After the success of last season’s International Youth Tournament, Maccabi Tel Aviv is proud to host the competition for the second straight season. The tournament will once again be held at the PenguinPickUp Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom and will include Crystal Palace and S.B.V. Excelsior Rotterdam. In addition, Maccabi Haifa, Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Beer Sheva will take part in the Tournament that will take place between January 24-26.

Last season’s edition was won by the Club’s Under-19 team, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv as they competed against top European clubs including: Bayer Leverkusen, Red Star Paris, Maccabi Haifa, Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Rishon Le’Zion.

Schedule
Thursday 24.1.2019
14:30 – Opening Ceremony
15:15 – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Beitar Jerusalem (Main Pitch)
15:15 – Hapoel Beer Sheva – S.B.V. Excelsior Rotterdam (Synthetic Pitch)
16:30 – Crystal Palace – Maccabi Haifa (Main Pitch)

Friday 25.1.2019
11:00 – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Hapoel Beer Sheva (Main Pitch)
11:00 – Beitar Jerusalem – Maccabi Haifa (Synthetic Pitch)
12:15 – S.B.V. Excelsior Rotterdam – Crystal Palace (Main Pitch)
13:30 – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Maccabi Haifa (Main Pitch)
14:45 – S.B.V. Excelsior Rotterdam – Beitar Jerusalem (Main Pitch)
14:45 – Crystal Palace – Hapoel Beer Sheva (Synthetic Pitch)

Saturday 26.1.19
10:00 – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Crystal Palace (Main Pitch)
10:00 – Maccabi Haifa – S.B.V. Excelsior Rotterdam (Synthetic Pitch)
11:15 – Hapoel Beer Sheva – Beitar Jerusalem (Main Pitch)
12:30 – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – S.B.V. Excelsior Rotterdam (Main Pitch)
13:45 – Maccabi Haifa – Hapoel Beer Sheva (Main Pitch)
13:45 – Crystal Palace – Beitar Jerusalem (Synthetic Pitch)
15:00 – Closing Ceremony

Participating clubs
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Crystal Palace
S.B.V. Excelsior Rotterdam
Maccabi Haifa
Hapoel Beer Sheva
Beitar Jerusalem

The competition will feature a single group consisting of all 6 teams. The matches will be held in a league format with two 30 minute halves while every club will play each other once. After each side has faced each other, the team in first place will be crowned the tournament champion. All matches will be played according to the rules and regulations of FIFA and the IFA.

Maccabi Tel Aviv will host the tournament at the PenguinPickUp Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom. The matches will be played on two pitches: The Main Pitch and the Synthetic Pitch.

Hapoel Hadera 0:2 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv (U19)
The Under-19 team got back onto the winning track with a victory over Hapoel Hadera on Matchday 17. Omri Ram scored via a header off a Tomer Mahluf ball in the 12’ and Edurado Guerrero scored from the penalty spot in the 51’. Guy Tzarafti’s squad is now just 3 points off the top of the table. For the Full Match Report Click Here.

Bnei Yehuda 1:2 Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv (U15)
The Under-15 side recorded their second win this season in the Little Derby after winning the first contest 3:2 at home. Ori David’s squad is 2 points off the top of the table with a match in hand and should they win that contest they will move into first place. Adir Cordoba and Oskar Gluch scored for Maccabi. David summed up the win: “We won a top of the table battle against Bnei Yehuda after being eliminated from the Cup competition. The players came into the match mentally prepared and this was a tough battle for the team. When Bnei Yehuda scored the equalizer we continued to play hard and we scored the decisive goal near the end of the match. We can take plenty away from this match especially that we didn’t falter and played until the final whistle. I’m proud of the guys.”

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv (U17)
The Under-17 side is on break due to the National Team taking part in a tournament in Belarus. Six Maccabi Youth Academy players are with the team.

Hapoel Beer Sheva – Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv (U16)
The match was postponed.

The Under-19 side visited Hadera on Matchday 17 of the Israel Youth Premier League. The first match between the two sides ended in a 2:0 Yellow & Blue win. Guy Tzarfati’s squad were in 2nd place just five points off the top of the table while Hadera were in 10th place.

Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI: Or Itzhak, Michael Chilaka, Alon Shtrozberg, Amit Glezer, Tomer Mahluf, Tamir Glezer, Omri Ram, Ido Shahar, Eduardo Guerrero, Bar Cohen, Tal Yagudaev.

First Half
After a slow start to the half, Maccabi “Shachar” found the back of the goal in the 12’. Mahluf crossed the ball into the box directly to Ram who was free to head it home past the Hadera keeper for a 1:0 lead. Maccabi had a chance in the 16’ when Chilaka sent a cross to Yagudaev but his attempt went out.

