Postcard from Europe: Cervi biding his time at Celtic
Dom Cervi was part of the US U-23 set-up before the 2008 Olympics and has been at Celtic for two years.
UTRECHT, Netherlands – Being from Norman, Okla., may actually help Celtic 'keeper Dominic Cervi as he attempts to begin his career climb will with the Scottish giants. He already understands plenty about fan expectations.
Growing up in a football-mad city in a football-mad state in the shadow of Memorial Stadium offers that early lesson. The University of Oklahoma Sooners have won seven NCAA titles, 25 bowl games and 42 conference championships.
Now in Glasgow, Cervi aims to take the field from the tunnel where "the other football" has both sides of the city's Old Firm Derby well beyond simply mad. The 24-year-old knows a thing or two about fans with a hunger for victory that can never be sated.
That knowledge is much of what made our chat a bit difficult. MLSsoccer.com caught up with Cervi in the aftermath of Celtic's shocking 4-0 Europa League playoff-round loss at FC Utrecht last Thursday night that bounced the club from continental cup play far earlier than usual.
Even as a Hoops back-up, everyone in the green half of Glasgow knows your name. The pressure runs through the entire squad, the entire organization. The American netminder clearly understands this from Norman and it seems to have helped him fit in quickly.
"When you're at a club like Celtic, you're always expected to win," Cervi told MLSsoccer.com. "When you walk around, people recognize who you are. With the two big clubs here in Glasgow, you're expected to win."
Most clubs with designs on winning a European league outside the big four of England, Germany, Italy and Spain might actually philosophize that a European exit would allow them to focus better on winning the all-important domestic championship.
Showing true Parkhead colors, Cervi can see no bright side to their Utrecht debacle.
"The league is an expectation every year," he explained. "Celtic are expected to win that. But I don't know if there is a silver lining. Celtic is synonymous with European football and we're not in it this year. It hurts."
It obviously was also harsh on Cervi, being made to watch from the sub's bench as FC Utrecht erased Celtic's 2-0 first-leg advantage in just 18 minutes.
Even worse for a keeper to bear, the hosts made their aggregate rally via a pair of penalty kicks. What's more, starter Lukasz Zaluska had good swats at both and his own foul caused the second.
"It's tough," Cervi said, obviously not terribly interested in dissecting the fresh memory. "It just kind of evaporated our lead really quick."
The ouster aside, Cervi is greatly enjoying his time with Celtic. Though he has been limited thus far to some friendly action, he promises that he is definitely a better 'keeper than when he arrived in Scotland for the October 2008 trial that earned him a three-year Hoops deal.
"It's been a good experience so far," he stated. "It's a big club. Being involved with the first team a bit, them taking me to these European matches, giving me experience I wouldn't get otherwise – it will be good when I start getting games, progressing my career a little bit."
Before signing with Celtic, Cervi was the Chicago Fire's first-round MLS SuperDraft pick in 2008 and also went through an unsuccessful trial with then-Premier League outfit Portsmouth.
With young and promising loan keeper Fraser Forster arriving from Newcastle the day of Celtic's Utrecht loss, the American is unsure what his season will hold.
He will fight for a place in the game-day squad, of course, but also knows his career progression may include a loan stint somewhere. With his eyes always on the No. 1 job, this possibility suits him just fine.
"We'll see what happens," shrugged Cervi. "There's no [league] reserve games, that was scrapped before last year. If I need to go out on loan to get first-team games, I'll do that. Anyone who knows anything about my situation knows I need games right now. It's an option."
Gaining experience and a little pedigree to contend for Celtic's starting job is not the only benefit he foresees in a potential loan spell away from Parkhead.
Cervi's had one invite to US national team training, spending several weeks working under the watchful eyes of boss Bob Bradley in the spring before he joined Celtic. He, quite naturally, cannot wait for his next international chance.
"Any player wants to get in with the national team," Cervi said. "That's another reason I want to start getting games; to get back on coach Bradley's radar and get back into camp."
Read Greg Seltzer's "Postcard from Europe" on its new day, every Wednesday at MLSsoccer.com.
