The 2018/19 season is about to get underway at the Maccabi Tel Aviv “Avi Cohen” Youth Academy and this Saturday both the Under-19 and Under-17 side’s will begin their respective title defenses. The U19s will play at Sakhnin (11:00) while the U17s will host Bnei Yehuda at the PenguinPickUp Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom (09:00).
Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv Under-19
Last season will be remembered for many years to come. The Yellow & Blue won the league championship with a 74.4% win rate while scoring 65 goals and conceding only 24.
Head Coach Guy Tzarfati will continue as the Head Coach while Nissim Dvash will serve as his assistant. A familiar face in Shura Uvarov is now the goalkeeping coach and has already begun working with the youngsters over the past month and a half. The side travelled to Bulgaria for a preseason training camp where they faced CSKA Sofia, Lokomotiv Sofia, Slavin Sofia and other local sides. After returning to Israel, the squad played the First Team’s of Beitar Shimshon Tel Aviv he Beitar Tel Aviv Ramle.
The squad:
- Players who remained from last season: Omer Barami, Amit Glazer, Tamir Glazer, Yoav Hofmayster, Eyal Hen, Roy Mann, Or Itzhak, Tomer Machluf, Daniel Peretz, Alon Shtrozberg and Mufleh Shalata.
- Players who were promoted from the Under-17 team: Rave Assayag, Shay Belhassan, Gil Ben Shalosh, Roie Benbenishti, David Dego, Asaf Hershko, Tal Yagudayev, Omer Itzhaki, Bar Cohen, Dan Lugassi, Guy Mizrahi, Nadav Nidam, Bar Netanel, Omri Ram has Ido Shahar.
- New players who joined the squad: Amit Yakov who returned from loan after a season and a half at Raanana and Michael Chilaka who came from Maccabi Kabilyo Jaffa.
- This season the squad will be comprised of players born in 2000 and 2001 with one player not born in those years, Neil Goldberg who returns from injury.
Players who departed the club:
- Prince Thomas who was loaned Hapoel Hadera’s First Team in the Premier League.
- William Agada who played on loan last season returned to his parent club, Hapoel Katamon.
- Netanel Peretz joined the First Team of Hapoel Marmorek.
- The following players are on loan at Beitar Tel Aviv/Ramle: Noam Cohen. Fadi Najar, Ran Vaturi, Tomer Altman, Junas Gabarin and Eylon Almog.
- Amit Mordechayev joined the Hapoel Raanana U19 side.
This Saturday (11:00) the Under-19’s will travel to Bnei Sakhnin where they will open the 2018/19 Israel Youth Premier League season.
Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – Under-17
The Under-17 side will also begin their 2018/19 campaign under the direction of Eliezer Ben Aharon who will be at the helm for his third season while Jeffrey Yishai will serve as his assistant.
The team is comprised of players born in 2002 who were promoted from the Under-16 side. The U17’s will be defending the league title after winning 21 of 30 matches while scoring 111 goals.
Full squad: Yonatan Imberg, Nehotai Bitton, Omer Ben Basat, Itay Ben Hemo, Imri Berenholz, Niv Berkovich, Arik Gabish, Amit Hevroni, Tomer Yakubi, Rotem Itzkar, Yali Lazar, Yarin Mozen, Ben Mosaoyev, Michael Mor, Hadar Mor Yosef, Netanel Mtaeib, Roie Maayan, Shaked Navon, Guy Siviglia, Aleksey Sapir Navon, Itay Rada, Noam Rudnik, Shahar Rosen, Or Roizman, Tal Torjman.
This Saturday, the Under-17’s will host Bnei Yehuda at the PenguinPickUp Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom (9:00) for the season opening match.
