Following the Toto Cup Semifinal victory, Maccabi Tel Aviv will host Ashdod on Saturday at 16:00 on Matchday 12 of the Israel Premier League, Ligat Ha’Al. Just ahead of the contest the Yellow & Blue took part in the Maccabi Foundation and Chinuch L’Psagot, Educating for Excellence weekly football training session launch as striker Aaron Schoenfeld commented about the importance of the program:
More about the Maccabi Foundation program with Chinuch L’Psagot
“It’s a big honor to work together with Chinuch L’Psagot. It’s a chance to meet the children and to see their smiles, it’s a great feeling to know that we can be a help to them. Everyone needs role models in their lives and if we can give them a bit of that, then we’ve accomplished what we set out to do.”
About the match against Kiryat Shemona:
“It was a tough match, but I’m happy we won. I believe that we found some solutions as we had many injuries and a bit of bad luck. I hope we are getting back to our regular selves.”
Players returning from injuries:
“Over the last while we had players that played a tremendous amount but now with players returning from injuries, they can help lessen the strain. There’s a rotation and I’m sure that fresh legs will be a help to us.”
Looking ahead to the Ashdod match:
“I wouldn’t say that this is an easy match. When any team comes to play against us, it’s always tough as they want to give us a hard time. We’re ready and we learnt some lessons from the Raanana match.”
The 16:00 start time:
“It reminds me a lot of the United States when I went to matches at an early hour and I have some great memories from those sporting events. There’s a lot to do with the children outside of the stadium and it’s a great opportunity for families to come to the match with their children and enjoy a football Saturday”
On his role on the pitch:
“I believe that I can play in any role in the attacking third of the pitch and there have been plenty of matches where I played on the wing, so it’s something I’m used to.”
The winning formula:
“We need to put in a team effort and work hard. We’ll be able to succeed with hard work.”
About Vidar Kjartansson:
“Strikers go through this. He’s scored plenty of goals, he’s a clinical striker and he’s an amazing player. I wouldn’t be concerned.”