In the 24’ Cohen gave a tremendous through ball to Guerrero but his opportunity was blocked by Hadera keeper Amit Sarusi. Sixteen minutes later Hadera gave Itzhak a scare but the Yellow & Blue keeper was able to make the save and send his side into the break ahead 1:0.

Second Half
Hadera had the opening chance of the second half when Atlanta Tipfulos’s attempt went over the bar. However in the 52’ Maccabi doubled their advantage via a penalty kick. Cohen was pulled down in the box and Guerrero sent home the spot kick from 11 meters to give the Yellow & Blue a 2:0 lead.

Shahar received a nice ball in the 53’ but his attempt just went by the post and in the 68’ Cohen’s opportunity missed the goals by just a centimeter. In the 83’ Gil Ben Shalosh sent Rave Assayag the ball and put it over the keeper but went over the goal and a minute later Mufleh Shalata’s chance was saved by the Hadera keeper as Maccabi wrapped up a 2:0 win.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 0:3 Beitar Jerusalem (U19)
The Under-19 side fell to Beitar Jerusalem to end the first round of matches but are still in second place, 5 points away from table leaders Maccabi Petah Tikva. For the Match report Click Here.

Bnei Yehuda 0:2 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv (U17)
Eliezer Ben Aharon’s squad continued its fine play and won the “Little Derby” opening up a 12 point first place lead. Tal Torgman and Afek Sapir scored for the young yellow & Blue. Ben Aharon summed up the win: “We began well but the pace and quality fell near the end of the first half. In the second half we switched gears with the desire to decide the match. Bnei Yehuda began to tire and we knew how to take advantage of the situation, we scored a pair of goals and controlled the pace of play. We are continuing down our path and we are beginning to countdown towards the end of the season after passing the halfway mark of the campaign. As every match goes by we are getting closer to our goal. Next week we have a tough Cup match against Petah Tikva and I’m positive that the players will come into the match ready to go to advance to the next round.”

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 3:0 Maccabi Haifa (U16)
The Under-16 side won an important battle against Maccabi Haifa and moved into 3rd place just 4 points off the top of the table. Yaron Peles, Elad Kaplan and Oral Bahia (from the U15’s) scored for Eran Sassi’s squad. The coach spoke about the victory, “We had a great first half and we had total control of the contest as we scored two goals. We had a number of other quality chances and the win could have even been bigger. However, we played a bit less organized football in the second half but we still had some very good chances. We played an excellent defensive game and now we have to make sure we continue working hard and not rest on our laurels. I’m proud of the guys.”

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 4:0 Hapoel Ashkelon (U15)
The Under-15 team moved into first place after defeating Ashkelon on Matchday 14 thanks to goals by Oscar Gloch, Lior Aloni, Ben Gold and Ari Mirnstein. Head Coach Ori David summed up the win: “We faced a team that had ten players behind the ball. We had a bit of a rough time at the start of the match but we found solutions to break down the defense and after the first goal the contest opened up and we scored a few more goals. I’m happy how the players were able to learn during the course of play.”

The Under-19 faced Beitar Jerusalem on Matchday 15 of the Israel Youth Premier League which marked the last game in the first round. Maccabi “Shachar” entered the contest in second place two points off the top of the table leaders Maccabi Petah Tikva while Beitar began the day in 9th, winless in their last 7 matches.

Starting XI: Or Itzhak, Alon Shtrozberg, Tamir Glezer, Dan Lugassi, Tomer Mahluf, Nadav Nidam, Mufleh Shalata, Ido Shahar, Eduardo Guerrero, Bar Cohen and Eyal Hen.

First Half
Abiel Zargari had the first chance of the match for Beitar but his shot went over the bar while in the 9’ Jerusalem’s Eden Azuri had a one on one attempt on Itzhak, but the keeper parried the ball away. 3 minutes later Shalata had Maccabi’s opening opportunity but his chance in the box went off a defender and in the 16’ Lugassi sent Hen the ball on the left side who passed it to Guerrero but his attempt went out.

In the 21’ the Yellow & Blue almost took the lead when Mahluf sent a cross in the box but Shalata’s header was blocked by Beitar keeper Roie Shoshan while Nidam’s rebound attempt went over the bar. 9 minutes later Hen’s chance at the top of the box was saved again by Shoshan. In the 31’ Guerrero’s shot went out and Bar Cohen’s cross to the aforementioned Guerrero was headed into the keeper’s hands as the sides went onto the break goalless.

Second Half
Beitar was given a penalty kick in the 62’ when Hen pulled a player down in the box which Jerusalem converted via Azuri for a 1:0 lead. Six minutes later Glezer tried his luck from long distance but his shot went out and a minute later substitute Tal Yagudaev’s chance also missed the target. In the 77’ Omer Itzhaki sent Guerrero a ball but Shoshan again made the save.

