Ali Gerba facts for kids
Gerba with Toronto FC in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ali Ngon Gerba | ||
| Date of birth | September 4, 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Yaoundé, Cameroon | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1997 | Bourassa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000 | Montreal Impact | 17 | (7) |
| 2001 | Miami Fusion | 0 | (0) |
| 2002 | Toronto Lynx | 4 | (0) |
| 2002 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 7 | (1) |
| 2003–2004 | Montreal Impact | 7 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Toronto Lynx | 53 | (24) |
| 2005 | Montreal Impact | 8 | (4) |
| 2005 | GIF Sundsvall | 11 | (5) |
| 2006–2007 | IFK Gothenburg | 6 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Odd Grenland (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2007 | → AC Horsens (loan) | 15 | (4) |
| 2008 | FC Ingolstadt 04 | 15 | (4) |
| 2008–2009 | Milton Keynes Dons | 24 | (10) |
| 2009–2010 | Toronto FC | 11 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Montreal Impact | 25 | (11) |
| Total | 213 | (72) | |
| National team | |||
| 1999–2001 | Canada U20 | 6 | (0) |
| 2005–2011 | Canada | 31 | (15) |
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Ali Ngon Gerba (born September 4, 1981) is a former professional soccer player. He played as a forward, which means he was usually at the front of the team, trying to score goals. Ali Gerba was born in Cameroon but later played for the Canadian national team.
Contents
Ali Gerba's Club Journey
Starting in Canada and the United States
Ali Gerba began his professional soccer career in 2000. He joined the Montreal Impact, a team in the A-League. In his first year, he scored six goals, which was a record for a new player at the club!
In 2001, Ali tried to move to a bigger league, Major League Soccer, by signing with the Miami Fusion. However, he didn't play any games for them. He returned to the A-League in 2002, first playing for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and then moving to the Toronto Lynx later that season.
By 2003, Ali was the top scorer for the Lynx with six goals before he was traded back to the Montreal Impact. He returned to the Toronto Lynx in 2004 and had an amazing season, scoring 15 goals. This set a new record for the club. In 2005, he played a few games for the Lynx before going back to the Impact. Ali left the Lynx as their second-highest scorer ever, with 24 goals in total. With the Impact, he helped the team stay undefeated for 15 games, which was a league record. Because of his great play, he was chosen to play for Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Playing Soccer in Europe
After the Gold Cup, Ali Gerba moved to Europe in 2005. He joined a Swedish team called GIF Sundsvall in the Allsvenskan league. He quickly made an impact, scoring 6 goals in 11 games.
When his team was moved to a lower league, Ali joined another Swedish club, IFK Gothenburg. He then went on loan to other teams: Odd Grenland in Norway in 2006 and AC Horsens in Denmark in 2007. In January 2008, he moved to a German club called FC Ingolstadt 04.
Later in 2008, Ali Gerba signed with Milton Keynes Dons in England. He played his first game for them in August 2008 and scored his first goal in his second game. He played 24 games for the Dons and scored 10 goals before leaving the club.
Coming Back to Canada
In 2009, Ali Gerba returned to Canada and signed with Toronto FC, a team in Major League Soccer. He made his first official appearance for Toronto FC in July 2009 and scored a goal in his very first MLS game.
In July 2010, Ali joined the Montreal Impact for the fourth time in his career. During this time, he set a club record for the fastest goal ever, scoring just 18 seconds into a game! He also scored the club's first-ever "hat-trick" (three goals in one game) in a regular season match.
Ali Gerba finished his time with the Montreal Impact in October 2011.
Ali Gerba's International Career
Ali Gerba played for the Canadian national team. He made his first appearance for Canada in July 2005 in a friendly game against Honduras.
He became known for scoring many goals for Canada. By December 2009, he had scored 15 goals in 28 international games, which was a very good scoring rate for his country.
Ali Gerba represented Canada in three different CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments. He is the player who has scored the most goals for Canada in the Gold Cup, with a total of six goals. He also played in games to help Canada try to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Honours
Individual Awards
- USSF D-2 Pro League Best XI: 2010 (This means he was chosen as one of the best players in the league for that year.)
See also
In Spanish: Ali Gerba para niños
