The face of the United States in the Middle East right now isn't President Barack Obama, any elected official or a military leader. It is Bob Bradley.

The 53-year old Bradley, who coached the United States national team to the second round of the 2010 World Cup after they captured their opening round group, took over as national team head coach of Egypt this past September.

The recent upheaval following a club match in Egypt that left 74 people dead and more than a thousand others injured could have easily convinced Bob Bradley to pack up his things and return to the comfort of the United States.

Instead, the former U.S. national team coach and current Egypt national team coach reportedly remains committed to his job while doing his part in the rebuilding of a nation.

I hate to start these things on a down note, but today I feel I have too. As most know, Wednesday in Port Said Egypt a riot broke out at a Egyptian Premier League match. At the least 74 people lost their lives midweek and hundreds were injured after a match between Al-Masry and Al-Ahly.

Former USMNT boss and current Egyptian National Team coach Bob Bradley watched the events unfold on TV as he was getting ready to attend another match that day.

It's been less than five months since former U.S. coach Bob Bradley took over Egypt's national team in the wake of the country's upheaval and revolution. A revolution that now appears directly related to the stadium massacre at Port Said on Wednesday, believed to be premeditated revenge from pro-Mubarak thugs.

We thought it'd be appropriate to spend a few minutes of today to send our thoughts and prayers out to the families of Egypt's football tragedy last night. Contrary to popular beliefs, we all know that football shouldn't be a matter of life and death. Lives can't be taken away out of one's anger at the scoreline of a match.

Fan violence in football can pave the way for devastating consequences sometimes and this was exactly what happened in Egypt last night. At least 73 people were killed after Al-Masry defeated Al-Ahly 3-1 at the Cairo stadium with more than 1,000 injured in the stampede.

Why Platini and UEFA need to adopt a zero-tolerance approach over fan violence

Manchester City fans travelling to Naples to watch their team in the Champions League next week have been warned not to wear club colours. A letter from the club to supporters making the trip, signed by the operations manager Steve Sayer, says fans should "take care and use common sense" and "travel in groups where possible".

Still battling that PR campaign which involves ridding the public of the idea that Turkish football is an abode of corruption and fan violence and a place where Felipe Melo celebrates things, they've gone one better from the "women and children only as punishment" for crowd misbehavior. So impressed were they by the atmosphere created by a soprano-heavy crowd, they've decided to allow them in for free.

Well well, I miss a couple of weeks of the Allsvenskan for various reasons and look what happens: we end up with a champion. Helsingborg won the Allsvenskan 2011 and did so in style. I can´t think of a worthier champion. They played well all year and despite selling their best offensive weapons (Gerndt to Utrecht and Jönsson to Wolfsburg), losing Peter Larsson on the end of their loan deal with Copenhagen, they still managed to win the league.

Well well, I miss a couple of weeks of the Allsvenskan for various reasons and look what happens: we end up with a champion. Helsingborg won the Allsvenskan 2011 and did so in style. I can´t think of a worthier champion. They played well all year and despite selling their best offensive weapons (Gerndt to Utrecht and Jönsson to Wolfsburg), losing Peter Larsson on the end of their loan deal with Copenhagen, they still managed to win the league.

You have NO IDEA how much I'd rather talk about Earthquakes-Galaxy, but oh well.
Occasionally on the way to games, I like to play MP3 I Ching. You put the player on shuffle, and try to guess from the mood of the songs how the day is going to go.
Did it work? Well, I'll sprinkle in a few lyrics here and there, and let you judge for yourself.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

DaMarcus Beasley is headed back across the Atlantic but south of the United States' border.

The United States' international has joined Mexican club Puebla, the club announced on its Twitter feed Wednesday. The move ends Beasley's brief stint with Hannover 96 in which he saw little playing time.

I'm still smarting a bit after yesterday's loss. For once, the Revolution played a pretty good game away from home, holding the possession advantage and limiting the home side's offensive forays, but couldn't keep enough mistakes out of the game to hang on for a results.

Today's Rounds feature recaps from last night, a look in at what troubles soccer in Egypt, and some news from around the league.

By FRANCO PANIZO

The Gold Cup may be looming, but just which forwards U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley will bring to the tournament remains unclear. Bradley's upcoming decision was made a bit tougher this weekend as Edson Buddle scored a spectacular equalizer in FC Ingolstadt 04's 1-1 draw with TSV 1860 Munich.

That may very well be too loaded a question to ask, or perhaps it is being asked in ignorance given recent fan violence between Lions and QPR supporters, but in the interests of venturing forth from conventional stereotypes, it is a matter worth exploring at least superficially. This query originates from watching the recent match between Millwall and Preston North End at the New Den and observing those featured in the stands.