Watch: Kanichowsky ahead of Maccabi Haifa

This Saturday the U17s face a real challenge, while the younger teams look to reach the State Cup semi-finals

After restoring normal service last Saturday with their sixteenth league win of the season, Maccabi's Under-19s will this week head out to face Maccabi Netanya at "Shapira" Field at 11.30am and try to hold on to their five-point lead at the top of the U19 Premier League table. Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded" are looking at a busy week that includes playing two fixtures in the space of as many days. On Saturday the club's Under-17s travel north to face Nesher FC at 11am and on Monday they'll play their game in hand against Hapoel Beer Sheva at the Kiryat Shalom training ground at 4pm. If they can win both of those matches, "Oded" will regain the top spot in the national U17 Premier League table.

Maccabi's Under-16s, leaders of the nationwide U16 League South table, will be looking to hold on to that lead when they face bottom-of-table Maccabi Shoham away at 11.45am. Both of Maccabi's Under-15 teams are playing tricky ties on Saturday. Team 1, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldar", have a 9am appointment at Kiryat Yovel playing field to face Hapoel Jerusalem and Team 2 welcome title rivals Maccabi Netanya to the artificial pitch at Kiryat Shalom at 8.30am.

Maccabi's younger competitors will all be focused on State Cup ties on Saturday. The Under-14 Team South will host their counterparts from Beitar Jerusalem at Kiryat Shalom at 10.15am for a battle for a place in the semi-finals.  The club's Under-13 teams will face the same challenge, Team South at 11am at Maccabi Haifa's "Ketzef" training complex and Team North at 8.30am at Hapoel Ra'anana.    

This Saturday the U17s face a real challenge, while the younger teams ...

Five of Maccabi's U19s joined in a unique showcase match at the Israel Sport Centre for the Disabled in Ramat Gan

Last night a very special meeting took place between the Youth Division of Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club and the "Spivak" Sport Centre for the Disabled in Ramat Gan. The "Spivak" Centre is designed to answer the functional needs, both physical and social, of disabled people throughout the centre of Israel and does service as both a sports and a social framework. Only days before the Jewish festival of Purim, Maccabi Tel Aviv's Youth Division were invited to visit the centre and meet Israel's national wheelchair rugby team. Representing the division were five players from the club's Under-19s: Captain Dan Glazer, Idan Yogev, Sahar Hason, Yonatan Cohen and Eliad Graf. They were joined by the Division's football director Nir Levin and educational consultant Chen Abdu.

Highlight of the evening was a showcase match with Israel's national wheelchair rugby team. Beforehand Mr Levin welcomed the collaboration between Maccabi and the Centre for the Disabled, and the U19 squad members presented token gifts and special Maccabi Tel Aviv gift items to their counterparts from the national wheelchair rugby team. In recognition of the upcoming Purim holiday, educational consultant Chen Abdu presented the centre with a traditional Purim gift food package, put together by Youth Division players themselves.

Since the 2000 paralympic games in Sydney, Australia, wheelchair rugby has been one of the sports included in the competition's programme, the objective being to get the ball beyond the opponent's goal line for a try. Before the match the Maccabi youngsters received detailed instructions on how to play from the national team's players and then were given the opportunity to get used to manoeuvring the wheelchairs before getting on with the game. Despite their upcoming busy fixture schedule, including a mid-week derby in the quarter finals of the U19 State Cup competition, the Maccabi Under-19s proved enthusiastic and engaged competitors. In the end they failed in their attempts to score a try but at the final whistle there was a discernible feeling of camaraderie and of course smiles all around.

Maccabi's educational consultant Chen Abdu summed things up: "Bonds with the community are extremely important to us. Equally important is that our young players are exposed to the experiences of others by making acquaintance with institutions like this one. Activities like the ones held today contribute not only to us but to the institutions themselves as well. Our goal is to make the participants at our Youth Division not only better players, but better human beings as well, who accept the differences that exist between people and at the same time understand those difference too. This day at the "Spivak" Centre is the latest in a series of activities designed to infuse our youngsters with those values we as a club aspire to, like patience, tolerance and mutual respect".      

Five of Maccabi's U19s joined in a unique showcase match at the ...

