lowlander Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Not sure if it has already been posted elsewhere. http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=1080875.html#gerba+from+yaounde+montreal "Gerba, from Yaounde to Montreal" Canada have surprised more than a few pundits with their performances so far at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Topping a group that also included high-flying Costa Rica, Caribbean champions Jamaica and El Salvador, the Canucks have a new spring in their step. Leading the way for the northerners is their Africa-born ace Ali Gerba, the country's all-time top scorer. "It was no surprise to us that we won our group, but it did surprise a lot of other people," said Gerba, who plays for Toronto FC, American Major League Soccer's only Canadian outfit. "People don't really expect a lot from Canada, but we have some very good players and we can go a long way. We knew that." The muscular forward, who has scored 17 goals in 29 caps, seems to have hit the mark. Canada, shock winners of the 2000 Gold Cup, have been down in the doldrums of late. Coach Stephen Hart took over from Dale Mitchell, who Gerba unseated as the nation's leading marksman, just three months ago. Mitchell had been unable to see the side through to the final round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. It's my job to score goals. I'm not concerned with breaking records and all that other stuff, I just want to take pressure off my mates. Canada's Ali Gerba With the new coach has come a new feel, a new sense of confidence, and it all seems to be flowing to the feet of Gerba, who recovered from a niggling knee injury to take part in the regional showpiece. "I'm happy with the way I'm playing," said the 27-year-old, who scored two match-winning goals in the first round, against Costa Rica and El Salvador. "It's my job to score goals. I'm not concerned with breaking records and all that other stuff, I just want to take pressure off my mates by putting the ball in the net." Gerba was born in Yaounde, Cameroon, and moved with his family to Montreal when he was 11. He discovered football as a youngster in the streets of west Africa and was surprised to find kids playing the same game thousands of miles away up in the Great White North. However, there was a transition to consider. "That first winter was like something I couldn't believe and I can't describe," Gerba told FIFA.com with a chuckle. "I didn't know it could be that cold. But it warms up nicely in the summers." His travels did not end then - not by a long shot - as Gerba has lined up for 11 clubs in six countries since 2000, including Norway, Germany and England. He is now back for his second straight Gold Cup, and the pain of the 2-1 semi-final loss to USA in 2007 is still fresh. "That game left a really bad taste in our mouths," he said. "If we keep playing well we could meet them again for a chance to set the record straight." Gerba was also keen to rubbish some stereotypes about Canadian football. "People have misperceptions about us, like we're a bunch of ice hockey players," he announced. "But we have people from all over the world, and so we have players that are all different and can do different things. I bring a little bit of Africa to the Canada team, and the other guys bring their own flair." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobe_z Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Gerba is our all time leading goal scorer and unseated Dale Mitchell 3 MONTHS ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuscan Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Yeah that's what I was wondering as well. Are there some goals he's scored that people just haven't bothered to count? Not sure where they gathered their facts from, but obviously Canada is very foreign to FIFA, as that report made it sound like we're some exotic nation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canso Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 and we are an exotic nation! little bit of Africa, little bit of the Caribbean, little bit of Holland, some Serbian flair...even a wee dram of the Highlands! we're an exotic polyglot. we're mutlicolored. we're sexy football! OOOH AAAh CA NA DA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegasAlexandros1555362277 Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Is "misperceptions" a word? Or did he just misremember it?... [)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 ^ It is a legitimate word, check it out, he didn't misremember it (shades of GWB) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ed Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 quote:Originally posted by strobe_z Gerba is our all time leading goal scorer and unseated Dale Mitchell 3 MONTHS ago? Grammar refresher. The "3 months ago" refers to the main sentence as in "Coach Stephen Hart took over from Dale Mitchell just three months ago." But doesn't change the fact that Ali Gerba has not unseated DM as our all time leading goal scorer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 "I'm happy with the way I'm playing," said the 27-year-old, who scored two match-winning goals in the first round, against Costa Rica and El Salvador. Fact: When a sportswriter turns out anything Canadian football related there must be at least one obvious and easily avoidable error in their piece (writers who post here not included). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strobe_z Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Ed Grammar refresher. The "3 months ago" refers to the main sentence as in "Coach Stephen Hart took over from Dale Mitchell just three months ago." But doesn't change the fact that Ali Gerba has not unseated DM as our all time leading goal scorer. Absolutely correct. I must've been so shocked by the statement that Gerba had unseated DM that I missed the comma. Still a rather poorly constructed scentance though... not to mention a lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFCRegina Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Richard ^ It is a legitimate word, check it out, he didn't misremember it (shades of GWB) FIFA's ratings continually misunderestimate Canada's quality...we should be misunderestimated at a higher rank than 92... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFCRegina Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Yes, and if you use the FIFA Ranking table, we're way back, leading me to conclude, we're being misunderestimated somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 ^Friendly word of advice, remove"misunderestimate" from your vocabulary (it's not a word). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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