KANSAS CITY -- There are footballers whose careers seem preordained from the moment they enter an elite academy, and there are others whose rise has been built through patience, perseverance, and an unwavering belief that the destination matters more than the timetable.
Ghana's Brandon Thomas-Asante falls firmly into the second category.
The Black Stars forward's journey has taken him from non-league football and the lower reaches of the English pyramid to the Premier League with Coventry City and now, to the biggest stage of all - representing Ghana in the World Cup knockouts.
As Thomas-Asante knows, success doesn't also arrive according to schedule.
"They say that sometimes it takes a long time for things to happen overnight," the 27-year-old told ESPN.