Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-19's, who placed second last season in the Israeli Youth Premier League, are preparing for a new season. Introducing the 2013/14 squad
In a little less than a fortnight Maccabi Tel Aviv's Youth Team will complete their preparations and officially kick off their 2013/14 season in Israel's Youth Premier League with a home tie against Hapoel Ra'anana. This season's preparations included a training camp in Holland and friendly matches here in Israel, the last of which was played yesterday (Tuesday) and resulted in an impressive 7-1 victory over Bnei Yehuda, with striker Amit Farhi scoring four goals! (striker Dor Jan and midfielders Yossi Salelich and Omri Perl provided the other three). In addition to some holdovers from the Maccabi Under-19 squad from last season, the team now in training and preparing to face up to the challenges of the new season is largely composed of new faces, youngsters who spent last season with the club's Under-17 teams. Leading the new squad will be head coach Ziv Arie, who carries on for his predecessor Amir Turgeman, who has become Maccabi Tel Aviv's chief scout after stewarding the Youth Team for the past four years.
For Arie, this will be his fifth year in the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division after three seasons with the Under-16's and, last year, with the Under-17's. Under his stewardship, Maccabi's under 17's won their national League South championship by a whopping margin of 19 points. No less than 16 members of that squad have now followed their last season's head coach into the Under-19 Youth Team for the 2013/14 season. One of those youngsters is defender Guy Aviv, who began the 2012/13 campaign with the Under-17's but finished with the Youth Team squad and even managed to score four goals in the Youth Premier League.
In addition to Aviv, who had already scored 14 goals for the Under-17's, the rest of last season's other outstanding goal scorers – striker Yonatan Cohen (28), striker Sohil Armeli and midfielder Matan Hozaz (23 apiece) – will continue to lead Maccabi's Under-19 attack in the 2013/14 season. At their side will be a small block of eight players from last season's Youth Team, including captain Dor Jan, goalkeeper Sahar Hason and midfielders Daniel Gretz and Dor Peretz. The complete 27-man strong squad list also boasts the 17 year-old Congolese striker Mavis Chibote, who arrived at Maccabi last season and trained with the Under-17's, as well as defender Saar Kalderon and midfielder Omri Perl, both of whom returned from loan spells at other clubs.
From last season's Under-19 squad: Sahar Hason (g), Oliver Spring (d), Shaun Goldberg (d), Shachar Fiben (d), Daniel Gretz (m), Dor Peretz (m), Dor Jan (s), Amit Farhi (s)
From last season's Under-17 squad: Omri Glazer (g), Lee Machlev (g), Effi Tal (d), Omer Priov (d), Idan Yugav (d), Sheked Azulai (m), Dan Glazer (m), Eliel Peretz (m), Maxim Gretchkin (m), Yossi Salelich (m), Israel Damaka (m), Matan Hazoz (m), Yonatan Cohen (s), Sohil Armeli (s), Guy Aviv (d)
Click here to see the entire season 2013/14 Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Team squad
Click here to see the season 2013/14 Youth Team fixture schedule
