June 22, 2004
San Diego - San Diego State men's soccer coach Lev Kirshner has been named head coach of the United States Maccabiah soccer team for the upcoming world Maccabiah games.
Over 6,000 athletes representing more than 50 countries will take part in the 17th edition of the Maccabiah games, a quadrennial athletic competition for Jewish athletes. The U.S. is expecting to send over 600 coaches and athletes to compete in the events, set to take place July 11-21, 2005, in Israel.
This will be the fourth Maccabiah games for Kirshner, who has competed twice as a player and once as a coach. As a player in 1993 Kirshner helped his team win a bronze, and in 1997 captained the team that defeated eventual gold-medalist Brazil. Kirshner won his second bronze medal in 2003-04, this time as coach of the Pan-American Under-20 Maccabiah soccer team.
For more information about the Maccabiah Games, call the Maccabiah Games hotline at (215) 561-6181, fax to (215) 561-5470, send e-mail to maccabi@maccabiusa.com or visit the Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel website at www.maccabiusa.com.