This is the new thread for discussions and match reports of Ajax's second team, also known as Ajax-2, but officially named Young Ajax... Don't forget to also subscribe to the Ajax USA website and check out our Young Ajax discussion board there:
http://www.ajax-usa.com/discuss/young-ajax.html

One week after the first team Young Ajax went back in training today. It was the first training session under the new coaching-duo: John van 't Schip and Marco van Basten.

This season's Young Ajax squad will consist of the following players:

Already playing for Young Ajax last season:
Michael Krohn-Dehli
Jussi Kujala
Gabriel Mofokeng
Jamal Akachar
Robert Zwinkels
José Valencia (absent; he is currently playing with Ecuador U-23)

Moved on from Ajax A1 to Young Ajax:
Randy Rustenberg
Jerold Promes
Fred Benson Erchiah
Tomas Vermaelen
Tom de Mul
Robin Muller van Moppes
Rasmus Lindgren
Etienne Esajas
Henrik Moisander
Niklas Moisander
Daniël de Ridder

Returned from loan
Jason Culina (De Graafschap)
Walker Fronio (Germinal Beerschot Antwerp)

A 'special case' is Nikos Machlas. The Greek striker was told he is no longer wanted in the Ajax-1 squad and that he was supposed to join Young Ajax today. Machlas is currently trying to find a new club. He did join the second team's first training today. But is e 'one of the guys' there? And will he ever play for Young Ajax...? Probably not, actually (it would make no sense, it would only keep a youngster out of the team and it would also be a humiliation for Nikos, which he does not deserve).

where is Danny Blind?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sunny20
where is Danny Blind?

---

Squad :

Akachar
Benson
Culina
De Ridder *
Esajas *
Krohn-Dehli
Kujala
Lonquet
Machlas
Mofokeng
Moisander (DF)
Moisander (GK)
Muller van Moppes
Nieuwenburg
Promes
Quansah *
Rustenberg
Valencia
Vermaelen
Walker
Zwinkels


Competition :

15/08/2003 Jong Ajax-Jong Vitesse
01/09/2003 Jong Ajax-Jong Willem II
15/09/2003 Jong FC Utrecht-Jong Ajax
29/09/2003 Jong Ajax-Jong FC Twente
06/10/2003 Jong RKC-Jong Ajax
13/10/2003 Jong Ajax-Jong AZ
27/10/2003 Jong Excelsior-Jong Ajax
03/11/2003 Jong Feyenoord-Jong Ajax
10/11/2003 Jong Ajax-Jong Volendam
24/11/2003 Jong Heerenveen-Jong Ajax
01/12/2003 Jong Ajax-Jong PSV
08/12/2003 Jong Ajax-Jong NAC
26/01/2004 Jong Vitesse-Jong Ajax
02/02/2004 Jong Ajax-Jong Excelsior
16/02/2004 Jong Willem II-Jong Ajax
01/03/2004 Jong Ajax-Jong FC Utrecht
08/03/2004 Jong FC Twente-Jong Ajax
22/03/2004 Jong Ajax-Jong RKC
29/03/2004 Jong NAC-Jong Ajax
05/04/2004 Jong AZ-Jong Ajax
13/04/2004 Jong Ajax-Jong Feyenoord
19/04/2004 Jong Volendam-Jong Ajax
03/05/2004 Jong Ajax-Jong Heerenveen
10/05/2004 Jong PSV-Jong Ajax





And the Amstel Cup matches of course ...

Friendly: Jong AJAX - Jong Haarlem ... 4-1
Goalscorers: Quansah (2x), De Ridder, Esajas.

With a strong squad and two coaches (Van Basten/Van 't Schip) everything looks allright ...

The players Quansah and Machlas left ...



AMSTEL CUP (First Round) :

IJsselmeervogels-Jong Ajax

Date: 12-08-2003 (19.30)

Jong Ajax defeated Jong Vitesse by 2:0 today.They qualify for the final ,to be played tomorrow.The match, which was the first played in the Hilversum Tournament, featured goals by Culina and Benson-Erchiah. More good news: Johnny Heitinga played the full match and Nigel de Jong, recovering from a toe injury,played the first 45'.If I read the Ajax.nl article correctly, Ajax Zaterdag 1 will line out in the final.This is of course due to the Amstel Cup match v. Ijsselmeervogels scheduled for Tuesday.

Zaterdag 1 lost 3:1 in the final of the Hilversumtoornei. Oh well. Such is life.Jong Ajax have much bigger fish(Ijsselmeer birds?) to fry on Tuesday. BEST OF LUCK TO JOHN VAN'T SCHIP EN MARCO VAN BASTEN'S MEN.Wonder if the brain trust will choose for a young side or include the likes of Norodin Boukhari, Cedric van der Gun, Johnny Heitinga ,en Nigel de Jong in the first eleven.

Spakenburg, August 12, 2003

Ajax 2 have booked their first success in the Amstel Cup. Not without difficulty, because amateur side IJsselmeervogels was beaten only after overtime: 2-4.