In the 79’ Yagudaev’s header off a free kick hit the bar and Beitar went downfield and doubled their lead as Roie Fadida sent the ball to Uziel Predo who beat Itzhak from in close, 2:0 Jerusalem. Shahar’s 87’ chance just missed the goal and two minutes later Beitar added a third goal when Predo put home the ball in the box for a 3:0 lead. Immediately after the goal Itzhaki was given a red card for harsh words to the referee as the match came to a disappointing end.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Beitar Jerusalem, 12:00 (U19)
The Under-19 squad host’s Beitar Jerusalem on Matchday 15 of Israel Youth League action to end the first round of matches. The young Yellow & Blue are in second place and are just two points off of table leaders Maccabi Petah Tikva. The capital city side are in 9th place and are winless in their last 7 contests.

Bnei Yehuda – Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv, 14:00 Tikva Neighborhood (U17)
Following a 6:2 win over Maccabi Haifa, the Under-17 side is back in action as they visit Bnei Yehuda to open the second round of games. Maccabi “Oded” are in first place with a 12 point lead while the host’s are in 9th place with 4 wins in their last five matches.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv – Maccabi Haifa, 10:30 Kiryat Shalom Synthetic (U16)
The Under-16 squad enters the contest after winning last week’s match 15:0. The Yellow & Blue are undefeated in ten straight games and find themselves in 4th place just 6 points of the top of the table. Haifa are in 2nd and are two points ahead of Eran Sassi’s charges.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv – Hapoel Ashkelon, 8:30 Kiryat Shalom Synthetic (U15)
The Under-15 team host’s Ashkelon on Matchday 14 and are undefeated as they begin the day in 2nd place while the visitor’s are in second to last place with a lone victory.

2018 was a very successful year for the Maccabi Tel Aviv Avi Cohen Youth Academy as it continues to imbue the philosophy of Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen. Over the past 12 months, the Youth Academy both hosted and took part in International Tournaments, won championships in their respective leagues, played in the UEFA Youth Champions League and also continued to advance the Girls Team project. Here are five of the accomplishments from the past calendar year.

1. Maccabi Tel Aviv’s International Youth Tournament

The calendar year began with the Youth Academy hosting an International Youth Tournament. Maccabi “Shachar” under the direction of Guy Tzarfati won the competition as his side played against the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Red Star Paris, Maccabi Haifa, Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Rishon Le’Zion. Over the course of 3 days the PenguinPickUp Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom hosted the teams and their players for a first rate tournament. For a summary of the competition click here.

2. Championships
The 2017/18 Season ended with a very sweet taste in everyone’s mouths. All of the Youth Academy squads playing in a competitive league through the Israel Football Association won their respective championship. The Under-19 squad won their 9th league title ending their campaign with an 8 point gap from second place after scoring 65 goals, the most in the league. For a full recap click here.

The Under-17 team also celebrated their championship, wrapping up their league title 5 Matcndays before the end of the season. Eliezer Ben Aharon’s squad won 25 games, drew 4 matches and lost only once as they finished the campaign up 19 points. For the full recap click here.

The Under-16 side picked up their championship in photo finishes fashion. Thanks to 9 straight wins to end the campaign, the young Yellow & Blue were able to take home the title on the last day of the season and then won the Champions Cup as well. For the full recap click here.

The Under-15 squad also won their respective league on the second to last Matchday of the season by defeating the #1 rival for the crown, Hapoel Beer Sheva. The team scored 126 goals and recorded 17 clean sheets. For the full recap click here.

3. Prestigious Under-15 Tournament in Vienna, Austria
At the end of the season, the Under-15 squad played in a prestigious tournament in Vienna, Austria. The goal of the competition was to give the players a chance to experience an international tournament with clubs of the highest level.

Participating teams included Maccabi Tel Aviv, Rapid Wien, Admira Wacker, Lokomotiv Moscow, Schalke 04, Ferencvárosi, AIK Stockholm and Red Star Belgrade. The young Yellow & Blue ended the competition in 4th place. For a recap click here.

4. Academy Girls Project
The Girls Project at Maccabi Tel Aviv is continuing to expand. There is a team training at the PenguinPickup Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom and are playing in a competitive league while there is a new girls team at the Hadar Yosef Athletic Facility as well. The competitive team advanced to the quarterfinals of the State Cup and the Club is also continuing to expand its programs for girls with the recruitment of girls between the ages of 5-15. The goal is to create a number of teams at different age groups with each squad limited to 25 girls and the teams will use the club’s football philosophy. For further information click here.

5. Youth Champions League

The Under-19 club took part in the Youth Champions League and advanced to the second round of the tournament by winning a two legged tie over Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala on aggregate 5:3. Guy Tzarfati’s squad then played Sigma Olomouc from the Czech Republic who took the 3:3 tie on away goals. The team gained invaluable experience in Europe by taking part in this experience. For the recap click here.