Beitar Jerusalem will host Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” at Bayit Vagan on Saturday at 11:00 in the under-19 youth league. It will be a test of character for Maccabi’s players who take the field after their 6-1 win over Bnei Sakhnin last week. In their previous meeting this season, Maccabi won 1-0 in Ness Ziona thanks to an 86th minute goal by Itai Ben Hemo.

In the junior fixtures, Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded”, U17, host Hapoel Beersheba at Kiryat Shalom at 11:00 in a return to action following an international break. Maccabi lead their division, while Beersheba are in eighth place and the boys will also hope for another win following their 7-1 victory in the south in their first meeting this season.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eli Fuchs,” U16, and Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eldad,” U15, will host respective opponents Hapoel Rishon Lezion and Hapoel Tel Aviv in last-16 State Cup action at Kiryat Shalom at 08:30 and 11:00.

The under-19 league season is at its height, and coach Eliezer Ben Aharon’s players are holding their own in second place in the standings as the final third of the campaign is in full flow.

Four leading squad players spoke to us and gave us their perspective on how the season has progressed and how they have benefitted from being part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” squad.

These are our four squad members:
Omer Itzhaki, 19, central defender and captain, has been at Maccabi for a decade, loves to watch Lionel Messi and Barcelona. He hopes that in 10 years’ time he will be playing at the highest level of the game.

Ben Musayof, 17, goalkeeper has taken his place between the posts in his first season with the big boys after winning the Boys A title last year. He’s a fan of Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola and wants to be the senior team’s captain in 10 years’ time.

Guy Mizrahi, 18, a right-back, is another product of the Maccabi youth academy. He has supported Arsenal since age six. He likes to watch box sets and play tennis.

Omri Ram, 18, a right-winger, is in his second season with the youth team and apart from football, he enjoys swimming which he says helps him to “switch off.” He loves to watch Liverpool’s passionate play.

Musayof said that he has been exposed to the best possible training at the Academy. “I work with the best coaches and fitness trainers in the country and I feel a great improvement in many aspects, including my footwork and with aerial play. Maccabi’s approach is that the goalkeeper is an additional player to the 10 colleagues ahead of him. He can also create tactical situations, so we also work hard on aspects which are more appropriate for non goalkeepers.”

Ram said mental preparation was an important focus. “I feel that I have improved thanks to talks I have with our mental coach and through the training obstacles that the team places before us to challenge us. We are also taught how to play simply, just like at the highest levels.”

Mizrahi said the values that the players are imbibed with “are very important, and the improvement can be seen in many aspects.”

Itzhaki spoke of his the changes he has experienced personally. “I have been at the club for over a decade and if I look at myself at the start of my journey compared to where I am today, I feel that I have improved out of all recognition.”

Ram said that morning training has added an additional aspect to specific points, while Musayof said that he preferred the early sessions during the week “to start the day with the things I like to do most. Nothing could be better.”

Mizrahi said: “It’s a huge bonus for me and my teammates and we should all appreciate every additional training session we receive.”

Mizrahi said Maccabi’s players were lucky to get more training than most other clubs who do not train in the morning. “When you join the sessions as a young player, you get to understand that football is not only a pastime for you, but that this is what you are going to do in your life in the foreseeable future.”

Additional training aids are also crucial for player development and as Mizrahi said: “It proves that the Academy is working to give the players the best possible tools to improve their skills and to advance the team as a whole.”

The broad team of professionals are there to help with all aspects, including learning from past mistakes, Musayof said.

All the players were thankful for the international tournament held earlier this year.

“Playing against good teams from abroad is something that can help improve us in so many aspects,” Musayof said.

“These sorts of events have allowed us to experience international competition, and that is the sort of level we need to aspire to,” Ram added.

Mizrahi said the form displayed by Maccabi, who won the six-team tournament that included three European teams, gave a push to raise the level, but Itzhaki summed up by saying that “winning this event three years in a row should not be taken for granted. It shows that the Academy has prepared us according to European standards.”

Maccabi “Shahar” Tel Aviv displayed their full dominance over visitors Bnei Sakhnin at Ness Ziona in their under-19 league clash on Saturday and delivered a thrashing that consolidated their second place in the division as RonenAsayag hit a hat trick, Ronen Hanchis scored twice and Yahli Lazar added another in a famous victory.

U16 continued their run of victories in the 21st round of action in their division and registered a 1-0 win over Hapoel Hadera, the goal being scored by Orel Baya.

U15 came back from Bayit Vagan with a 2-0 win over hosts Beitar Jerusalem in the 18th round of action in their league with Osher Bruchim and Roy Zersevsky scoring the goals.

U17 were not in action as the national team in their age group are playing in a friendly tournament in Germany.

Maccabi “Shahar” Tel Aviv displayed their full dominance over visitors Bnei Sakhnin at Ness Ziona in their under-19 league clash on Saturday and delivered a thrashing that consolidated their second place in the division.

Ronen Hanchis got Maccabi off to their flyer in the eighth minute as he chipped the ball over Sakhnin’s advancing goalkeeper and the ball landed in the back of the net.

Maccabi had to wait until the 37th minute for their second goal, when Parfait Guiagon, who was instrumental in scoring the first goal, passed the ball to Rave Assayag and he tapped the ball home.

