Sinai Says: Time to measure how far Israeli soccer has come

It has evolved over time but the feeling is that little has changed since the turn of the century.

By ALLON SINAI
Allon sinai 88 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Allon sinai 88
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Progression can often be difficult to measure in international soccer, but on Wednesday night we will get a clear indication of if, and how much, Israeli soccer has advanced in the last decade. If the national team defeats Latvia in Riga on Wednesday it will be ideally placed ahead of its next two qualifiers against Greece in just under six months time, which will likely determine if Dror Kashtan's side will have a chance of finishing top of Group 2 and advancing directly to the World Cup in South Africa. A win in Latvia will mean the team has beaten each of the group's three inferior sides away from home and will prove that despite their lack of quality Kashtan's men are capable of grinding out the results they need to truly contend for a World Cup berth. We can criticize Kashtan for his team's level of play as much as we like, but if Israel defeats Latvia he will have guided his side to 10 points out of a possible 12, with four of the remaining six qualifiers to be played in Israel. Half-an-hour after Yossi Benayoun and his teammates walk off the pitch in Riga, Israel's Under-21 team will be out to prove that after 16 years of playing in UEFA competitions, Israel can finally consistently produce sides of a European standard. By reaching the European U21 Championships in 2007 for the first time in its history, Israeli soccer showed that it can develop a team good enough to contend with the continent's best young sides. However, if Moti Ivanir's team can beat Italy at Bloomfield on Wednesday and book Israel's place in the U21 championships for a second straight time, than there can be no denying that youth players in this country are being groomed correctly and that their success is much more than a coincidence. Israeli soccer has undoubtedly evolved over the last couple of decades, but despite relatively successful qualifying campaigns, the general feeling is that not much has changed since the turn of the century. Wednesday's matches might not give us any definitive answers regarding the future of soccer in this country. They will allow us, however, to assess where Israeli soccer currently stands and how far it still has to go before it can realistically challenge on a consistent basis for a place in international soccer's biggest competitions. allon@jpost.com