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Matchweek 2 for the U16s and U17s. A second victory for the latter and a close-run derby for the former

The 2012/13 season for Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-17s could not have got off to a brighter start last week, with a convincing 7-0 win over Hapoel Beer Sheva. This week head coach Ziv Arie's charges welcomed Hapoel Rishon Lezion to the Kiryat Shalom training ground and with a 4-1 victory demonstrated that their matchweek 1 success was no coincidence, and that despite the visitors jumping to an early 0-1 lead. By half-time however Maccabi were already in command, having turned the match around to 2-1 courtesy of a brace by defensive midfielder Guy Aviv, his third and fourth goals in two U17 matches after having joined the squad this year from the Under-16s. Two other squad members who scored against Beer Sheva last week, midfielder Sohil Armeli and striker Yonatan Cohen, were also on the scoreboard this week against Rishon Lezion. For Armeli, who scored Maccabi's third today, it was also his fourth goal of the young season. Cohen sealed the victory seven minutes from time with his second in as many matches. Next week there will be no matches in the nationwide U17 Southern District League, with Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded" returning to action in a fortnight with a visit to Ashdod FC.

Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eli Fuchs", the club's Under-16s, hosted municipal rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv in the nationwide U16 Central District League for an intriguing derby that ended in a 1-1 draw. Hadar Levi put Maccabi in the lead in the first half, but after the restart Hapoel found an equaliser that saw the two clubs share the points when the match drew to a close. Next week the Under-16s will be looking to register their first victory of the new season when they head out to play Hapoel Ramat Gan .    

Maccabi's U17s suffered their first defeat of the new season, losing 0-1 in a municipal derby to Hapoel Tel Aviv

After opening the league with three consecutive wins to take all nine available points, Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-17s dropped their first points of the season after losing 0-1 in a municipal derby to Hapoel Tel Aviv. Derbies are always eagerly anticipated matches, whatever the season or age group, and the Under-17 Yellow-against-Red contests are no exception. This derby, played at Maccabi's home ground Kiryat Shalom, attracted a healthy number of spectators, among them members of the senior squad, the club's sports director Jordi Cruyff and first team head coach Oscar Garcia, all of whom came to have a look at Maccabi's next-gen players.

The match itself didn't quite live up to expectations but in typical derby fashion tensions ran high topped off with a dramatic finish. Visitors and municipal archrivals Hapoel Tel Aviv, who also came into the match with nine points from three outings, scored the match's only goal after 36 minutes courtesy of Yoel Abuhatzera, who was left facing an open goal. Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded" went on the attack to find an equaliser before the break, with Guy Aviv and Matan Hozez breaking down the flanks to provide Yonatan Cohen's repeated attempts on goal, but to no avail. Maccabi kept up the pressure after the break but the visitors' defence held firm. Only in the match's final official minute were the home side provided with a golden opportunity to regain parity. A hand ball in the area by a Hapoel defender saw the ref point at the penalty spot but Yonatan Cohen failed to convert and injury time provided no further joy. Hapoel's single goal handed them all three points and "Oded" dropped their first points of the new season. They'll try to return to winning ways next week against their counterparts at Maccabi Haifa.     

Maccabi's U17s suffered their first defeat of the new season, losing 0-1 ...

The MTA Youth Division launch a new project unique of its kind in Israel

The Youth Division of Maccabi Tel Aviv continue in their efforts to develop in every possible way the talent of their young players. The most recent step in that direction is the opening of the Football Academy for Under-16s at Mikve Israel. For the 2014/15 season, the Division's Under-16 team will be composed of players from both of last year's Under-15 squads. They'll line up as regular competitors in the U16 Nationwide League South but their training regimes and the terms of their participation will be undergoing a radical change. These have been designed to resemble more closely those common to various clubs in Europe, as Football Academy Manager David Aharonov explains: "Our goal is to attune ourselves to the best youth divisions in Europe. We saw what those big clubs were doing, favouring the academy framework for the youth teams, and we've adapted that framework for here. In Europe those academies operate as boarding schools, where the players sleep and live on the premises throughout the week. Israel is a small country so there's no need to keep the youngsters away from their homes for extended periods of time".

