Bob Bradley is preparing to do something he hasn't had to do in months: Find a way to bounce back from a loss.
After Egypt's 3-2 loss to upstart Central African Republic in African Cup of Nations qualifying two weeks ago, Bradley's Pharaohs need to overturn that result in Saturday's second leg of their first-round qualifier to keep hopes of making it to the 2013 tournament alive — one of Bradley's two major tasks upon taking over as coach. Away goals come into play, meaning Egypt needs either at least a two-goal victory or a win of any kind in which it scores four goals to go through in regulation.
Egypt will be short-handed for the match as well. Sunderland winger Ahmed Elmohamady reportedly has a strained hamstring, while Bradley ran into a bit of controversy involving star striker Mohamed Zidan, who has left the team to focus on securing a club deal in China.
Even after guiding Egypt to a 14-game unbeaten streak that coincided with the riots and ensuing fallout from the tragedy at Port Said in February and includes two World Cup qualifying victories, reports from Egypt suggest that Bradley's future could be in jeopardy if Egypt does not get to the next ACN qualifying round, putting even more pressure on the former U.S. national team coach to pull out a favorable result.
Do you think Egypt can turn around the first-leg result? Would be overly harsh for Bradley to lose his job if Egypt does not qualify for the next round considering what he and Egypt have been through together?
Share your thoughts below.