CBC-Sports

A real No. 10 for Toronto FC?

June 26, 2009 02:24 PM | Posted by   Nigel Reed  

Jersey numbers are pretty much meaningless in modern day soccer. The current professional is merely a digit or two on the roster in terms of the number on his back.

‘Twas not always thus. Before the days of garish shirt sponsorship, surnames emblazoned across the shoulders, and endless design tweaks forcing the loyal fan to be a slave to fashion, shirt numbers actually meant something.

Most-coveted jersey

Simply put, your jersey number directly related to your position on the field. For example, the goalkeeper wore #1, the right-back #2, centre-half #5, centre-forward #9 and so on. Some of the tradition has endured – but not much.

There is, however, one jersey number which is, perhaps, coveted above all others: the number 10.

A number 10 should be a flair player capable of creating chances for teammates and scoring a good few goals himself. He should be the link between midfield and attack, have the skill to unlock the opponent’s defence and the confidence to finish the move with equal dexterity.

Many of soccer’s finest playmakers are associated with the iconic #10. Pele and Maradona are probably the best known models for a shirt which has become a byword for creativity and authority on the field of play. It’s no coincidence Barcelona’s Argentine wizard Lionel Messi dons the No. 10 jersey for the European Club Champions – a number he inherited from the great Ronaldinho when the Brazilian moved to Milan. And it should come as a surprise to no one that his compatriot, Kaka was allocated the same number 10 at the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.

A new No. 10 in town

Now there’s a new number 10 at Toronto FC. Ali Gerba, a Cameroon-born Canadian international, will become the third Toronto player to wear the jersey and perhaps he will live up to its demanding reputation.

Two men have tried it on for size and come up short. Alecko Eskandarian made a brief attempt in the expansion year, but his single goal was rewarded by an almost immediate trade to the Salt Lake. More recently, Rohan Ricketts gave it a go but ultimately found it, and Toronto FC, to be an ill fit - the fans were treated to frustratingly rare glimpses of how his version of a number 10 could influence a game.

The number on Gerba’s back may not be so much a reflection of some mystical talent, more a rough calculation of the number of moves he’s made during a colourful career. Suffice to say, the 27-year-old striker hasn’t made a habit of staying anywhere for any length of time.

But wherever he’s been given a chance, Gerba has found the net. Most recently he was banging them in for Milton Keynes Dons in the third tier of English football – 10 goals in 24 appearances last season is a decent strike rate, all the more notable when you consider a third of those appearances came off the bench.

Gerba also boasts a scoring ratio of 1 in 2 for the Canadian national team and, on the face of it, appears to have the clinical ability to finish chances – a skill which has largely eluded most of his new teammates (except when playing in Montreal!)

Knack for the net

He can’t pull on his red number 10 jersey until mid-July at the earliest but that’s no bad thing. He’s just completed a long English season and Stephen Hart, coach the of the Canadian national team, tells me Gerba needs to get himself match fit for the Gold Cup which kicks off next week.

Gerba’s acquisition, coupled with the imminent return to fitness of rookie prospect O’Brian White, will hand Toronto FC coach Chris Cummins an embarrassment of riches up front. Chad Barrett and co. are aware the competition for places is about to increase significantly so perhaps it will help focus the mind on hitting the target.

As Toronto FC reaches the halfway point of the regular season, the graph of success must continue to rise, not fall away as it did from this point on during 2008. If Ali Gerba can score somewhere close to his new shirt number, players and fans alike can expect the campaign to last beyond Oct. 24.

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