. I haven't been back in a long time, I have seen some friends out here and hoping to see more, but it's a small world."

It's been quite the journey for a man who was set to go into a career as a teacher before accepting a coaching role while in the US.

"I graduated as a school teacher and was about to take a teaching job, but I took a coaching role at the University of Oregon and from there, out of the blue, through a connection, I got the offer to go to Abu Dhabi and it changed my life."

McDermott's relationship with Queiroz goes back to 2011 and has spanned three different national teams with two spells at Iran as well as one at Qatar and now Ghana, but it was a mutual connection that got the ball rolling for the two to meet.

"Carlos was considering the Iran job in 2011 and my former head coach in the USL in America was Carlos' long-term goalkeeper coach. I was already in the Middle East, working in Abu Dhabi for a club team and the conversations started. I met Carlos in Doha, we talked and myself and two other staff members joined Carlos and accepted the Iran job and that was the start of it," he explained.

While he did not accompany Queiroz to Colombia or Egypt, instead taking over at the "mighty Glentoran" where he won an Irish Cup, McDermott did not hesitate in following him to Qatar and now to Ghana after a spell with League of Ireland First Division side Cobh Ramblers.

"Here we are again, another brilliant project with a brilliant football nation. It's an opportunity I don't think anyone can say no to, to work with the Ghana football team and Carlos again, it's been brilliant."

While many managers and their coaching staff have a few months to plan everything from travel to squad selection for the World Cup, Queiroz and McDermott did not have that luxury.

Appointed in April, they did not get to work with their full 26-man squad until the end of May, with just one full training session before a 1-1 friendly draw against Wales on 2 June and a flight to the US the next day.

"The logistics and travel were already in place, we tweaked them a little," he said. "A big group of our players didn't arrive until 30 May and we didn't have a full training session until 31 May.

"We had two days, played Wales and flew the next day to the US. We had to submit our 26-man list before we even played Wales but the players have been brilliant to work with."

Their last-minute preparations do not seem to have hampered things on the pitch, with Ghana beating Panama 1-0 in their opening Group L game in Toronto, courtesy of a 95th-minute winner from Caleb Yirenkyi.

McDermott has been impressed with how the squad has gelled off the pitch and their musical talents.

"When they are together, as you can see from social media, there is a bond and it's new to me. I've been around the Middle East, Asia, Ireland and US and have had groups with good atmospheres but this, it's hard to express it. I stand sometimes and just enjoy it," he said.

"It was the night before we played Panama in the hotel and they have a tradition where the day before their first game after the training session they have a prayer and a song.

"The song went from the pitch and carried on to the 30-minute bus to the hotel and carried on to the hotel and once they got going they got going, it went on for an hour and a half. When you see the positive energy it gives them it's nice. My foot started tapping!"

Next up for the Black Stars is a game against one of the tournament favourites, England, in Foxborough.

While McDermott believes the Three Lions are a formidable force, as demonstrated by their 4-2 win over Croatia, he also thinks the game is a "free one" for Ghana with the pressure off after winning their first game.

"They have quality players firing on all cylinders and we know it's going to be a massive challenge but it's called the World Cup for a reason. Every game is a massive challenge, the Panama game was," he added.

"We're in a good position right now. We know we have to be resilient to get through it. The key was to get through the first game and we did.

"Our boys play for big clubs and in big games. We're not overawed going to play England, the boys have belief and it depends how we show up on the day. When the curtain opens you have to dance and I think the boys are more than capable of getting a result."

Key to their hopes of springing an upset will be Manchester City winger Antoine Semenyo, who has won 35 caps for his country and will be looking to net his first World Cup goal.

"I've not been around someone as humble as him. In terms of his football talent, [he's] probably as explosive a player I've seen to go from a jog to full tilt, he's really powerful," McDermott said.

"He has the ability, if he's on his game, to hurt any full-backs in the world but we have some others. We have five or six with that same pace and those are nice weapons to have."