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NATAL, Brazil (AP) — World Cup veterans Michael Essien and Kevin- Prince Boateng were left out of coach Kwesi Appiah's starting lineup for their World Cup opening match Monday night against the United States.

Asamoah Gyan was set to lead Ghana as it tries to beat the U.S. for the third consecutive World Cup. Gyan scored the winning goal that sent the Americans home from South Africa in 2010.

According to a lineup released by the Ghana Football Association, there were four changes from the starting 11 that beat South Korea 4-0 in an warm-up game last week in Florida. Adam Kwarasey replaced Fatawu Dauda in goal, and Daniel Opare, Christian Atsu and Jordan Ayew were in for Boateng, injured forward Majeed Waris and defender Harrison Afful.

The U.S. lineup has not yet been formally announced.

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Lineups:

Ghana: Adam Kwarasey, Daniel Opare, Kwadwo Asamoah, Jonathan Mensah, John Boye, Rabiu Mohammed, Christian Atsu, Sulley Muntari, Jordan Ayew, Asamoah Gyan and Andre Ayew.

PHOENIX (AP) — A homeless ex-convict with a history of violence and drug abuse was arrested Monday on suspicion of killing a clergyman with a handgun that had been retrieved by another priest after he was hit with an iron rod at a Phoenix church, police said.

Police say the Rev. Joseph Terra went to investigate noises in a church courtyard and was attacked by 54-year-old Gary Michael Moran with the piece of metal before the priest fled and got a .357-caliber gun from his bedroom.

Moran wrestled the weapon away from the injured priest and killed Terra's assistant, the Rev. Kenneth Walker, after he rushed to the aid of his colleague, court records show.

Moran stole a camera and fled in Walker's car, police said.

Police Chief Daniel Garcia called the attack "a violent, tragic, horrifying offense" committed by a career criminal who had been out of prison only six weeks. Moran had served about eight years on charges that included aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

In the 2005 case, police said, Moran entered a Phoenix apartment, found a steak knife, went into the bedroom and stabbed a man in the abdomen without provocation before being subdued.

Moran didn't know the victims or recall the crime, and he cited a history of drug abuse including recent methamphetamine use, police said. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Moran was also sentenced to more than four years in prison after pleading guilty in 2001 to misconduct involving weapons. He was convicted in two 1989 burglaries as well.

During his recent stint in prison, Moran was found guilty of more than a dozen infractions, including four for drug manufacturing and possession, the Department of Corrections records show.

"He is a career criminal, a violent felony offender," Garcia said.

The priests were attacked Wednesday in the rectory of the Mother of Mercy Mission. Walker, 28, died of a gunshot wound and Terra was badly beaten. Terra was able to give Walker last rites after the assault.

The news of the arrest came just as a Mass was to be held for Walker at another church in Phoenix.

"We're relieved that he's not out there doing it again and we hope some good comes out of it for him," Walker's stepsister, Sasha Keys, said of the arrest. She said nearly $42,000 in donations had poured in from around the country.

"It was incredible," she said. "I'm still getting letters in the mail with checks."

Police previously said Terra gave them a limited description of the suspect. Detectives said they were running forensic tests on evidence collected at the scene of the assault and from Walker's vehicle, which was found abandoned several blocks from the church near the state Capitol.

Terra was moved out of a hospital intensive care unit Saturday and is expected to make a full recovery. The Rev. Carl Gismondi, a pastor visiting from San Diego, conducted Mass at the priests' church Sunday and said he had visited his fellow clergyman at the hospital.

"He was in good spirits," Gismondi said after the service.

Walker was born in upstate New York, had 10 siblings and was drawn to the priesthood after attending traditional Latin Mass with his family in high school. He later joined the seminary, made good grades and enjoyed playing soccer, said the Rev. Joseph Lee, academic dean at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Nebraska.

Walker eventually joined a Catholic order that specializes in Latin Mass and became a priest in downtown Phoenix. He recently officiated a younger sibling's wedding in Kansas — the last time he saw many relatives.

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Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud and Emaun Kashfi contributed to this report.

U.S. stocks edged higher in early trading Monday as investors kept an eye on developments in the Middle East amid a widening insurgency in Iraq. Deal news boosted several stocks, including medical device maker Covidien and natural gas producer Williams Cos.

KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose four points, or 0.2 percent, at 1,940 in the first 45 minutes of trading. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 15 points, or 0.1 percent, to 16,791. The Nasdaq composite gained 15 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,325.

ACQUISITION PRESCRIPTION: Covidien soared 23 percent after the Ireland-based medical device manufacturer agreed to be bought by U.S. competitor Medtronic. The deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions by medical-device manufacturers. Covidien rose $17.23 to $89.25. Medtronic gained $1.33, or 2.2 percent, to $62.06.

