Aaron Schoenfeld didn’t have to leave Columbus this winter.
The striker had a solid contract offer on the table from Crew SC, and he was happy in Columbus. But he wanted to play, and wasn’t going to get too much of a chance behind star forward Kei Kamara.
So Schoenfeld looked elsewhere, and found himself heading to Israel, signing with Maccabi Netanya in January.
Things have been a blur ever since.
He was at Netanya for just two weeks when two of Israel’s biggest clubs – Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv – came calling. He was offered deals by both, and was forced to pick between the two bitter rivals.
He chose Hapoel, then went out and scored in the second minute of their huge derby match against Maccabi in his first game with the club. The Tennessee native has been front-page news ever since, dominating headlines in Israel, and even receiving a call-up for the national team, which he qualifies for through his Jewish father.
Former MLS player Bobby Warshaw visited Schoenfeld in Tel Aviv, and was there for the 26-year-old’s derby goal. He dropped a big feature on Schoenfeld’s experience in Israel on Friday for FourFourTwo, looking at every aspect of the former Crew SC target man’s new life in the Middle East.
Schoenfeld’s story is wild, and Warshaw’s piece is well-worth a read. Check it out here.
