ACCRA, Ghana - Ghana picked Michael Essien and Kevin-Prince Boateng in a preliminary 26-man World Cup squad on Monday. The group will be trimmed to a final 23-man squad after a friendly game against the Netherlands on May 31, the Ghana Football Association said. AC Milans Essien and Schalkes Boateng were named after returning to international football last year. They had both asked for time away from the national team in the years after the last World Cup. Ghana captain and striker Asamoah Gyan and midfielder Sulley Muntari were also included and are set to play in their third consecutive World Cups. Ghana was the best-performing African team at the 2010 tournament, reaching the quarterfinals and just missing out on the semifinals after a penalty shootout loss to Uruguay in South Africa. Ghana will play the United States, Germany and Portugal in Group G in Brazil, and opens its campaign against the U.S. in Natal on June 16. Ghana beat the U.S. in the second round of the last World Cup. Coach Kwesi Appiah didnt reveal what his target was for the team that nearly became the first African nation into the last four of a World Cup four years ago. "Once the players are all fit we hope to deliver," Appiah said. "Every coach has a target and l believe in my players and the national team, but l cannot tell where we will get to. The only thing l can say is we will not disgrace Ghanaians." Essien missed the 2010 World Cup through injury and is likely facing his last chance to play at the showpiece in Brazil. Boateng stepped down from national team duties in 2011 but was recalled to Ghanas squad toward the end of the World Cup qualifying campaign late last year. Ghana will play in its third straight World Cup in Brazil. Appiah also picked Marseilles Andre Ayew, Juventus Kwadwo Asamoah and young attacking midfielder Wakaso Mubarak. Defender Jeffrey Schlupp, who plays for Englands Leicester City, was the biggest surprise in the initial squad. The GFA announced Monday that Ghana would play the Netherlands in Rotterdam on May 31 and South Korea in Miami on June 9 in its final World Cup warm-ups before facing Jurgen Klinsmanns U.S. team in Brazil. ___ Provisional squad: Goalkeepers: Adam Kwarasey, Fatawu Dauda, Stephen Adams. Defenders: Samuel Inkoom, Daniel Opare, Harrison Afful, Jeffrey Schlupp, John Boye, Jonathan Mensah, Jerry Akaminko, Rashid Sumaila. Midfielders: Michael Essien, Rabiu Mohammed, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Kwadwo Asamoah, Sulley Muntari, Albert Adomah, Wakaso Mubarak, Christian Atsu, David Accam, Andre Ayew, Afriyie Acquah. Forwards: Asamoah Gyan, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Abdul Majeed Waris, Jordan Ayew. Womens Vapormax Ireland . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. 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Chris Paul added 13 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who apparently are trying to make up for decades of humiliation at the hands of the Lakers all in one season; theyve won the last two meetings by a combined 84 points.It appears as though the UFC is taking a stand against disgruntled lightweight Nate Diaz. In Tuesdays updated rankings on the organizations website, Diaz was removed from his post as the sixth-ranked lightweight and no longer appears anywhere on the list. MMAFighting.coms Ariel Helwani is reporting UFC officials said the company labels fighters as "active" and if they dont fall under that designation they are ineligible to appear in the rankings. The twist is that Diaz last fought just six months ago, scoring a knockout victory over now eighth-ranked Gray Maynard at "The Ultimate Fighter 18" finale in November. It seems as though his inactivity is a result of recent complaints over his contract. Since his win over Maynard, Diaz frequently voiced his displeasure via Twitter, often requesting to be released by the UFC through social media. UFC president Dana White responded in March saying that Diaz "just signed a new contract that he was happy witth a month ago.dddddddddddd." The situation came to a head when Diaz finally spoke in early April, unleashing a tirade about his paychecks to MMAFighting, claiming he didnt want to fight for "funny money". "They need to be about more money. My contract is all (expletive) up. I want to be paid like these other fighters. Im over here getting chump change," he said. "At this point, theyre paying all my partners and other people I train with are getting real money, and its too embarrassing for me to even fight again for the money theyre paying me. So they can either pay me or let me go. Im with that." 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