Or Dasa called up to Israel’s Under-21 squad

Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department’s young talent is keeping busy during the break after being called up to the Israel Under-21 squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers. The National Team faces Kosovo away on Thursday and hosts Germany on Tuesday

Youth Club midfielder, Or Dasa, who has recently made the best of an opportunity to be a part of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s First Team, was called up to the Under-21 Israel National Team for their upcoming European Championship qualifiers.

Head Coach Marko Balbul will have Dasa available for Thursday’s away match at Kosovo who are in third place with 6 points after 4 matches and at home against Germany next Tuesday at Ramat Gan Stadium. The Under-21 side currently has 4 points in three matches thanks to a home win over Azerbaijan and a draw in Norway.

Youth Club midfielder, Or Dasa, who has recently made the best of ...

Yellow & Blue Youth Department Results November 4, 2017

The Under-19 side fell to Maccabi Haifa, the U17’s defeated Sakhnin while the Under-15 South squad scored six goals against Ashkelon to move into first place. Check out all of the Youth results inside

Maccabi “Shmuel” Haifa 3:0 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv
The club’s Under-19 side fell to their rivals from the Carmel on Matchday 7 of the Youth Premier League. The loss moves the team into 7th place, 8 points off of the top of the table. The young Yellow & Blue will now go on a 3-week break. For the full match report click here.

Bnei Sakhnin 0:4 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv
Eliezer Ben Aharon’s squad continued their positive momentum with yet another win in league play by defeating Bnei Sakhnin on Matchday 7. The Yellow & Blue sit atop the table with 7 wins in as many matches thanks to goal scorers, Raava Assayag with a brace, Gil Ben Shalosh and David Dego. Ben Aharon summed up the win: “We played on a tough pitch which was very small. The win was thanks to the way that our players were able to perform and how the Sakhnin team played. We prepared for the match and it worked as we scored quality team goals at the highest of levels. Now it’s on to the next challenge.”

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 2:2 Hapoel “Yoram” Rishon Le’Zion
The club’s Under-16 side split the points with Rishon Le’Zion on Matchday 8 after leading 2:0. Nehorai Bitton and Or Roizman scored for Maccabi. Head Coach Raymond Atteveld looked back at the match: “The match began very focused and very well as to what we had worked on this past week in training. After 5 minutes of play we should have been leading as we had a great chance but we failed to score. The attackers have to know the importance of scoring goals which is as important as the defensive work and not allowing goals. We scored the first and second goals but we weren’t able to kill the game, many chances but not enough goals. One mistake allowed the opponent to come back into the match. Mistakes happen during the game but the most important thing is to how the team reacts to those mistakes. We didn’t know how to deal with the mistakes and after an error a number of players were upset and displayed their frustration including at the referee. It’s time that one knows how to respect the referees regardless of their decisions. Rishon was able to draw even on a ridiculous penalty and the match ended in a disappointing draw. As a coach in the Academy I understand that there is a process of learning from mistakes and I hope that the players will learn quickly as it’s time that we understand that we are Maccabi and that we don’t give gifts to the opponents. We will continue to learn and improve.”

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 6:0 Hapoel Asheklon
The Under-15 South side got back onto the winning track after defeating the southern outfit on Matchday 6. The young Yellow & Blue are in first place and are undefeated so far this season. Ariel Belhassen, Elad Kaplan, Itay Ben Kimon, Oscar Gloch, Mor Siman Tov and Ener Osmandi all scored in the win. Head Coach Ori David spoke about the victory: “We didn’t play as well as we could have in the first half and as we weren’t as quick and missed some chances. We were much better in the second half and played at an excellent pace which led to two fantastic goals.”

Hapoel Petah Tikva 4:3 Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv
The Under-15 North squad fell for the first time this campaign as they lost to Petah Tikva on Matchday 6. Despite the defeat, the young Yellow & Blue sit in 4th place just 3 points off the top of the table. Omer Senior scored a brace while Aviv Pelles added a single marker. Coach Asaf Heber commented: “After a long period of time that we played well, we didn’t play aggressively enough and we weren’t as focused. We led twice in the first half but the hosts tied us up twice and we went into the break even. We gave up two goals at the start of the second half and we were just able to get one goal back near the end of the match.”

