The last time Gerba wore the red colours of the maple leaf was January, 2010, during a friendly against Jamaica. Despite his pride of being selected to the team, he wasn’t overly surprised. “It’s been a while that I have been in communication with the coach concerning the Gold Cup, but also for the upcoming qualifying games for the World Cup. The national team is the highest level you can get. It’s an opportunity to show that you are capable of playing against the best players in the world. It’s always a thing of pride to be called by your country.”
Canada is set to face off against the USA, while Panama meets Guadalupe in the first round of the group stage. The US is the groups' favourite while prognosticators see the Antilles nation finishing fourth. Looking at the FIFA rankings, that should make up for an interesting fight between Panama (67th) and Canada (76th). “These are teams that we face pretty often, especially the US. These are adversaries that we could face along the way to the World Cup. This will be a good way of measuring our level and to see what we need to work on as well.”
WORLD CUP, FINALS AND RECORD
Whether from the mouth of Gerba or others, the World Cup tournament is often mentioned. The qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will start in a few months, so questions about getting results in the Gold Cup tournament is the most important, or preparations for those qualifying games is the ultimate goal. “Everything leads to the same end, and everyone dreams of playing in the World Cup. All our work has to drive us in that direction, and to attain that goal, we need good results in this tournament.”
For Gerba, doubt cannot be permitted to creep into his mind: the team needs to show their desire throughout the Gold Cup. “I like the competition, so why wouldn’t I want to make the finals? It’s my objective for the team. For me, I don’t really have one. If I score, all the better, especially since I am closing in on a record. It is an extra motivation, but above all, I must help the team. Reaching personal goals in the service of the team is always nice.”
The record is 19 goals, held by Dale Mitchell, as the highest scoring player in Canadian national team history. With 15 goals in 29 caps, the Impact forward is just four goals away from tying the mark. At 30 years old, Gerba can legitimately reach that mark and pass it. He also has to deal with inner competition as Dwayne De Rosario also sits at 15 goals. “Obviously, it would make me very happy, but it’s not my primary objective, it’s just a statistic,” said Gerba. “I have time so I won’t be stressing over it. I’ve never spoken about it with Dwayne, we don’t compare statistics even though he has two times more caps than I do. We are good friends and it’s just a small, friendly competition between the two of us. If either one of us breaks the record, we’d be very happy for the other.”
A VERY TECHNICAL TEAM
While in the US with the national team, Gerba will be out of the Impact’s line-up. In his goal of helping the team, he plans to use this experience to return as a better player. “You want to do everything you can for your team, but you sometimes need to look long-term. When I come back, I’ll bring with me something positive, which will help the club and me.”
In the meantime, all his focus is on the Canadian team, a team he feels is being underestimated. “We have a very talented group. Just because we are Canadians, many of our players don’t get the respect they deserve for their skill. We have a lot of elements on this team with good vision, impressive playing skills that should leave us confident against these other teams. We have a very technical team with players who have not trouble holding on to the ball. For once that we have these traits on this team, where our previous playing style involved the long ball, we have to appreciate its true value.”
In conclusion, Ali, how about a final word for your international partners? “We hope that everyone will watch the national team and encourage us, because it will be worth it!” First game for Canada is set for June 7 against USA.
Matthias Van Halst, Impact Media
CFMTL Media