A first-half goal by Omer Atzili spells defeat for Maccabi as they are beaten 1-0 by Beitar Jerusalem

Same venue, same opponent, same nemesis. Last December, Beitar Jerusalem midfielder Omer Atzili scored a last-minute goal at Haifa's "Sammy Ofer" Stadium to turn what looked like a certain Maccabi victory into a 1-1 draw. In tonight's return fixture at the very same stadium exactly three months later, Atzili was once again the architect of a disappointing evening for Maccabi Tel Aviv as his first-half goal proved decisive in Beitar Jerusalem's 1-0 victory.

In a match that began at a quick pace but with little in the way of genuine goalscoring opportunities, Beitar started the brighter side and ten minutes into the match midfielder Shlomi Azulay sent a screamer that whistled just past Maccabi keeper Juan Pablo's post.  Maccabi saw their first real shot on goal come a quarter of an hour later when midfielder Dor Micha floated a high ball to striker Barak Badash whose header missed its mark. Eleven minutes after that Eran Zahavi uncharacteristically also tried to score with his head, getting first touch to a Mahran Radi corner, but the prolific midfielder saw his effort cleared by a tenacious Beitar defence. Responding sporadically on the counter, Beitar forced a number of saves by Juan Pablo. But one minute before the break, after dispossessing striker Itzik Cohen in his advance on goal inside the area, the Spaniard was unable to keep possession enabling Omer Atzili to get his boot to the ball and strike high into the Maccabi net to put his side ahead 1-0.

At the start of the second half Maccabi's Mahran Radi made two attempts from distance but both were unsuccessful. At the other end Juan Pablo came up with another heroic save after Beitar's Romanian midfielder Liviu Antal found space to pivot in the area and get off a strong shot that was headed for the net. Just past the hour mark Eran Zahavi saw a free kick fly over and later Dor Micha worked his way into space through the Beitar area but his finish was stopped by Beitar keeper Boris Klaiman. In the closing minutes of the match Klaiman continued to stay alert as he stopped a number of attempts by Maccabi to draw level, including substitute midfielder Nikola Mitrovic and once again Eran Zahavi. But in the end it remained 1-0 in favour of the Jerusalemites, only the fourth time that Maccabi have lost in the league this season and their first league defeat to Beitar since November 2011. So with just one more league tie before the start of the play-offs, Maccabi remain on top of the Israeli Premier League table but by the same four-point margin ahead of their nearest rivals Ironi Kiryat Shmona. Next Monday night they will return home to Bloomfield for their last normal season encounter against Hapoel Petach Tikva.           

The U17 top-of-table contest against Maccabi Haifa ended in a goalless draw. All other Maccabi Youth Division teams recorded wins

Yesterday Maccabi's Under-19s beat Hapoel Ra'anana 5-0 and opened the way for yet another successful Saturday at the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division. The Under-17s faced the greatest challenge of all, in the form of title rivals Maccabi Haifa, with the two teams jostling on their own all season for the top spot in the U17 Premier League table, and with alternating success. This gameweek 23 encounter found Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded" two points off the pace, but with a game in hand. Head coach Eliezer Ben Aharon's U17s had hoped to regain the top spot before playing that make-up tie against Nesher FC, now scheduled for next Saturday, but it was not to be. The two best attacks in the league struggled to find the net against the two best defences and the match finished in a goalless draw.

For the Maccabi Youth Division though, the U17 stalemate proved to be the only draw on the day. The club's Under-16s, already occupying the top spot in their league, held on to that position with an impressive 6-1 home win against Hapoel Rishon Lezion. Natanel Peretz bagged a hat-trick, Eden Agami a brace and Ofek Blass added an individual effort to the Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eli Fuchs" rout.

Maccabi's Under-15 Team 1 also maintained top spot in the league, turning a three-point advantage into an eight-point one. Head coach Eyal Tzachi's lads beat municipal neighbours Bnei Yehuda 1-2 courtesy of two goals by Tal Daon and took advantage of second-placed Beitar Jerusalem's defeat on Saturday to widen their margin at the top. Head coach Erez Belfer's Under-15 Team 2 equalled the Under-16s' achievement with an impressive 6-1 home victory over Hapoel Acre, courtesy of a brace by Yam Ben Yehuda and four individual goals by Sahar Barami, Eyal Chen,  Arad Bar and Shachar Drucker.