Maccabi “Shmuel” Haifa 3:0 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv The club’s Under-19 side fell ...

“We have to look in the mirror and correct our mistakes”

The Head Coach Guy Tzarfati spoke about the loss to Maccabi Haifa in league action: “We’re disappointed in how we played, we didn’t expect to lose”

About the play after the Derby match:
“Were disappointed in how we played and we didn’t except to lose, especially as to how we looked. But we have to tell the truth that Haifa beat us in all the parameters that a team must do to win a football match. There are games like this. We have to take a look at the video and also look at ourselves in the mirror to see what we did wrong and correct the mistakes. We will take that and move on to the upcoming matches.”

Did Haifa surprise you?
“They didn’t surprise us as the Youth League is very competative this season and they still have some quality players. I believe that we are more surprised in ourselves. We made many mistakes on defense and we weren’t able to control the ball as we lost it numerous times, which is something that I can’t accept and it’s something that we must correct.”

The refereeing:
“Refereeing is part of the game and there can be dialogue between the coach and the referee, that’s part of the game as well. But you can’t cross the line and perhaps the referee took it more seriously that he had to, but my concern is the match itself and not the refereeing.”

About the play after the Derby match: “Were disappointed in how we played ...

Maccabi “Shachar” falls 3:0 to Maccabi Haifa

The Club’s Under-19 squad came up short against the Greens of the Carmel on Matchday 7 of the Youth Premier League. The Yellow & Blue will now go on a 3-week break and will return later in the month against Ashdod

Matchday 7 of the Israel Youth Premier League saw Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv take on the Greens of Maccabi Haifa as the Yellow & Blue came into the contest with 3 wins put of their last 4 matches and in 5th place on the table after a Tel Aviv Derby win last week. Haifa came into the match in 12th place with one win out of 6 games.

Head Coach Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI featured Daniel Peretz, Ran Vaturi, Amit Glezer, Fadi Najar, Tomer Mahlof, Eden Kartsev, Tomer Altman, Prince Thomas, Eylon Almog, Eyal Hen and Adir Hardon.

First Half
Haifa had the first chance of the match off a 3’ Yam Cohen corner kick as he found Hamoudi Kaanan in the box but his header went over the bar and out. Two minutes later Alon Deri tried a long range strike, but Daniel Peretz was in place to parry the ball away for a corner.

The Greens took the lead in the 14’ when Kaanan crossed the ball from the right wing to Cohen who beat Peretz for a 1:0 lead. Maccabi’s opening opportunity came a minute later but Almog’s shot went into the Haifa defenders and out. In the 30’ Timothy Mozi came down the left flank but Najar was able to stop the dangerous situation while a minute later Almog’s attempt from long distance went out. Cohen, the Haifa goal scorer found Ziv Morgan but his 34’ chance went out however, ten minutes later Kaanan put the ball in the far corner to give Haifa a 2:0 advantage going into the break.

Second Half
Prince Thomas began the half with a terrific chance from 30 meters, but the ball went out while a minute later the Greens again put Maccabi under pressure as Muhammad Jabar came down the left side and crossed the ball to Cohen but his chance went out.

In the 53’ striker Gal Katbi took a through ball and had a great chance on Peretz but the Yellow & Blue keeper made the stop. However, four minutes later Katbi’s shot was saved by Peretz but Mozi found rebound and put the ball into the back of the goal for a 3:0 lead. Mufleh Shalata came on as a substitute and left a fine ball for Altman, but his long range attempt was saved by the keeper in the 64’ while ten minutes later Almog’s chance flew over the bar and out. The sides traded chances for the final quarter hour but Maccabi couldn’t pull a goal back as the match ended in a 3:0 defeat to Haifa.

Matchday 7 of the Israel Youth Premier League saw Maccabi “Shachar” Tel ...

