A basic "who's he?" profile: https://prosoccerwire.usatoday.com/...an-goalkeeper-champions-league-maccabi-haifa/
Future NT keepers are getting selected at a ripe age of 14. Turner is a total fluke, Cohen going for Israel instead of quitting is another one.
https://m.one.co.il/Mobile/Article/22-23/1,1,4,49232/417657.html?ref=hp Some interesting tidbits in this short interview. Josh was hopeful to get MLS offers in 2019 but none came his way. He would not hesitate to accept a US call-up if one would come his way but is open to an approach from Israel as well. Lastly was that while he was not expecting to join Haifa from the USL, it has been a great opportunity thus far and he looks forward to playing against the best in the world in the Champions League.
It's actually quite disappointing that One.co.il didn't link to the original interview - which (IMHO was unbelievably outstanding, one of the best interviews of the year ). Instead, One.co.il just took the quotes without attribution. For those who want to see the original interview (and I highly recommend it), it is over at Soccer America. Make sure you check out my new interview with Josh Cohen - who is one of 10 Americans involved in the upcoming UEFA Champions League group stages. We covered a huge range of topics including his journey to this point, the draw, and his future https://t.co/6sIBvok62F— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) August 27, 2022
That is typical of One.co.il They’ve even taken posts from BS and used it as material. Israelis are notorious for stealing IP. It is why the US has a special designation for them as an ally but one not to share certain details with on patents etc.
Let me put it this way, how's his Hebrew at this stage? If it's Upper-Intermediate level, you can say that he's integrated fairly well into Israeli life and a call-up would have some emotional resonance. If not, then he's a fairly typical pro athlete: spends 2-5 years in a country and then moves on wherever his career takes him.
When it comes to Jewish Americans though, there can be a middle ground between these two. You grow up in a country/world where you’re a minority. Then you find yourself playing professionally in a country where 74% of the population is Jewish, your religious observances (if you had any) are national holidays, and you’re made to feel a part of the collective identity of the country. Language is something that you can get by easily in Israel if you don’t speak Hebrew but do speak English or even Arabic, Amharic, or Russian. But feeling part of the collective national identity is certainly easier to achieve for those who are Jewish.
Actually that happened after it was found out they were selling US military secrets to China back in 2013: https://www.military.com/defensetec...srael-passes-u-s-military-technology-to-china
Champions League group stage debut at Benfica for #44: ה-11 שלנו להערב 💪🏼🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/RjICrgtHcM— Maccabi Haifa FC (@mhfootballclub) September 6, 2022
A memorable debut, in that Cohen may have conceded the eventual goal of the tournament. https://clip.dubz.co/v/44nx4y Ends 2-0 to Benfica.
Don't think he can be blamed for either Benfica goal and there was a very good save right at the very end.
disagree that a Jewish american playing for the Israeli national is the typical mercenary "play for anyone that takes you" situation. The whole disapora history recent genocide and no (tranquil, peaceful) homeland makes it different. it's not a Brazilian forward moving to Poland and ending up playing for them type deal. its no David Regis type thing....
No. It was a pretty straightforward game except for the obscenely good goal that Benfica scored, which makes it memorable when it would otherwise be forgotten.
Cohen has definitely improved in that area. I’ve been on the record - since last year - saying he needed to be called in but was always a little skeptical of his distribution. It’s on par with Turner who has always massively improved in that area.
Wide-ranging interview Later today, American keeper Josh Cohen will realize his dream of playing in the Champions League when Maccabi Haifa visit Benfica. I spoke to the Mountain View, CA native on his remarkable career so far, the #USMNT, and his thoughts on the tough UCL draw https://t.co/zV61RTYW9V— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) September 6, 2022
Call him in. Don’t have anybody else playing club matches at that level. Horvath, Turner, & Cohen sounds like a scary law firm. Sadly, I don’t think it happens. I think some of the MLS options get a look before he does. The gulf between the CL group stage and Israeli domestic league is also massive.