Maccabi's Under-14 Team South won their tie against Hapoel Ramat Hasharon 5-2, with Omri Ram scoring twice and Omer Yitzhaki, Osher Davida and Eden Silam adding on. The Under-14 Team North had a harder time of it but they too took home all three points with a 1-0 victory over Beitar Tubruk earned off a first-half goal by Amit Ya'akov. Maccabi's Under-13 Team North racked up the highest score of the weekend, overwhelming Hapoel Ramat Gan by an eye-opening 11-1 scoreline. The club's Under-13 Team South won by a more modest but still impressive margin, 1-4 against Hapoel Kiryat Ono.

The U17 top-of-table contest against Maccabi Haifa ended in a goalless draw. ...

Centre stage in Saturday's Youth Division action: A top-of-table encounter for Maccabi's U17s

After losing three matches in succession in all competitions, Maccabi's U19s will attempt to get back on track when they host Hapoel Ra'anana at Ramla municipal stadium at noon on Saturday. Even after two consecutive league defeats, head coach Ziv Arie's lads lead the U19 Premier League by five points over their closest rivals Maccabi Haifa. In "Shachar"'s previous encounter with Hapoel Ra'anana, the latter succeeded in bringing to an end a run of six consecutive "Shachar" victories at the beginning of the season when the two sides drew 1-1 in Ra'anana.

At 11am on Saturday Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded" will host their U17 Premier League nemesis Maccabi Haifa at the Kiryat Shalom training ground in what looks like being an intriguing encounter. The two teams have run neck-and-neck since the start of the season, gameweek 23 opening with the visitors two points ahead at the top of the table, but with the hosts having a game in hand. Should coaches Eliezer Ben Aharon and Gadi Brumer lead their side to victory, "Oded" will go top even before playing their missing fixture midweek against Nesher FC.

Maccabi's Under-16s also have the opportunity to go top of their league this Saturday when they play the early 8.30am kick-off at Kiryat Shalom against Hapoel Rishon Lezion. Victory would mean passing Maccabi Petach Tikva who have played a game more. Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad", leaders of the nationwide U15 League Central District, will endeavour to hold on to their five-point lead when they play away to municipal neighbours Bnei Yehuda at 2pm. Maccabi's Under-15 Team 2 will host Hapoel Acre at Kiryat Shalom at 12.30pm in their efforts to climb further up the nationwide U15 League Sharon District table.

Two more teams hosting at Kiryat Shalom are Maccabi's Under-14s, North and South. The former will face Beitar Tubruk at 8.45am on the artificial pitch, with the latter taking over at 10.30am to tackle Hapoel Ramat Hasharon. Maccabi's Under-13 Team North will also welcome their counterparts from Hapoel Ramat Hasharon, at Hadar Yosef field at 8.30am. The club's Under-13 Team South have an afternoon engagement at 3.30pm at Hapoel Kiryat Ono.

Centre stage in Saturday's Youth Division action: A top-of-table encounter for Maccabi's ...

The U17s are into the State Cup semi-finals, the U15s continued their great season form with yet another victory

Despite the Under-19s losing to Ashdod on Saturday, Maccabi Tel Aviv's Youth Division enjoyed a very successful weekend. First up were the club's Under-17s, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded", who celebrated reaching the semi-finals of their State Cup competition. Head coach Eliezer Ben Aharon's squad took time off from league duties to visit Hakoach Amidar Ramat Gan in a tricky State Cup quarter-final tie postponed two weeks ago due to poor weather. In the event Maccabi took control early on and Lenny Aharon opened the goalscoring floodgates six minutes into the match. The home side struggled to mount a credible response and in the second half Amit Shapira, Ofri Mashta and Omer Lakao added on to seal the 0-4 win and earn "Oded" their place in the competition's semi-finals, where they will face U17 Premier League title rivals Beitar Jerusalem.

Head coach Shlomi Mitelka's Under-16s were not so fortunate this Saturday, suffering only their second league defeat of the current season 1-0 to Hapoel Ramat Gan. The game's only goal was scored by the hosts toward the end of the first half, with the result that Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eli Fuchs" fall to second place in the table, two points behind U16 Nationwide League South leaders Maccabi Petach Tikva, but with a game in hand.