Youth Department Action Saturday November 4, 2017

Following the big Derby victory, the Under-19 side visits the league champions while the U17’s will look to keep their perfect record intact. The Under-16 club plays at Kiryat Shalom while both the U15 teams are also in action

Maccabi “Shmuel” Haifa – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 12:00 Ketsef Lower Pitch
Following the Derby win last week over Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi “Shachar” will look to keep up the positive momentum away at the league champs in the Carmel on Matchday 7. Guy Tzarfati’s squad find themselves in 5th place with 3 wins out of their last 4 matches as the Greens sit in 12th place with their only victory coming on the opening Matchday.

Bnei Sakhnin – Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv, 14:45 Sakhnin Synthetic Training Pitch
The Under-17 side will look to maintain their perfect record on Matchday 7 in Sakhnin. The young Yellow & Blue are in 1st place while the hosts are in 13th place with one win in 6 contests. Coach Eliezer Ben Aharon’s goal will be to take home 3 points and another win.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv – Hapoel “Yoram” Rishon Le’Zion, 10:30 Kiryat Shalom Synthetic pitch
After scoring 5 goals last match at Maale Adumim, the Under-16 team plays at home against Rishon Le’Zion on Matchday 8. The Yellow & Blue are in 6th place while the visitors find themselves in 5th as one point separates the two sides.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv – Hapoel Ashkelon, 12:30 Kiryat Shalom Synthetic Pitch
The Under-15 South squad will play at home when they host the southern side on Matchday 6 as they sit in 2nd place with the same amount of points as the first place team. Ashkelon are in 13th position with one win out of 5 matches as Ori David’s club will look to keep there undefeated streak alive.

Hapoel Petah Tikva – Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv, 13:00 Moshava Synthetic Training Pitch
The Yellow & Blue Under-15 North team heads to Petah Tikva with a record of 4 wins and 1 draw good for 13 points while the hosts have collected 8 points so far and sit in 5th place.

Maccabi “Shmuel” Haifa – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 12:00 Ketsef Lower Pitch Following ...

Tzarfati: “There’s no one happier than me to win a Derby”

The Under-19 Head Coach looked back at his side’s 3:1 Derby win over Hapoel Tel Aviv while the Captain Tomer Altman summed up the game from his point of view as well

The Derby victory against Hapoel Tel Aviv wasn’t just any Youth Premier League win for the coach and the players. Head Coach Guy Tzarfati and Captain Tomer Altman spoke about their feelings on taking home the important win.

“There’s no one happier than me to win a Derby. I thought about it when I was on my way to the match, that I’ve experienced the Derby as a fan, player, a player who won the State Cup Final Derby and as the coach of the Under-19 team. There were a lot of emotions and special energy and I’m happy that we were able to win the match. We can still play better than we did today and we should have killed the game and led 2:0. In the second half we stayed back a bit but we should have still been able to quietly finish off the match much earlier.”

Message to the players following the win:
“I brought the players together in a circle after the match right on the pitch so the fans and parents could see how much I appreciated their hard work and what they did on the pitch. You have to take into account that these are players who are just at the beginning of their careers and there is always pressure in a Derby, by the media and it’s not that simple. I only have compliments and winning 3:1 is really great.”

About Or Dasa playing with the first team:
“Or is a player who is part of the whole youth department. I was the coach who integrated him into the Under-19 side but it’s all of his coaches from when he was younger that deserve credit for doing a great job with him. This is something that the whole department and management can be proud of.”

Captain Tomer Altman also discussed the important win:
“It’s a wonderful feeling especially as to how the match began. Our start to the season wasn’t the best, so it was important to take home the Derby win.”

Looking ahead:
“I think that the good Derby result and the way we played will give us a big push going forward. We just want to continue to improve.”

About the Hapoel fans:
“We weren’t going to let them influence the game. It’s part of the match, the fans and crowd and soon enough the players will be on the first teams where it is also part of the match.”

The Derby victory against Hapoel Tel Aviv wasn’t just any Youth Premier ...

