“I feel great after my first training session here. It was a hard, tough training, just the way I like it. I feel good.”

 

Those were Kobi Moyal’s words after his first official practice with the New York Cosmos early this week. In this newest endeavor in his career, Moyal brings his knowledge and experience, which will help to further shape the Cosmos midfield. He mentioned that he is an aggressive “number six”, or defensive center midfielder, much like his idols, Xabi Alonso, Claude Makélélé and Gennaro Gattuso. He has the characteristics of these players on the defensive end, with his slide tackles and his one-on-one defending while going up against his opponents.

 

“My teammates in Israel used to call me ‘The Israeli Gattuso’,” said Moyal. “I think they called me this because of my sacrifice and my intensity on defense.”

 

Moyal arrived to the Cosmos with quite the resume. It all started at Beitar Jerusalem, where he began his youth career and eventually debuted as a professional athlete. He made over 100 appearances while wearing the Beitar jersey, winning the 2006-07 Israeli Championship and the 2009-10 Toto Cup with the club. After loan stints at Hapoel Kfar Saba and Bnei Yehuda, he signed with Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol, helping them lift the Championship trophy in the 2013-14 season. At Sheriff, Moyal had the opportunity to feature in his first Europa League, although the team bowed out at the Group Stage after a 4-1 loss on aggregate to Tottenham Hotspur.

 

Moyal then spent two years with one of Israel’s most historic teams, Maccabi Haifa, where he won the Israel State Cup in the 2015-16 season. He returned to his childhood club, Beitar Jerusalem, for the 2016-17 season, and played in the Europa League once again.

 

The midfielder's impressive soccer resume doesn’t end there, however. Moyal was also given the opportunity to play alongside some of the best Israeli footballers of all time while on the Israeli National Team. He played alongside Yossi Benayoun, a well-known player who featured for some of the best teams in England, as well as Eran Zahavi, among others. Moyal expressed that the experience was, in fact, “life-changing”.

 

“It’s amazing. I actually played here in the United States against Honduras when we won 4-2. It was a great moment,” said Moyal. “As a child, it has always been my dream to play for my national team. I hope that I play well enough [for the Cosmos] so that I can get called up again.”

 

Moyal will surely give New York his absolute all, especially on the defensive end, where he is more comfortable and experienced.

 

Be sure to catch the Cosmos as they return to MCU Park on Tuesday, July 4th at 7:30 pm, as they host Indy Eleven. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, click here.