The Israel National Soccer Team will play a pair of friendlies coming up against Hungary on Saturday night in Debrecen and then Belarus on Tuesday in Budapest as brand new head coach Ran Ben Shimon will make his debut on the blue-and-white sidelines.

While Israel will have a make shift squad for the two games, Ben Shimon will have a chance to see some of the fringe players and youngsters who potentially have a future with the national team. With a mix of veterans and newcomers, Ben Shimon will also have an opportunity to see how some of the mainstays will take the next step and also lead the team and impact those who are in training camp for the first time.

One of the players that will have a chance to see an expanded role for Ben Shimon is Gadi Kinda who is currently plying his trade for Maccabi Haifa after returning to Israel from a very successful stint with MLS outfit Kansas City.

The midfielder will be one of the few players that will be able to create for Israel with a lack of talent in that position for these two games, “The responsibility is not only mine and it’s not just me. I think that for everyone who is here this is a good opportunity for them to show what they can do and like everyone else, I want to prove that my place is here and I will strive to do that.”

Kinda also spoke about having to nurse an injury for quite a bit of time this year, “I had a difficult injury, I am slowly getting back into shape. After many years in the USA I am now acclimating here and I believe that I will still show the best of my abilities. There was some sort of decline, but I hope I will be able to return to be the best version of myself.”

With Ran Ben Shimon taking over for Alon Hazan, Kinda does have a familiarity with the new national team bench boss, “Ran is an excellent coach and I know him from Ashdod. Everyone will come into camp to prove to him that they deserve to play on the national team. We will get to know him as much as possible. He is a special coach as he looks at football in a different way and brings a very high level of know how with him.”

Kinda understands that Hungary will be playing in the upcoming Euros, but that doesn’t mean they will just roll over and not come to win, “Being humiliated does not cross our minds, we are training as best as possible. Hungary is an excellent team and is in the Euros, but we are not here to be anybody’s fodder. As I said, everyone starts from scratch and will come to prove themselves in the hope of staying with the team and earn a call-up the next time the national team will play.”

One of the other midfielders who will have a chance to show what he can do for Ben Shimon is Tomer Yosefi who just finished off a one tear loan at Hapoel Haifa.

“First of all, we had a good season at Hapoel Haifa and from a personal point of view it was excellent and we finished it off well. Now I’m are here with the national team and we are going to try to make all of our fans happy. As for where I will play next season, let’s see what will be over the next few days and see what happens. I have an agent and he handles everything, I’m not dealing with it right now. I am focused solely on the national team.”

“It’s an honor for every player that makes it to the Israel national team and they will give it all and fight with everything they have. This is a new team and has very good energy, we hope to make the country happy. I think every player who received a call-up is deserving. There are always new players, everyone has to prove themselves and give everything they have and this is a good opportunity for everyone.”

Yosefi added, “We are training a lot and are together all the time. Ran Ben Shimon brought new things with him and we get used to everything and acclimatize. I think it’s a great platform, anyone who plays here gives them great exposure for the rest of their career as well and it’s an opportunity that should be taken with both hands.”