Yellow & Blue Youth Department Results October 28, 2017

Maccabi “Shachar” picked up a big Derby win, the U17’s won as well while both Under-15 side’s drew. The U16 squad will play today

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 3-1 Hapoel “Nisanov” Tel Aviv
The Club’s Under-19 team won the Derby on Matchday 6 as Tomer Altman (p), Fadi Najar and Netanel Peretz all scored. Guy Tzarfati’s squad won their second straight and sit in 5th place just five points off the top of the table. For the highlights and match report click here.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv 2:1 SC Ironi Ashdod
After a month long break, the Under-17 side got back to action with 3 points and a win on Matchday 6. Maccabi “Oded” is the league’s only team that hasn’t dropped a point as they currently find themselves in 1st place.

Head Coach Eliezer Ben Aharon summed up the match: “We came back after a month and it felt like the first match of the season. Our players controlled the pace for the majority of the match against Ashdod but we were missing certain parts of our game on an individual and team level. We have to know how to kill the game earlier on once we are in the lead and when we are in control. The goals we scored were the direct result of practicing them during our training sessions and sometimes it looks exactly like how we did it in training, it’s a great feeling that this is part of the game and the win. We’re now onto the next match and we went to continue to improve as always!”

Hapoel “Rami” Tel Aviv 1:1 Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv
The Under-15 South squad came home from Wolfson with a Derby draw on Matchday 5. The young Yellow & Blue are still undefeated and are in 2nd place with the same number of points as the first place side. Oscar Gloch was the goal scorer. Head Coach Ori David discussed the match that was: “We clearly controlled the play for most of the match and we had numerous chances in front of the opponent’s goal, but unfortunately we were unable to take the win. I’m happy with the performance and how they have been advancing and improving.”

Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv 1:1 Maccabi Petah Tikva “Yehuda Partush”
On Matchday 5 of the league, the Under-15 North team recorded a draw at home. The young Yellow & Blue are undefeated as they are in 4th place, 2 points off the top of the table. Sivan Gafni was the goal scorer as Head Coach Asaf Heber summed up the contest: “These were two very good clubs and it was an even game. We scored in the 50th minute but we weren’t able to take advantage of our other chances to kill the game. It’s disappointing to give up a goal in the final minutes but the guys are continuing to improve in training and I’m optimistic.”

Beitar Ironi Maale Adumim “Tzav Pius” – Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv, Toto Stadium Maale Adumim Sunday 19:45
The Under-16 team plays in Maale Adumim on Matchday 7 as they enter the contest in 6th place with 3 wins and 3 draws. The last place side is winless so far this season.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 3-1 Hapoel “Nisanov” Tel Aviv The Club’s Under-19 team ...

The Derby’s Yellow & Blue. Maccabi defeats Hapoel 3:1

Matchday 6 in the Youth Premier League saw the young Yellow & Blue take home a Derby win thanks to goals by Altman, Najar and Peretz. Watch

Prematch
Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv hosted Hapoel Tel Aviv in a Matchday 6 Derby at the Toto Ramle Stadium. The U19’s came into the contest in 6th place on the table after defeating Bnei Sakhnin last week while Hapoel entered the match after two straight losses and in 11th place. Head Coach Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI included Daniel Peretz, Ran Vaturi, Amit Glezer, Fadi Najar, Tomer Mahlouf, Eden Kartsev, Mufleh Shalata, Tomer Altman, Adir Hardon, Prince Thomas and Eyal Hen.

First Half
The match began in perfect fashion for the Yellow & Blue as they received a penalty in the 2’ after a Red’s handball in the box. Altman beat the keeper to give Maccabi a quick 1:0 advantage. Three minutes later, the visitors had a dangerous chance via Benny Tredovsky who was alone in the box but Peretz made the stop. In the 12’ Thomas sent a ball to Hen but his attempt was caught by the Red’s keeper.

In the 21’, Maccabi almost doubled their lead when Hardon had a one-on-one situation in the area, but the keeper blocked the ball for a corner. However on the ensuing corner, the Red’s shot stopper wasn’t able to make the stop after Najar headed it into the goal for a 2:0 advantage. Eight minutes later Ovadia Ofer tried his luck in the Maccabi box and hit the bar, but Hapoel then found the back of the goal thanks to Tredovsky who cut the Yellow & Blue lead to 2:1. The same Tredovsky tried to draw even in the 38’ but Peretz made the save as Maccabi took the one goal advantage into the break.

