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Back in March, Ehab Abu Jazar’s squad was revealed through the medium of an emotional video of Gaza’s children revealing the players’ names.
There was one conspicuous absence, though.
Kafr Qasim’s Ahmed Taha had been drafted by the new coaching staff in the hopes that he could fill the gap at left back.
News of his presence in camp was a heavily guarded secret known to very few. When Taha was announced as a starter in the hours ahead of the Jordan game even embedded journalists asked- Who is this guy?!?
Maintaining secrecy and working in silence has been a hallmark of the Abu Jazar era thusfar. So much so, that the 44 year old publicly told fans not to reach out to Palestine-eligible players on social media as their efforts were doing more harm than good.
Football Palestine was privy to both the Ahmed Taha and Ahmad Al-Qaq (We honored our sources’ wishes to keep the information off the record). Now that news of Al-Qaq’s imminent arrival in camp has been leaked on social media we can delve a little deeper into the player’s attributes and what he could bring to the team.
Al-Qaq’s path to the professional level is eerily familiar to that of Nazmi Albadawi. Both players were born in the United States, both attended and played football at university, and both signed their first professional contracts with North Carolina FC.
Al-Qaq did not see the field in his first two years at the University of North Carolina but when he did play- he proved to be a difference maker for the Tarheels. The winger tallied six goals and five assists in 47 appearances earning a reputation for stepping up in important games.
In spite of playing at a school renowned for developing talent (two members of the US’s 2002 World Cup team- Eddie Pope and Gregg Berhalter are UNC alums) Al-Qaq did not attract interest from Major League Soccer. With money flowing into the league, the collegiate draft has become a less important source of talent for clubs in the American top tier.
Al-Qaq instead went on trial with his hometown team impressed and earned himself his first professional contract a few days short of his 23rd birthday.
“Ahmad has had a bright preseason trial with our group. He’s shown his versatility in a few different roles and I’m excited for him to have earned his first professional contract,” said North Carolina FC Head Coach and Sporting Director John Bradford.
What he brings to the National Team
Al-Qaq’s call up should be seen in the wider context. He is simply not as established as Islam Batran or Mahmoud Eid both of whom have registered the best seasons of their respective careers.
The one thing Al-Qaq has over both those players is time. Eid and Batran will turn 32 and 31 this year. Neither is a starter for the national team and the incumbent they are fighting to replace turns 33 in November.
You could advocate for both to have roles as super-subs but neither provides a different skill set from Tamer Seyam.
Al-Qaq was drafted in because his skill set is very similar to that of Tamer Seyam. He is tall, hardworking, and his best attribute is his crossing.
Future proofing Palestine while still fighting to qualify for the World Cup was always going to involve difficult decisions and dropping Eid and Batran in spite of their form falls in that category.
Ahmad Al-Qaq’s relatively young age makes him the future but his form in his first season means he might just have something to give right away. Al-Qaq’s first season is progressing well- he has appeared in 10 out of the team’s 14 matches across all competitions. Four of the ten appearances were from the start and he has generated six key passes and produced one assist so far this season.
