Ghana boss Queiroz hails spirit of players ahead of Panama clash at World Cup

"We've got the task of connecting players that have a French philosophy of the game with those who have English and Spanish ones," said Queiroz on the eve of the Group L tie at the BMO Field.

"And then it has to combine with local ideas to create an identity for our game," he added. "It has not been easy, but it's been very rewarding to do because our players have been very cooperative.

"They've been very open. They've been seeking to participate in the construction of a very strong team."

Queiroz took over in April following the sacking of Otto Addo who guided Ghana through the qualifying campaign for teams from the African confederation who are affiliated to the tournament organisers Fifa.

"The connection has been the most important aspect that we've been able to work in this short time that we've had together," said Queiroz who is overseeing a team at the World Cup for the fifth time.

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"I am quite pleased because the team has responded well. They're very cohesive. They're very well integrated. We have a compact team."

Following the game in Toronto, Ghana face England at the Boston Stadium on 23 June and then finish the pool phase against Croatia in Philadelphia on 27 June.

Ghana, who are appearing at the World Cup for the fifth time, have not reached group stages since advancing to the last eight in 2010 in South Africa.

Appeal against Partey's visa refusal

They will go into the game without their experienced midfielder Thomas Partey.

The 32-year-old, who faces a trial in Britain on several charges of rape and sexual assault, was refused entry to Canada last week.

Ghana's government hit out at Canada's handling of the player who has denied all the charges.

On Tuesday, Ghanaian officials appealed at a federal court against Canada's decision.

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Queiroz said he would not be drawn into the row. "My business is not to comment. My business is to play with the cards in front of me," said Queiroz.

"We're waiting for a decision and when the decision comes, we will make the final approach to the game."

Panama are featuring at the World Cup for only the second time. They finished sixth in the South American qualifying group with 28 points from their 18 games - the same tally as Brazil.

"Panama is a well organised team," added Queiroz. "They are very experienced and they arecompetitive. We hold them in high regard and we respect them as we respect England and Croatia."