As soon as Ali Gerba rolled onto the field for Canada against the United States in Detroit last night, I had absolutely no doubt what was about to happen.
The big, strong striker with the thunderbolt shot in one of the most infuriatingly inconsistent soccer players I have ever seen. He has made fifteen stops in his vagabond career, and has never played more than thirty-two games without being dealt or released.
Gerba – famously – bombed out with Toronto FC in 2009, scoring on his debut … and never, ever again. He got yet another gig with the Montreal Impact a year ago, and has exploded with eleven goals in just eighteen matches.
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His shot is shattering. His motivation – deeply mysterious.
But there’s times you can know what’s coming, and last night was one of them.
Gerba hadn’t been on The Big Stage for a while. He came on as a late substitute, when Canada really needed some goals. In a spot like that, essentially a one-shot with lots of people watching, the king of inconsistency has been known to be uncharacteristically consistent – consistently good.
Brilliant, even.
Gerba’s first touch was a running screamer towards the top left corner of the American net. Tim Howard – still a very solid professional goalkeeper, even if his starting-for-Manchester-United days are gone for good – leapt, got there, and turned it past the bar. But it was a blast of a shot, and it took a fine effort to stop it.
Then came touch two. Big scramble in front of the American goal, with Gerba camped left on the edge of the six-yard box. The ball comes at him – fast. With dazzling speed and skill, he swings a heavy leg on pure reflex, and absolutely murders the ball goalward. Howard gets there. Most goalies wouldn’t have had a chance to move.
Ali Gerba, who has broken the hearts of managers, fans and teammates all over North America and Europe, did almost absolutely everything anyone could ever do to score two brilliant, crucial goals.
And where on Earth does that leave us?
Gerba likes The Big Debut, and this was the opening game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. History achingly repeats that he’s unlikely to be this good and sharp for the rest of the tournament. Always, it seems, he kicks off by telling all his midfielders and strike-mates it is time to get him the ball. Now.
So they do, and then he doesn’t. Doesn’t score – after a while, doesn’t even shoot.
It’s a baffling business. This man has an astonishingly hard and heavy shot. I’ve stood behind practice nets and watched him work. On target, the whole damn net shudders. When he misses, seats behind the goal get seriously clobbered.
So maybe his speed goes. So maybe he gets hurt. So maybe no one knows what’s going on in this uniquely gifted and frustrating man’s head.
Montreal Impact fans aren’t complaining. This time around, Gerba is a good, good gig for them. Toronto FC fans – still quite stunned, shunned and unforgiving on the subject – had their hearts in their mouths last night on each of Gerba’s brilliant shots.
This one man has contrasts so deep, they’re very difficult to encompass in words. The question “will the real Ali Gerba stand up?” can’t be answered, and doesn’t actually mean anything.
For all the setbacks and strange events, Ali Gerba damn near got Canada a draw last night. If Canadian ‘keeper Lars Hirschfeld hadn’t utterly whiffed on the Americans’ first goal, Gerba could have damn well won the thing.
Don’t let the fact that his shots got stopped blind you to how deliciously top-shelf-good both bombs really were.
If he could do that all the time, damn would he be something. How raw talent like this can’t stick anywhere for thirty-three games is one of the great Canadian soccer mysteries of our age.
There is no one like Ali Gerba – and he proved it yet again last night.
Onward!