Second Half
Maccabi looked to add to their total and in the 50’ Hen passed the ball to Thomas but the keeper made the stop while 8 minutes later Peretz made a save on a dangerous Hapoel free kick to keep the score as is.

In the 65’ Ofer’s long attempt for the Reds hit the bar and went out and in the 73’ Altman’s ball found Omer Berami who came in as a substitute, but his shot just grazed the post. Eylon Almog also came into the match and had a chance in the 82’ but his opportunity went wide of the goal, while 7 minutes later Berami took control of the ball in the box but his shot was stopped by the keeper.

With Maccabi pressing for a 3rd goal Thomas almost found it in the 92’ minute but his ball went out, however 2 minutes later the Yellow & Blue’s hard work paid off. Netanel Peretz who also came on as a substitute was alone in front of the Hapoel goal and put a scorcher into it for a 3:1 Maccabi win.

Prematch Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv hosted Hapoel Tel Aviv in a Matchday ...

The Camera’s Lens: The Youth Derby’s all Yellow & Blue

Maccabi "Shachar" defeated the Reds 3:1 in the Tel Aviv Derby on Matchday 6. The match included some fantastic goals and terrific atmosphere. Here's what it looked it from the camera's lens

Facts & Stats behind the Youth Derby

On Saturday at 11:45, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv will host Hapoel Tel Aviv in the first Derby of the season. Just ahead of the big matchup, let’s take a look back at some of the great contests of the past decade

A Derby, no matter where in the world, is always one of the highlights of the season and the Club’s Under-19 side, Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv will host Hapoel Tel Aviv in the first Tel Aviv Derby of the campaign at the Toto Ramle Stadium at 11:45 on Saturday. Just ahead of the contest, let’s take a look back at some of the great Derbies of the past decade to get ready for this season’s first edition.

Please note: Admission to the Derby will be by ticket only. There will be no ticket distribution on Matchday at the Stadium Box Office.

Over the past ten years there have been 22 Derbies between the Youth teams with the record standing at 10 Maccabi wins, 7 wins for Hapoel and 5 draws. An interesting fact in the series to date is that the Yellow & Blue have collected more points away with 21 compared to 14 at home.

The biggest Maccabi “Shachar” Derby win took place in the 2014/15 season when the Yellow & Blue hosted Hapoel at Bloomfield Stadium with Ziv Arie on the sidelines in the championship season. The Under-19’s took care of the Reds 4:0 with Yonatan Cohen scoring a brace while Stav Ben Aharon and Sohil Armeli each added single markers.

Over the past decade the young Yellow & Blue had a few lethal goal scorers in the Derby including:
Yonatan Cohen – The striker who wore the Maccabi kit between 2013/15 scored 4 goals in 5 matches.
Gael Margulies – Between 2011-2013 the Maccabi “Shachar” striker found the back of the goal 3 times in 5 contests.
Eylon Almog – The current Under-19 striker who has played Hapoel 4 times and recorded 3 goals will look to add to his count on Saturday after making his senior team debut against Bnei Yehuda on Thursday night in the Toto Cup semifinals.

Check out the brand new Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Academy Instagram Account!

Interestingly enough the 88th minute of Derby matches has been when the Yellow & Blue have scored the most goals.

The most goals scored in the Derby by one player has been two by the following: Yonatan Cohen (14/15), Dor J’an (13/14), Matan Hozez (13/14), Eliel Peretz (13/14).

The longest streak without a Derby loss was 7 matches between the 2009/10 to 2011/12 seasons, 3 years in total during a very good period for the young Yellow & Blue. The club took home the Double in 2010/11 when they defeated their city rivals in the State Cup Round of 16 while in 2011/12 the U19’s won the league title.

Last season under the tutelage of Guy Tzarfati, Maccabi “Shachar” won all of their Derby matches and will look to take home 3 points this Saturday as well.

A Derby, no matter where in the world, is always one of ...