Ali Gerba, Toronto FC striker, journey man, prolific Canadian goal-scorer and excessive pie-eater has been sent home by Preki and the Toronto FC coaching staff as they focus on their two remaining games in the Carolina Challenge Cup. The reason, because Preki isn’t happy with his physical fitness (shocker). When I heard the news I was not the slightest bit surprised. He was clearly out of shape playing with Toronto FC last season and after scoring in his first game with the club in 2009 he contributed very little from there on in. Preki is known for being a bit of a hard-ass coach and it was to be expected that he would demand more from Ali Gerba.
Despite not being shocked at all by this news it made me a little upset. Not because I’m a massive an of Ali’s, but because Canada’s most proven goal scorer on the international stage is too fat to play for a club which can’t score goals in a very average league.
Ali Gerba is tied with Dwayne DeRosario (arguably Toronto FC’s best player) for Canada’s fourth highest scorer of all time with 15 goals and has played 23 less matches. Although players like Rob Friend and Simeon Jackson are much more productive at club level than Gerba. It was Gerba who scored the winning goals in both of Canada’s wins at the 2009 Gold Cup, it was Gerba who scored twice against Mexico in World Cup Qualifying, and it was Gerba who scored three more times at the 2007 Gold Cup. Love him or hate him is impossible to deny that Gerba is Canada’s most prolific striker on the international stage at the moment.
So what does Gerba being sent home from Toronto FC’s camp in shame really mean? Well first off it means he needs to lose a few if he wants to play at all under Preki, but is also outlines something very important for Canada. Yes the obvious thing is that Canada probably needs to be creating more goal-scorers, but so do most international sides in the world. What it does illustrate is that Canada gets the best out of Gerba.
He’s failed at almost everyone of the thirteen clubs he’s been at over the past ten years, but since 2007 he has consistently performed for Canada and in important games too. It was not exclusively under Stephen Hart either, he had limited success during World Cup Qualifying with Dale Mitchell as well. This is one of very few examples where the Canadian national team has brought the best out of a player. There are so many examples to the contrary, Rob Friend, Dwayne De Rosario, even Julian De Guzman to an extent.
Why is Ali Gerba such an odd case … I have no idea. As it looks like Ali Gerba’s career in top flight football may be coming to an end one can only look back and admire what a servant Ali has been to the Canadian National Team (albeit not much of a servent to anyone else).
Actually no, according to the CBC report his fitness isn’t the problem its just that he hasn’t played well in the pre-season. Gerba has lost weight this year and apparently is in very good shape. That’s not to say he isn’t something of a mystery but he’s not overweight. Anyway, I’d expect Gerba to be somewhat more useful when he’s used effectively on the pitch… which he hasn’t been by TFC this year. It’s highly unlikely he will ever be effective for any club or country when used as a lone striker.
Lately, it is the behavior of TFC management that seems far stranger than that of Gerba.
Well said, Ben.
Gerba reminds of the Canucks’ Kyle Wellwood (I’m sure Leaf fans will remember him well, if not too fondly). He might actually be a more productive player out of shape than in, and they are both as maddeningly inconsistent as they are naturally gifted in front of goal. Forgive the hockey reference (a first for me), which I think works well here.
Apologies, Sam – take the mistaken source as a compliment.
Nolando – no worries
Adam – He’s scored several times playing as a lone striker for Canada
“…but since 2007 he has consistently performed for Canada and in important games too.”
Except against Honduras in three important matches, though he did come within a fraction of an inch of giving us a huge 2-0 lead with his header off the post late in the first half of that crucial WCQ match in Montreal. After that point in the game and in the other two matches in Honduras and in the GC 09 QF he was a nonfactor, though his effectiveness is definitely predicated on the type of service he receives.
That said, though he’s played most of his games in what has been essentially a lone striker role for Canada, I thought his best performance was when teamed with Radzinski in Edmonton vs Mexico. Interesting that it featured a midfield support unit consisting of Chris Pozniak, Paul Stalteri, Patrice Bernier, and Kevin Harmse: no DeGuzman, Hutchinson, or DeRosario in sight that night!
“Gerba has lost weight this year and apparently is in very good shape”
– Maybe for him, but not for a footballer.