The Under-16s will have an entirely different daily routine than the one they've grown accustomed to up until this season, a routine that will include a complete programme of school studies in addition to football training: "The youngsters may not be living here, but they will be here every day from morning until evening. They'll start the day with a school programme that provides them with all the required hours, including reinforcement. After their school hours they'll move on to the training ground at Kiryat Shalom for practice and in the evening they 'll return home by organised transportation".

According to Aharonov, the greatest need being met by the new academy structure is for increased attention to the advancement of the young players and the improvement of their abilities in every respect: "The biggest upgrade for the players themselves will be expressed in the increased number of training units they'll be receiving, nine instead of five, including not only regular and fitness training but also lectures on tactics which represent the theoretical units of training. Part of the benefit is also providing regular and proper meals, private tutors and the fact that the lads will be spending all day in a focused environment. We also discovered the need to see the kids eating properly every day, practising twice a day together and conducting their lives in a professional manner in general".

It's no coincidence that the Under-16s were chosen for this unique project: "In the younger teams there's still a very large turnover in players so a project like this is simply not suitable. The Under-16s are already going into Year 10 at secondary and the chances that they'll stay with the project are much greater. These are players poised to enter their professional phase, the senior team level, and this setup can be of enormous help to their development".

Aharonov stresses the point by explaining the importance of the project to the players themselves: "As our sports psychologist explained, the most important thing for the players is a change in their perceptions. They perceive themselves as professionals, they see how much the club are investing in them and their perceptions change in accordance. Every aspect of their training takes on a different meaning, more professional". At the Youth Division the project is being seen as a long-term affair, with new Under-16 squads entering the Academy each year: "This is the Division's flagship project and the club also understand its importance, witness the substantial funding the project has been given. We all believe strongly in the success of the Under-16 Academy project and we'll be assessing it over a long period of time".         

The MTA Youth Division launch a new project unique of its kind ...

Maccabi's U15s to U17s all played this weekend. The Under-17s won, the Under-16s once again finished in a draw

After last week's disappointing loss to municipal rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi's Under-17s returned this weekend to winning ways with a handsome 0-3 away win at Maccabi Haifa. After a goalless first half, Maccabi's Under-17 international Guy Aviv opened the scoring in the second half with his fifth goal of the season. The one-goal margin remain unchanged until the dying moments of the match but then Omer Priov and Effi Tal both scored their maiden goals of the season. The victory puts Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded" in third place in the national Under-17 League South, three points shy of league leaders Hapoel Tel Aviv. The Under-17s will be on international break until the end of the month, when they will return to host Beitar Jerusalem.

Maccabi's Under-16s hosted a strong Hapoel Beer Sheva side and held them to a goalless draw. The match was a balanced affair, with both sides seeking the winning goal but failing in the effort. This is the fourth draw for head coach Eliezer Ben Aharon's team, who will be looking for a second season victory in two weeks' time at Section Nes Tziona.

Results among Maccabi's two Under-15 teams were mixed. Team 2 became the division's second team to be beaten in a municipal derby after losing 4-2 away to Hapoel Tel Aviv, bringing their league results from three matchweeks to one win, one loss and one draw. Next week they'll host Hapoel Rishon Lezion in the hope of adding another "tick" to the win column. Team 1, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad", registered their first victory of the young season, and in impressive fashion, with a 5-0 victory over Bnei Eilat. Omer Lakou scored a brace, Ofri Mashta, Maor Bakar and Shay Golan added on.

Next weekend the U10s to U14s will join their older counterparts in league competition, with ten Maccabi youth teams joining the fray.  

Maccabi's U15s to U17s all played this weekend. The Under-17s won, the ...

