New England Soccer Today

U.S.-Egypt friendly cancelled

The political turmoil that has plagued Egypt in recent days has forced the cancellation of the February 9th international friendly between the United States and Egypt in Cairo.

“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,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “We appreciate the efforts of the Egyptian Football Association and the U.S. State Department as we worked through this situation.”

The match, which was originally scheduled on December 13th, would have pitted a pair of sides that last faced each other in the 2009 Confederations Cup. Facing almost certain elimination after losing to Italy and Brazil in the opening round, the Americans surprised the Pharaohs with an improbable 3-0 result that eventually catapulted the United States into the Cup final against Brazil, where they fell 3-2.

With the cancellation of the Egypt match, the next match for the Americans is set for March 26 against Argentina in East Rutherford, NJ. The Yanks will face another South American power three days later, as they host Paraguay in Nashville, TN on March 29th.

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