Tonight's clash against State Cup winners Ashdod FC in the U19 "Super Cup" will be just the opening gambit in an intriguing 2012/13 season campaign for league champions Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar"
This coming Saturday, the National Under-19 Premier League season will get underway and champions of the past two years, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar", are engaged in final preparations. Training began in the middle of last month and the team have played a number of friendlies against other clubs in the league. But the highlight of the pre-season was their training camp in Holland in the middle of this month during which head coach Alon Turjeman's charges participated in an international tournament with counterparts from such renowned clubs as Dutch sides AFC Ajax and AZ Alkmaar and the Brazilian Clube Atletico Paranaense.
After defeating last year's tournament winner Sparta Rotterdam (Holland) and two 1-1 draws against respectively Hungarian side Budapest Honved FC and AZ Alkmaar, who finished fourth in the Dutch Eredivisie last season, "Shachar" entered the semi-finals against second tier German Bundesliga side Eintracht Braunschweig. After 90 minutes of goalless football the teams steeled up for a penalty shoot-out, which ended in a most unconventional fashion indeed. "Shachar" keeper Gal Tovali twice succeeded in saving Braunschweig's final spot-kick only to see the referee call for the penalties to be retaken. Only on the third attempt, also saved by Tovali, was the matter closed and Maccabi awarded the victory. Unfortunately, "Shachar" were not so fortunate in the final, a second meeting with AZ Alkmaar who ultimately won the tournament. But Maccabi's Under-19s can look back on a highly successful pre-season with good results against clubs of high quality.
Much like their senior team counterparts, who were drawn for the "match of the season" against Maccabi Haifa in matchweek 1 of the new season, Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-19s will also open their 2012/13 campaign in spectacular fashion. Beitar Tubruk, who last year finished third and must be considered serious contenders for this year's Under-19 title, will be league champion "Shachar"'s first guest when the season opens this Saturday. Much like last year, the first round of fifteen league encounters will conclude with the Under-19s own version of the "match of the season" against archrivals Maccabi Haifa. The much anticipated Tel Aviv derby against municipal foes Hapoel Tel Aviv will be played on Maccabi turf in matchweek 5.
The campaign to bring the title of the national Under-19 Premier League, established in 1994, for an historic third consecutive time back to Maccabi's Kiryat Shalom trophy cabinet is expected to be a great challenge indeed. "Shachar"'s squad have undergone a considerable number of changes, with five of last year's stars having made the big step to the senior team, a matter of great pride for the club. Top goalscorer Gael Margulies, Ben Ben Yair, first-choice goalkeeper Sapir Tselviansky and last season's two captains, Yagil Beton and Roslan Bersky, have all been welcomed into first team head coach Oscar Garcia's ranks for the coming season. In addition there are a number of players who are now beyond the Under-19 age limit or have found their way to other clubs.
Such significant squad alterations are nothing unusual for the Under-19s and Maccabi have a great deal of experience dealing with them. At the beginning of last season quite a number of outstanding players left the team to move on to other pastures, but despite expectations to the contrary Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" secured the 2011/12 Under-19 Premier League championship in most impressive fashion. Coming after the league and cup double of the 2010/11 season, the bar has now been raised significantly and jumping that hurdle will be all that more difficult. But let's not sell head coach Alon Turjeman and his capable crew short before the season has even started. No-one should be surprised if this year, too, the season will finish with Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" at the top of the Under-19 Premier League table.