By contrast, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad, the club's Under-15 Team 1, stay top of the U15 League Central District table with their thirteenth league win in fourteen outings. Head coach Eyal Tzachi's lads hosted Gadna Tel Aviv at the Kiryat Shalom training ground and won the contest handily 6-0 courtesy of a brace by Adir Hardon and individual goals by Muflah Shlaiteh, Amit Mordehaev, Tal Daon and Niv Abutbul. Head coach Erez Belfer's Under-15 Team 2 drew 2-2 away at Maccabi Petach Tikva, their seventh draw of the current season. Maccabi took the lead in the first half through Shachar Ayalon but fell behind after the restart and Sahar Sa'adon's equaliser fell just short of earning the visitors victory.

Head coach Ori David's Under-14 Team South continued their good season form with a 0-3 away win over Hapoel Ramat Gan. Tal Yagudaev netted a brace and Menahem Asraf added Maccabi's third to no reply. Maccabi's Under-14 Team North also emerged winners on Saturday, defeating Hapoel Hod Hasharon 3-1 at home courtesy of goals by Guy Mizrahi, Idan Rozenfeld and Raveh Asayag. Last but not least, both of Maccabi's Under-13 teams came up trumps at the weekend, Team North winning at home 3-1 against Hapoel Beer Sheva and Team South 5-3 against Hapoel Ramat Hasharon.

The U17s are into the State Cup semi-finals, the U15s continued their ...

Owing to the stormy weather anticipated for the weekend, only the U19s and 17s will be playing on Saturday

Due to the particularly nasty weather anticipated in most of Israel for the coming weekend, the Israeli Football Association have announced that all matches in the country's youth leagues will be postponed, with the exception of the Under-19s and 17s. If weather conditions prohibit any of those matches as well, formal announcements will be made at the time. Maccabi's Under-19s are scheduled to host Hapoel Tel Aviv for a derby to be broadcast on Israeli sports channel 55 at noon on Saturday. On instructions from the police, the match has been moved for security reasons from Kiryat Shalom training ground to the Municipal Stadium in Ramle. At 11am, Maccabi's Under-17s will appear at the Kiryat Haim training ground to face Hapoel Haifa on matchday 20 of the national U17 Premier League.

Chairman of the Football Association, Retem Kemer, released the following statement: "In regard to all the weather predictions, and after consultation with all of the relevant bodies, it would appear that the stormy weather obliges us to postpone the matches in question. There is so much concern for the health of the players, for the pitch conditions and for the difficulties spectators will encounter in getting to the matches that we see no other option. Many of the teams have expressed similar sentiments and we wish to avoid causing them any further hardship in terms of security as well as avoiding disappointment to the fans or harm to any of our players".     

Owing to the stormy weather anticipated for the weekend, only the U19s ...

Maccabi's U17s pass Maccabi Haifa into the top spot in the table after beating Hapoel Haifa

A second consecutive stormy winter weekend once again left its mark on Israel's youth fixtures, with only the Under-19s and Under-17s seeing their matches given the go ahead. For Maccabi's Under-17s that meant a trip up the coast to the Kiryat Haim training complex to face Hapoel Haifa in matchday 20 of the national U17 Premier League, where Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded" were just a point behind league leaders Maccabi Haifa. "Oded" went into the match on a run of five consecutive victories, and with the number five apparently still on their minds coaches Eliezer Ben Aharon and Gadi Brumer's lads conjured up an additional five goals in a convincing 0-5 victory that extends that run to six.

The impressive scoreline belies a somewhat laboured opening by the visitors as they struggled until the closing minutes of the first half to find the net. But by the time the whistle blew, "Oded" had already jumped to a 0-2 lead, courtesy of Lenny Aharon, his second of the campaign, and Almog Eylon, who has already scored 14 goals this season, some of them with the Under-16s. After the restart "Oded" was even more prolific. Substitute Ittimar Shaviro scored two goals in five second-half minutes just after the hour mark and captain Tomer Altman put the icing on the 0-5 victory two minutes from time. And while "Oded" were winning, league rivals Maccabi Haifa were drawing their Saturday fixture, enabling  Maccabi's Under-17s to regain the top spot in the national U17 Premier League table.

