Fire made great move bringing in Gibbs
If the Fire acquired Cory Gibbs to replace the retired C.J. Brown, the club couldn’t have made a better choice.
It’s not likely the Fire brass looks at Gibbs as Brown’s replacement, of course, just as a good player who can help the team win games. But he sure does remind one of Brown.
The new defender is a solid veteran, a hardworking guy who’s well-respected in the locker room and should quickly gain respect among the fans.
His leadership qualities have been apparent since Day One, and he seems a great second to new captain Logan Pause, though he’s careful not to step on any toes.
“Hands down probably the top professional I’ve dealt with most of my career,” Gibbs said of Pause. “He puts everybody first. He’s a guy who’s just a top professional, and he leads by example. I’ve tried to take some of the pressure off him but knowing he’s in control.”
The Brown University product is intelligent, a great quote, and he carries an even better soccer resume than Brown, with stints at St. Pauli in Germany, Feyenoord and ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands, plus 19 U.S. caps.
Of all the Fire newcomers — a group that includes half the roster — put Gibbs down as the most important acquisition.
Sorry, Diego Chaves. Keep putting the ball in the back of the net, but Gibbs is the man because of those leadership qualities. After all the difficulties the team had last season, the Fire needs someone who can help set the right tone.
“I feel very good with Cory because Cory is a good professional,” Fire coach Carlos de los Cobos said this week via teleconference from Portland. “He’s a leader in the group.”
That kind of tone.
“The relationship I have with Carlos is great. I respect him highly,” Gibbs said. “Day to day I’ve learned so much more about him. I respect him to the utmost. He’s one of the most professional coaches I’ve had.”
Gibbs is rooming on the road with promising rookie Jalil Anibaba, and the new starting right back is an eager student.
“I see qualities in him that are extraordinary,” Gibbs said. “They don’t come often. He’s a naturally talented and gifted player.
“He wants to know and he wants to learn. That’s a trait like that you can’t go wrong in life in terms of on the field and off the field.”
“I know that Cory is helping him always,” de los Cobos said of Gibbs’ work with Anibaba. “This is the role veteran players need to assume, and this is the role Cory is assuming with Jalil.”
He also has taken 19-year-old backup forward Orr Barouch under his wing.
“Orr is another talent the public really hasn’t seen. I see great things for him,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs, 31, said he wants to finish his career in Chicago. When that will be he doesn’t know. He doesn’t even know how many years he has remaining on his contract.
“Retirement has never crossed my mind, to be honest. I still feel fresh, still feel energetic,” he said.
And why not? The Fire was off to a promising start entering Thursday night’s game at Portland, the season is young, and players like Anibaba and Barouch are keeping Gibbs young, too.
“We’re more than just a team; we’re a family,” Gibbs said. “It’s an extraordinary experience to have that. You don’t have many teams where everybody gets on.”
oschwarz@dailyherald.com