U19 Premier League champions Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" continue their preparations for the 2012/13 season and the defence of the title they have now held for the past two seasons. The squad now coalescing around head coach Alon Turjeman played their first pre-season friendly against Hapoel Kfar Saba and won handily 6-3. The national U19 Premier League is expected to kick off on the first of September, but even after such a handsome victory, the head coach was quick to stress that other matters take precedence: "At this stage of our preparations the result is less important. For us it was a first opportunity to try out our arsenal ahead of the coming season". Turjeman continued: "Up till now we've only trained but a game like this presents you with a better occasion to examine just which players are fully fit and which still need some work before the season starts. The players know what we expect of them, and today I saw things that pleased me and others that still require some attention". The current squad is made up of players who won the U19 championship last year, players who won the league and Cup double with the Under-17s and others who are just trying out. The objective is to reach a final squad of 25 of the best players. In the meantime the current squad will play their next pre-season friendly on Friday at their counterparts from Ashdod FC.
