Hey Bob Bradley, How Do You Feel About Camels (The Mode Of Transportation, Not The Cigarettes)?

I guess the fact that Bob Bradley is a top candidate for Egypt's national team is a sign that the U.S. is held in a high regard not just in CONCACAF but around the world and that's a good thing of course.

Bob Bradley’s agent says the former U.S. coach is a candidate to lead Egypt’s national team.

Ron Waxman confirmed Egypt’s interest in Bradley in an email Tuesday, but did not give any further details. Bradley reportedly is among three candidates to replace longtime Egypt coach Hassan Shehata, who stepped down in June with the Pharaohs in danger of failing to qualify for the African Cup of Nations for the first time in 33 years.

Bradley was dismissed last month after going 43-25-12 in four-plus years as U.S. coach. He took the Americans to the Confederations Cup final—after beating Egypt 3-0 in group play—and the knockout round at last year’s World Cup in South Africa.

As I wrote when he was let go, Bradley seems like a good man and he's a decent coach. His time with the U.S. men had run its course though and the team, not to mention the entire system, needed a big jolt of energy which they hopefully received by hiring Jurgen Klinsmann.

Bradley will land on his feet and if he gets the Egypt job so quickly, he should consider himself lucky. Granted, who knows about the language barriers and culture shock but Egypt has built itself into one of the better African nations over the last few years (this latest African Cup of Nations notwithstanding).

Good luck Bob and wherever you end up, please don't try to nationalize Michael (Bradley). His work with the U.S. team is far from done.

Follow @RichSlate


Tweet

U.S. men's national team vs. Egypt friendly canceled (for obvious reasons)

If you've turned on the news lately, opened a newspaper or logged onto the Internet, odds are you've noticed Egypt is a complete mess right now.

With that in mind, the U.S. men's national team has made the correct decision to cancel its friendly vs. Egypt scheduled for next Wednesday in Cairo.

All politics aside, it's too bad that the U.S. won't get to play a top-class opponent, on its home turf no less, but soccer is a global game and this terrible situation in Egypt illustrates it.

The game against the Egyptian national team had been announced Dec. 13. In the last week, street protests aiming for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak have caused disruption in Cairo and Alexandria.

"We were excited about the opportunity to play against Egypt, but due to the current situation all parties agreed it was best to cancel the match,'' U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said Monday. "We appreciate the efforts of the Egyptian Football Association and the U.S. State Department as we worked through this situation.''

The U.S. State Department has recommended American citizens avoid travel to Egypt "due to ongoing political and social unrest.'' On Sunday, the State Department authorized the voluntary departure of dependents and non emergency employees, saying "U.S. citizens currently in Egypt should consider leaving as soon as they can safely do so.''

The U.S., ranked 18th in the world, had planned to fly a top roster to the game, including Americans based with European clubs, to face 10th-ranked Egypt. The two nations met in the first round of the 2009 Confederations Cup, with the U.S. winning 3-0.

The next game for the U.S. team will be March 26 against Argentina at East Rutherford, N.J. The Americans play Paraguay three days later at Nashville, Tenn.

U.S. vs. Egypt slated to happen

It appears likely that the U.S. men's national team will play Egypt on February 9.

Egypt Football Association chairman Samir Zaher said the match probably will be in Cairo. The U.S. Soccer Federation said Friday that negotiations are not yet complete.
Egypt is tenth in the latest FIFA rankings. Team USA is 24th.

It would be a rematch of the nations' meeting at the 2009 Confederations Cup, won by the U.S. 3-0.

The U.S. opens its 2011 schedule against Chile on Jan. 22 at Carson, Calif. The Americans also have been negotiating to host Argentina in March as they prepare for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June.

This would be a great way to start 2011, against one of the best teams in the world that didn't make the 2010 World Cup out of a loaded African region. Having the match in Cairo would help the U.S. too, facing a top notch team on their home turf.