MTA's U17s returned to league duties triumphantly. The U16s booked their second consecutive victory

After a three week international break Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-17s returned to league commitments with an away tie against Beitar Jerusalem that was anticipated to be anything but easy. But "Oded" were up to the task and finished the match at the better end of a 0-2 scoreline. Yonatan Cohen scored his fifth goal of the season and captain Dan Glazer finished off the scoring late on with his second goal in six league matches. The win leaves Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded" third in the nationwide Under-17 South table, one point behind municipal rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv and league leaders Hapoel Ra'anana.

Maccabi's Under-16s registered their second consecutive victory with a 4-3 win against Beitar Tel Aviv. "Eli Fuchs" already led 3-1 at half-time courtesy of a brace by Tomer Altman and an individual effort by Ezra Hanna. Just after the restart Maccabi's Raz Yitzhak made it 4-1 but Beitar then got back into the match by scoring two goals of their own, providing for a nail-biting finish.

This Saturday's results for Maccabi's two Under-15 teams were less encouraging. Team 1, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad", headed off for a difficult away tie against nationwide Under-15 Central District League leaders Ashdod FC and returned empty handed after losing 1-0. Team 2 hosted second-placed Bnei Yehuda and walked away at the losing end of a 0-3 scoreline.

Unfortunately, "Eldad" were not the only Maccabi youth team to lose at the hands of FC Ashdod.  The Under-14 Team South were also defeated by their southern coastal hosts 2-1. Team North also headed south but they fared much better, registering a third win in their first three league matches with a 1-2 win against Hapoel Beer Sheva. The Under-13 Team North were also victorious against their Hapoel Beer Sheva rivals , beating them 4-2, while Team South's tie against Bnei Yehuda ended in a goalless draw, the only draw of the Youth Division's weekend fixtures. The Under-12 team North lost 4-2 to their municipal rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv in the first of two derbies played on Saturday, while Team South excelled in a 13-5 romp against Ironi Modi'in.

Maccabi's younger teams all won their encounters on Saturday. The Under-11 Team North also reached double figures in beating Hapoel Ramat Gan 11-5 while Team South triumphed by the more modest but still convincing margin of 5-1 in Saturday's second derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv. There were also goals galore in the Under-10 Team North's 8-3 rout of Hapoel Ramat Gan but Team South were the Youth Division's biggest winners of all, shooting 16 goals past Sektia Nes Tsiona while conceding just one goal at the other end.            

MTA's U17s returned to league duties triumphantly. The U16s booked their second ...

Another victory for MTA's U17s helped them to hold on to their position near the top of their table, while the U16s won in Jerusalem

Nearly all the teams in the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division registered wins a week before the youth leagues enter a break until the 1^st of December. The Under-17s maintained their perfect away record with a fifth consecutive win on the road, a convincing 0-5 victory at Hapoel Ramat Gan. Guy Aviv and Yonatan Cohen both scored their sixth goal of the season while Eliel Peretz and Matan Hozez both opened their seasonal scoring accounts with a goal apiece. Omer Priov added the team's fifth. The win means that there are no changes at the top of the nationwide Under-17 League South, with Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded" still in third place a point behind second-placed Hapoel Tel Aviv and league leaders Hapoel Ra'anana.

Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-16s continue to improve their form with a third consecutive victory, a 0-3 away win at Beitar Jerusalem. In doing so they passed their hosts in the nationwide Under-16 South table and now share the fifth spot with municipal rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv. After the break, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eli Fuchs" will host Ironi Kiryat Gat.

The Under-15s, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eldad", registered their third win in six league matches with an impressive 5-1 victory over Gadna Tel Aviv. Omer Lakou scored a brace while Ofri Mashta and Or Shimon contributed individual goals. Maccabi's fifth came through an own goal. "Eldad" will return from the break to a derby with municipal rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv. Maccabi's Under-15 Team 2 booked their second draw of the season, 3-3 against Ironi Bat Yam, with Gal Sandrovitch contributing a brace and Amit Cohen adding on.     

Another victory for MTA's U17s helped them to hold on to their ...