At this point, Sakhnin were still in the running and pulled back with a goal of their own four minutes later when Nassim Abu Younes headed in, but things slipped away badly from them in the second half.

Yahli Lazar restored the two-goal advantage in the 59th minute, rolling the ball into an empty net as the goalkeeper was off his line and then Asayag made it 4-1 in the 74th minute. He added a fifth goal in the 77th minute to complete his hat trick and Hanchis completed the rout with a powerful shot in the 81st minute.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” host their under-19 counterparts from Bnei Sakhnin at Ness Ziona on Saturday, kickoff at 11:00 in the 20th round of action. Maccabi are in second place and. Sakhnin are 13th in the standings. Both sides will want to better the result of their previous meeting which ended 1-1.

U16 host Hapoel Hadera at Kiryat Shalom at 09:00 and will be looking to ride the momentum of of their big win last weekend and from second place in the standings, they will feel confident of another good result against their visitors, who are in 13th place. In the previous meeting, Hadera won 3-2.

U15 will play against Beitar Jerusalem at Bayit Vagan at 09:00.

U17 are on an international break.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s under-19 side on Wednesday lost their replayed fixture against Kiryat Shmona in the north to a single goal scored in the fifth minute of injury time.

The game had to be replayed because the original fixture on Saturday was abandoned at halftime with Maccabi leading 2-1 when the pitch was deemed unplayable because of heavy rain.

Maccabi dominated throughout but had nothing to show for their efforts and were unable to convert several good chances. They finally conceded a late goal against the run of play just before the referee blew the final whistle in the fifth minute of injury time.

The wet weather this weekend forced the abandonment of the game between Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth team at Kiryat Shmona in the 19th round of action with Maccabi leading 2-1 when the referee called off the second half because the pitch was unplayable.

Ronen Hanchis scored for Maccabi in the 26th minute after his shot rebounded off the goalkeeper into the net and Rave Asayag added a second two minutes later when he stabbed the ball home after his first shot fell still in a puddle on the goal line.

Kiryat Shmona pulled one back on the stroke of halftime after the ball was deflected off Maccabi full back Omer Itzhaki.

The match will be replayed on Wednesday.

Beitar Tubruk 2, Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded” 3: U17 backed up their midweek 2-0 over Ashdod SC with a win in the 17th round on Saturday over their hosts in Netanya. Dor Turgeman got Maccabi on the scoreboard in the seventh minute and Shon Edri added a second in the 54th minute but Tubruk equalised with two goals of their own in the 60th and 70th minutes before Edri scored the winner on the 85th minute. The result has kept Maccabi at the top of the standings.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eli Fuchs” 5, Ironi Nesher 0: U16 returned from their international break in style and goals were scored by Ido Mizrahi, Bar Lin and Oscar Gloch, with a hat trick. The result keeps them in second place in their division.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eldad” 4, Ironi Modiin 0: U15 racked another home win, this time with goals by Nikita Alexienko and an Osher Bruchim hat trick.

Hapoel Kiryat Shmona will host Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar,” the under-19 side, in a youth league fixture in the north on Saturday, kickoff is at 11:00. Maccabi’s boys are in second place in the standings, seven points behind leaders Maccabi Haifa, and will hope to do better than the 1-1 result between the sides in the first phase of the league this season.

U17, Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded,” also play away on Saturday. They will be in Netanya to face Beitar Tubruk at 13:00 but U16, Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” host Ironi Nesher, and U15, Maccabi “Eldad,” host Ironi Modiin at Kiryat Shalom. Kickoffs are at 11.30 and 08.30 respectively.

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Youth Academy held an open day for young, aspiring soccer players from all over the country this week and Ran Elias, the club’s head of scouting, watched as the kids were put through their paces by the Academy’s coaching staff.

The open day was divided into three according to age, with the oldest kids, born between 2007-09, going first and participating in a session suitable for their age group.

Elias said the special session, that was held at Tel Aviv University, was one of a number of efforts by the club to discover young, hopeful players of the future.

“This project is one of many as we aim to attract talented players from across the country and give them a chance to play and train at the Academy’s grounds under the supervision of our professional staff,” Elias said.

Maccabi Netanya 2, Maccabi Te Aviv “Shahar” 1
Maccabi Tel Aviv “Shahar” were brought down to earth on Saturday after winning last weekend’s Winter Youth Tournament when they were beaten 2-1 by Maccabi Netanya in an under-19 league fixture.

Maccabi went into the match in second place in the standings while hosts Netanya were in seventh place. Netanya took the lead in the 28th minute through Amit Yaacov’s long-range shot and while Ronen Hanchis equalised in the 82nd minute,  Netanya secured victory in the 85th minute through a close range effort by Amit Taktuk.

Maccabi Tel Aviv “Oded” 2, Hapoel Rishon Letzion 0
U17 returned from their international break and completed the first phase of the league with an emphatic victory that has taken them to the top of the standings of their division. Aner Oshmandi and Ido Mizrahi scored for Maccabi.

Ashdod 2, Maccabi Tel Aviv “Eldad” 1
U15 were 2-0 down to Ashdod before Osher Bruchim scored a consolation effort. They remain fourth in their division, seven points off the pace.

U16 are on an international break as the national under-16s compete in a winter tournament.