CAIRO: The United States will visit Cairo for a football friendly against the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions on Feb. 9, the US Soccer Federation announced Monday.
The Americans have beaten the seven-time Africa Cup winners in both of their prior meetings, the most recent of which was their 3–0 triumph over the Pharaohs at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.
The US’ other triumph also occurred at a neutral venue, when the US garnered a 3–1 victory over Egypt in a 1987 match in Seoul.
US football coach Bob Bradley was excited about the chance for the American side to play a first-ever match in Egypt ahead of the Gold Cup tournament — the North American continental championship — scheduled for June 2011.
“Egypt is an extremely talented and competitive team,” said Bradley. “Their performance in the Confederations Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations has demonstrated their ability to challenge the top teams in the world.
“To play against the champions of Africa in what will be a fantastic environment in Cairo is a great opportunity.”
The Americans open their 2011 campaign on Jan. 22 against Chile in Los Angeles.
The Pharaohs, ranked 10th in the world by FIFA, went undefeated to win this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, with Mohamed Nagy scoring five goals and team captain Ahmed Hassan being named “Player of the Tournament.”
However, unlike the United States, the Pharaohs failed to qualify for the World Cup, losing in a play-off game to bitter rivals Algeria.