Ajax took the lead by a Jason Culina goal after only a few minutes. IJsselmeervogels had to attack, but Ajax failed to use the space that was created. Midway through the first half the amateur side scored the equaliser when Henrik Moisander errorred and Jan de Graaf could head the ball over the Ajax goalkeeper: 1-1.
Cesar Mendoza saw a red card ten minutes before halftime and the home side had to finish the match with ten players. But Ajax still allowed another goal after halftime from a counter attack.

Jason Culina saved his team. The Australian striker equalised three minutes before the end of regulation and thus made sure there would be an overtime period. IJsselmeervogels were broken, also because they had played with one player less for most of the match. Again Culina and Daniel de Ridder finished the amateur side off in the first half of the extra period.

(source: ajax.nl)

IJsselmeervogels - Jong Ajax ... 2-4

Goalscorers: Culina (3x), De Ridder (1x)



De Ridder in action for Young Ajax. [photo: ajax.nl]

Jong Ajax - Jong Vitesse ... 4-3

Goalscorers AJAX: Heitinga, Boukhari (2x), Culina.


First match in the regular competition ...

Down 1 inside a minute and 2 inside 17 minutes, Jong Ajax still prevailed . Way to fight lads!!!Hope this will be good stepping off point to a very successful year!

Ajax.nl has just announced that Young Ajax will play a special friendly fixture this Friday night, 22 August, against the national team of the United Arab Emirates. The game will be played @ De Toekomst, kick-off time is 19:00 CET.

Young Ajax has lost its first points of the season in its second league game of the season, at De Toekomst against Young Willem II: 1-1.

It was a poor game at De Toekomst in front of some 300 spectactors, who saw Young Ajax dominate in the first ten minutes. Willem II, however, scored from its very first 'standard situation': a free-kick in the 10th minute, headed home by Youssef Mariana.

The equalizer came before the half-time break and was scored by Jason Culina. It is remarkable how productive this guy is - although he's generally regarded as a player who "won't make it" (or actually "hasn't made it") at Ajax. In the last minute before the break he picked up an erratic backpass by Mariana, lifted the ball over goalkeeper Zois and was sharp enough to notice that his lob wasn't hard enough. Zois was on his way back to his goal. Culina ran after his own ball and gave the final push: 1-1 (45').

The second half was an extremely dull affair. Young Ajax had more possession, especially after Willem II's Van der Struijk had been sent off with his second yellow card. But there were hardly any chances. Once again, Young Ajax did not impress (sounds like the first team, except that they're winning...).

The Young Ajax line-up:
Taberima; Heitinga, Promes, Vermaelen, Valencia (49. Akachar); Krohn-Dehli (74. Lindgren), Muller van Moppes, Yakubu; De Ridder, Culina, Esajas (60. Longuet).

In its third league game of the season Young Ajax was rather unlucky: the away fixture at Young FC Utrecht ended in a 2-2 draw. Ajax played with ten men from the 38th minute (Jerold Promes was sent off; Ajax.nl doesn't say why) but still was the by far better team. They outplayed Utrecht for most of the game and took the lead twice, but saw the hosts equalize from a quickly taken free-kick in the dying minutes of the match.

Daniël de Ridder gave Ajax the lead (0-1), FC Utrecht equalized just before the break, immediately after Promes' red card. In the second half Nicolae Mitea and Jason Culina had several chances to score. On the hour Culina did so, from a free-kick: 1-2. The names of the scorers for Utrecht are not mentioned in the Ajax.nl match report.

Coach John van 't Schip had three first teamers to his availability and was very satisfied with their performances: Sander Boschker, who was not to blame for the goals, Johnny Heitinga ("his defending and passing were very good") and Nicolae Mitea, who constantly humbled his defender and crossed well.

The line-up:

Boschker; Heitinga, N. Moisander, Longuet (45. Valencia), Promes; Krohn-Dehli, Akachar (72. Benson Erchiah), Muller van Moppes; De Ridder (45. Kujala), Culina, Mitea.

The Talents' Eredivisie has its own page on the official KNVB website. Via this link you can always check the latest results and the table (they don't have other results and a table on Ajax.nl):
http://comp.knvb.nl/comp/results.sp...ournid=10036336

The Young Ajax fixture list for the season is here on Ajax.nl:
http://www.ajax.nl/show/id=111268/nodb=true

Amstel Cup games (in the 'big' Amstel Cup or the Amstel Malt Cup, for reserves teams) are not listed. Young Ajax plays its second round game in the 'big' Amstel Cup on Tuesday evening, 23 September, away at amateur side TEC from the town of Tiel.

As usual we will publish match reports of Young Ajax's Amstel Cup games on the Ajax USA homepage. I will keep you posted on their league and Amstel Malt Cup performances in this discussion thread.

No midweek action for Ajax-1 this week, but don't forget that Young Ajax will play its second round fixture in the 'big' Amstel Cup this week.

Young Ajax's away game at Top Class amateur side TEC from the town of Tiel was re-scheduled to Thursday (instead of Tuesday). Kick-off time is 18:00 PM, as TEC doesn't have a light plant, so the game has to be finished before dark.

Match report will appear on the Ajax USA homepage on Thursday evening, Amsterdam time.

I think the draw for the third round (in which Ajax-1 will enter the competition) will take place on Thursday night, too. The draw for Ajax-1 and, possibly, Young Ajax will be announced on the Ajax USA homepage in a news report.