"Ali is a strong striker, he knows the league well and he will complement our attack with Eduardo (Sebrango) and Kevin (Wilson)," said Montreal Impact head coach Nick DeSantis. "At the same time, it gives us more depth up front."
Gerba finished fourth in league scoring last season with 15 goals and 34 points. Before being traded, the 23-year-old was leading the Lynx this year in most categories, including goals (2), points (4), shots (22), fouls (17) and minutes played (630).
Gerba started his professional career with the Impact in 2000, scoring six goals and adding two assists for a total of 14 points, an Impact record for a rookie.
He also played for the Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer in 2001. He returned to the United Soccer Leagues with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2002, but finished the season with the Lynx. Gerba had a short stint with the Impact at the end of the 2003 season under head coach Bob Lilley.
Impact defender Abraham François was sidelined last year as a result of a serious knee injury he suffered in an exhibition match against McGill University on April 22nd. François has since recovered from his injury but has not seen any action this year.
Sita-Taty Matondo returned to the Impact after playing a season in the Swedish first division with club Landskrona. He played in one game so far this season.
"It's always difficult to lose quality players, but that’s the price to pay to get your hands on another quality player in return," added De Santis. "But one of our missions as a club is also to develop local players and this way, Abraham and Sita-Taty will have more playing time on a regular basis with Toronto."
The Montreal Impact will play the final game of a six-game road swing against the Raging Rhinos in Rochester, Saturday. The Impact’s 12th official home opener will take place May 29th at 4 pm against the Rhinos at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex.
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Source: Patrick Vallée
Info: 514-328-3668 (poste 27)