All of Maccabi Tel Aviv's youth teams returned from the break to win their state cup games

Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-17s, ranked third in the league before entering a three-week league break, set out today for a Cup tie away against Shimshon Tel Aviv and successfully completed the first round of the Under-17 State Cup competition with a 0-7 rout of their hosts, who are currently placed bottom of the national Under-17 Premier League.  Guy Aviv continued to demonstrate his good form this season, adding two goals to the six he has already scored in the league.  Suheil Armeli, who has four goals in the first two games of the season, came back to score against Shimshon Tel Aviv, netting the first goal of the game. Yossi Solelich and Rotem Sharon scored their debut goals this season and Matan Hozez and Eliel Peretz added goals of their own, settling the final score at 0-7. 

Next week, Youth A will return from the league, directly to an intriguing encounter against the chart leading HaPoel Ra'anana, where the difference between the teams is just one point.  Maccabi Tel Aviv's Youth B (U16) also completed their first round successfully, beating Maccabi Yehud 9-0 at Kiryat Shalom.  Raz Itzhak was the prominent player of the game, with a foursome taking his total record to 10 goals this season.

The cup victory was the fourth consecutive win for Youth B, who will try to keep up their good performance as they host Ironi Kiryat Gat next Saturday.  The two Youth C teams are also moving ahead in the national cup games.  Youth C2 achieved the same score as Youth B, 9-0, in an away game against F.C. Taibe Youth.  Youth C also played an away game in which they beat Sektzia Ness Ziona 5-1.  Maccabi Tel Aviv's children's team returned from hiatus directly to the league games.  Two Children A teams lost.  For Children A North, it was their first lost of the season, 0-1 to HaPoel Tel Aviv.  Children A South lost 0-2 to HaPoel Rishon LeZion.  Children B reported victories – Children B South beat Beitar Jerusalem 4-1 and Children B North beat Yaffo Youth 7-2.

All of Maccabi Tel Aviv's youth teams returned from the ...

A Fourth consecutive win for Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-17s, a 2-1 victory that sees them replace HaPoel Ra'anana at the top of the table

Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-19s played an away game, but the centre pitch at Kiryat Shalom training ground hosted an equally intriguing top level match.  The club's Under-17s hosted Hapoel Ra'anana for a game between the table's first and third-placed sides, with only one point separating the two.  Maccabi went into the game after three consecutive wins, hoping to harvest three additional points that would see them rise above the visitors in the Under-17 League table.

The first half was controlled by Maccabi, which had opportunities marked by quick attacking play from the flanks. Defender Guy Aviv and midfielder Matan Hozaz created opportunities for forward Jonathan Cohen and tried to score themselves, but they were unable to pass Ra'anana's goalkeeper.  But just five minutes into the game, Guy Peretz moved in from the left and shot with his left foot past the Ra'anana goalkeeper to give Maccabi the lead.

The advantage held for only two minutes, when Hapoel Ra'anana drew level at 1-1.  Ariel Hadar received a long ball and beat Omri Glazer in Maccabi Tel Aviv's goal.  But Maccabi did not back down and continued to attack until they regained the advantage.  Ziv Arie's players could have improved the score on several occasions, but the score eventually remained the same, 2-1, and Maccabi recorded another league victory.

A Fourth consecutive win for Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-17s, a 2-1 victory ...

ARIEL AVRAM

Ariel Avram is the Youth Division general manager. A commercial and sports lawyer by trade, Avram played in the club's Youth Division and after several years away rejoined the club in 2007. Avram served first as assistant general manager and then as the club's website editor and media officer. Before taking his position in the Youth Division, Avram worked closely with owner Mitch Goldhar and his representative in Israel Jack Angelides. Early in 2011 he took up his current position at the Youth Division.

ARIEL AVRAM

Ariel Avram is the Youth Division general manager. A ...

No wonder it's all smiles at the MTA Youth Division. No less than 12 trophies in the 2013/14 season. And that's not all . . .

Another successful season has come to a close at the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division, with a trophy cabinet bulging with reminders of the achievements of the various Youth Division teams. Eleven titles in all – three league championships, six prestigious State Cups, one "Super Cup" trophy and the winners' trophy at this year's "Nike Israel" tournament.