ENERGY MARRIAGE: Williams Companies rose $10.19, or 21.4 percent, to $57.28 after announcing a deal to expand its stake in Access Midstream Partners.

WAIT AND SEE: Traders watched developments in Iraq with an eye on the Obama administration's next move as Sunni militants extended their violent advance. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that the Obama administration is open to discussions with Iran over the crisis and is considering airstrikes to slow the insurgency.

OIL: The price of crude continued to climb as Iraq's widening insurgency raised concerns that exports from OPEC's No. 2 oil producer could be affected. Oil rose 11 cents to $107.02 a barrel. Oil has risen 4 percent this month.

BOND WATCH: In U.S. government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year note slipped to 2.59 percent from 2.60 percent late Friday.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In the buildup to the World Cup, the Brazilian football catchphrase of "Jogo Bonito" — The Beautiful Game — was drowned out by the bangs of frantic construction work and the shouts of angry protesters. Not now.

The football — it's been open, attacking and packed full of goals and great moments — is doing all the talking.

Neymar kicked Brazil into gear, Robin van Persie soared and scored with one of the most spectacular headers you'll see, and Argentine wizard Lionel Messi conjured up a little left-footed magic at the Maracana. Thomas Mueller hit a hat-trick for Germany, and the first round of group games isn't even done yet.

It's not just the big-name teams either. There was Costa Rica's pulsating comeback to sweep past a highly-rated Uruguay team and Switzerland's last-gasp winner over Ecuador.

"All the games we're watching, there's a lot of open play, there's a lot of beautiful goals. It's just wonderful to be here, isn't it?" Netherlands fan Paul Rolleman said as he walked — with a party-inspired hangover, he confessed — under perfect blue skies along Rio's famed Copacabana beach.

Half-expecting patched up stadiums and large street demonstrations, many worried that the return of the World Cup to the spiritual home of football after 64 years could be the most troubled in recent memory. But with a bunch of goals — 41 in 12 games after Germany's 4-0 win over Portugal on Monday — and no major backlash from protesters so far, it could turn out to be the best in over half a century.

"High-scoring games, this is what fans are waiting for," United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "They want to see goals."

And they have. From Sao Palo to Salvador, from Cuiaba in the vast Brazilian interior to the golden sands of Rio de Janeiro, the goals have flown in. The World Cup is averaging over three a game. At that rate, it will be the highest-scoring since Brazil began its love affair with the tournament and — with a 17-year-old Pele up front — won the first of its record five titles in Sweden in 1958.

There have been no draws in the first 12 games and only four teams out of the 24 who played failed to score. Jogo Bonito, first made famous by Pele, is rubbing off on everyone, it seems. No one is "parking the bus," as the Europeans say, or playing defensively here.

"There's none of that. No game has been boring," German fan Andre Lien said, adding with a sulk that he had to head back home for work on Tuesday following Germany's opener.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, previously defensive in his approach to howls of disappointment from home fans, is playing with three strikers at the World Cup. The Netherlands made a mockery of pre-tournament criticism of their formation switch with blisteringly fast, attacking play to blow away defending champion Spain 5-1. Even Bosnia, the World Cup debutant, aggressively took the fight to Messi and Argentina — as coach Safet Susic promised they would.

"This is how we play football," he said. "We don't know any other way. And I don't want my players to play any other way."

The fans have reacted by filling stadiums or fan fests and embracing the carefree culture: A group of middle-aged German men in super-tight swimming costumes played football on Copacabana Monday morning before heading for the big screen TV.

Of course, it's still early days. Organizers can't let down their guard. There was a moment at Itaquerao Stadium in Sao Paulo last week when Brazil's opening night seemed to hang by a thread — or an electrical wire. One section of the floodlights in Sao Paulo flickered off, then on, then off again. Disaster loomed. The lights came back on, stayed on, and Neymar rescued Brazil with a double as the home favorite came back from 1-0 down to beat Croatia 3-1.

There have also been sporadic protests — police clashed with protesters not far from Rio's Maracana on Sunday night while Messi and Argentina beat Bosnia —and some logistical problems. In the northeastern city of Natal, torrential rain and flooding is threatening the World Cup experience.

But on the field, at least, the tournament has met the early challenge and more. Brazil's only worry is if the goal-happy World Cup can keep up this breathtaking pace for a month.

"It's a big party," Netherlands supporter Rolleman said on Copacabana. "But I do need to get some sleep now."

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AP Sports Writers Jim Vertuno, Tales Azzoni, Mike Corder, Karl Ritter and Stephen Wade contributed.