For nearly a year now, Bob Bradley has blazed an unlikely trail as manager of the Egyptian national soccer team as it attempts to reach the 2014 World Cup amidst a turbulent political climate in the country.
Filmmaker Jeffrey Plunkett – a midfielder on Bradley's Princeton University team that reached the 1993 NCAA Final Four – has used his camera to chronicle Bradley's often harrowing journey in a documentary titled We The Pharaohs and, based on the trailer above, it looks to be quite the film.
On the field, Bradley has gotten off to a solid start on the road to Brazil, with Egypt topping Mozambique and Guinea to get off to a perfect start in qualifying.
However, just as important as his results on the field has been his ability to endear himself to the Egyptian people, standing in solidarity as they go through one of the most difficult times in their history. Political upheaval and violence have rocked the country for more than a year, and the deaths of 79 people at a local soccer game in Port Said in February were strongly linked to the political violence enveloping the country at the time and had a dramatic impact on the national soccer scene.
Unfortunately, we won't be seeing the end product of the film chronicling this incredible journey any time soon – work on the film will be completed next fall, around the end of the World Cup qualifying, with the film set for release in spring 2014. Still, be sure make a note of this one – if the trailer and story so far are any indication, it promises to be outstanding.