Maccabi's U17s pass Maccabi Haifa into the top spot in the table ...

Both of Maccabi's U15 teams reached their State Cup semi-finals on a Saturday when once again the winter weather starred

On Saturday Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-19s reached the last sixteen of their State Cup competition with a convincing 5-0 win against Hapoel Haifa. The club's Under-17s, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded", were also due to fight for their place in the State Cup quarter finals, but their away encounter at Hakoach Amidar Ramat Gan was postponed till next Saturday, due to last weekend's stormy winter weather. Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eli Fuch's", the club's Under-16s, were luckier in their league outing at the Kiryat Shalom training ground against Maccabi Haifa/Nahalal. Head coach Shlomi Mitelka's lads scored eight times to only one reply, and their 8-1 victory keeps them in the top slot of the nationwide U16 League Southern District table. Desalin Balacho scored a hat-trick, Ofek Balas, Almog Eylon, Guy Dahan, Neil Goldberg and Yarin Sharabi all added individual efforts.

The first Youth Division team to reach the semi-finals of their State Cup competition were Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad", the club's Under-15 Team 1. Head coach Eyal Tzachi's squad travelled to Hapoel Ra'anana and won the tie quarter-final tie 0-3 courtesy of second-half goals by Rotem Ziv, Gal Porat and Idan Zioni. Under-15 Team 2 were quick to follow their Team 1 counterparts into the semi-finals, but did so in considerably more dramatic fashion. Their away tie at Maccabi Haifa ended 2-2 after 80 regulation minutes, with Yam Ben Yehuda's brace responsible for Maccabi Tel Aviv's contribution. Six minutes into extra time Shachar Eylon scored Maccabi Tel Aviv's third and their 3-2 triumph sends head coach Erez Belfer's crew into the next round. The two Maccabi Tel Aviv teams will now face Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Petach Tikva in the semi-finals.

Two more Maccabi Youth Division teams saw the wintry weather postpone their last sixteen Cup ties for another day – the Under-14 Team South and Under-13 Team North. The club's Under-13 Team South though braved both the stormy weather and their counterparts at Nesher FC to reach their State Cup quarter finals with a 1-2 victory. Only one Maccabi team, the Under-14 Team North, were unsuccessful in their attempt to extend their State Cup campaign. They lost by the narrowest of margins, 0-1, at Tzi'ire Taibe.  

Both of Maccabi's U15 teams reached their State Cup semi-finals on a ...

This Saturday, Maccabi's Youth Division teams will take time off from league duties for State Cup encounters

Just a week after dismissing them with impunity by a score of 0-7 in the national U19 Premier League, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" be looking to extend an up to now successful campaign in the State Cup when they once again face Hapoel Haifa in the last sixteen, this time at the Kiryat Shalom training ground on Saturday at 11.30am. Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded", the club's Under-17s, have also displayed fine form of late with five consecutive league victories and will also be looking to advance to the State Cup quarter finals when they travel on Saturday to the "Safari" field to face Hakoach Amidar Ramat Gan at 10.30am. Head coach Shlomi Mitelka's Under-16s on the other hand saw Cup action last week when they advanced to the last sixteen at the expense of Beitar Jerusalem. The nationwide U16 Southern District league leaders will return to league duties this Saturday when they host Maccabi Haifa/Nahalal for an intriguing tie on Kiryat Shalom's artificial pitch at 11am.

Both of Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-15 teams have already won their State Cup quarter-final contests. Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad", the club's Under-15 Team 1, will travel to Hapoel Ra'anana's South Park Field for an 8.50am kick-off with a view to making it to the semi-finals while Team 2 will have the same objective in mind when they face off against close league rivals Maccabi Haifa at 11am at Haifa's "Ketzef" training ground.

Maccabi's Under-14 Team South will be heading north on Saturday for an 11am kick-off against Hapoel Yokna'am for a shot at reaching their State Cup quarter finals. The club's Under-14 Team North will wait until the afternoon, 3.15pm to be exact, for their attempt to reach the same quarter finals at Tzi'ire Taibe. The club's Under-13s will also be competing in the last sixteen on Saturday, Team North close to home at Maccabi Herzliya at 8.30am, Team South somewhat further afield at Nesher FC at 11am.