At a time when Egypt is struggling with political and social upheaval, its national soccer team has been a source of unity. The nation has reached the World Cup just once, in 1990, but now it is two matches away from qualifying for the 2014 event in Brazil.
The man at the forefront of this movement is Bob Bradley, who coached the United States at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. When the U.S. let him go, Bradley took the Egyptian job in September 2011, just seven months after President Hosni Mubarak was chased from office.
Then in February 2012, Egyptian soccer was stunned with the Port Said Stadium riot that killed 74 and injured thousands. That led to the Egyptian Premier League suspending its season, and when Egypt hosted Mozambique in a World Cup qualifier a few months later, the match was held in an empty stadium.
The confluence of an American coach leading an Egyptian team during this volatile moment of history has generated all sorts of intrigue. Bradley was a guest on The Daily Show on Thursday, and he is also the subject of two documentaries.
The first two clips below are from The Daily Show appearance, which is unedited, so watch out for some PG-13 language. The next two are trailers of the documentaries.