The Division's first silverware came at the very start of the season when the Under-19s, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar", won the Under-19 Premier League "Super Cup" after beating last season's double winners Maccabi Haifa 3-1. In the league itself, head coach Ziv Arie's charges finished second, just two points behind winners Maccabi Haifa. Nonetheless, Maccabi's Under-19s finished the season level with the leaders in league victories (18) and fewest goals conceded (27). As for total number of goals scored, "Shachar" led the league with 60 but unfortunately still fell short of returning the league trophy to the Division, where it last stood after the 2011/12 season. Another achievement for the Division's flagship side was seeing their promising young striker, Dor Jan, take his first steps in the senior squad in the final stages of their championship campaign after scoring eleven goals for the Under-19s.

The club's Under-17s, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded", won the prestigious U17 State Cup trophy and did it with panache. The U17 squad of head coach Eliezer Ben Aharon and his assistants Gadi Bromer  and Reviv Dakar comprehensively beat Maccabi Haifa 4-0 in the final held at the National Stadium in Ramat Gan last month, with Daniel Rahimi, Raz Itzhak, Dor Galili and Ro'i Tzarum all getting on the scoresheet. In addition to Cup celebrations, the Under-17s also celebrated sending two of their numbers, Raz Itzhak and Rany Hamza, for try-outs with the Under-19 squad.

Maccabi's Under-16s were one of two Youth Division teams to complete an excellent season with a league and Cup double. The squad of head coach Erez Belfer and his assistants Haim Lanziano and Eitan Katz celebrated the first half of that double in April when they beat Beitar Tubruk 3-1 to capture the prestigious U16 State Cup. The double was completed early in May when a derby win against Hapoel Tel Aviv handed them the nationwide U16 League South title. And what an impressive title it was: Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eli Fuchs" finished the league season leading their nearest rivals by 9 points, with 27 victories and just 3 losses. Even more impressive was their goalscoring record, 128 in all with a goal difference of 107! Outstanding goalscorer was Omer Lakou with 33 league goals and 41 in all competitions.

Maccabi's Under-15 Team 1 may have finished the league only in third place but they too have something to be proud of. In March the team of head coach Shlomi Mitelka and his assistant Gil Meltzer won the "Nike Israel" tournament, held this year in Ra'anana, after beating Maccabi Netanya, Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabi's own Under-15 team 2 and, in the final, Hapoel Rishon Lezion. In their own right, Team 2, under the tutelage of head coach Haim Siton and his assistant Haim Nimni, also won one of the Youth Division's six State Cup titles after beating Maccabi Haifa 3-1 in the final. They crowned their season 2013/14 achievements by winning an additional title, the Under-15 "Champion of Champions", held this year at the Tel Aviv suburb of Even Yehuda. Meanwhile the club's Under-14 Team South, guided by head coach Ayal Tzachi and his assistant Israel Kakon, won the U14 Central District League title with 77 points and an impressive goal difference of 83, having conceded just 12 goals all season.

The second of the Youth Division's clubs to capture a league and Cup double were the Under-13 Team South. The U13 State Cup was won early in April, when head coach Ori David's lads beat Maccabi Haifa 6-3 in the final. The battle for the league title was much tighter and was decided only in the last matchweek of the season at the end of May. They went into the match ahead on goal difference and with their fate in their own hands. But a resounding 1-6 triumph at municipal neighbours Bnei Yehuda guaranteed that Maccabi's Under-13s would also lift the U13 Central District league trophy to crown an outstanding season.

An additional State Cup trophy was won by Maccabi's Under-12 Team North, led by head coach Micha Dahan and his assistants Guy Shemesh and Yoav Izober, after a 6-3 triumph over Hapoel Rishon Lezion. The youngest Maccabi Youth Division team to win a title this season was the class of '04, the Under-10 Team South. In April, the youngsters of head coach Asaf Profeta and his assistant Eliran Mizrachi booked a resounding 9-1 victory in the U10 State Cup final against Maccabi Petach Tikva.  

No wonder it's all smiles at the MTA Youth Division. No less ...