Roby Young

Roby Young was born in 1942 in Haifa

Reuven "Roby" Young was born in Haifa on 15 May 1942. He grew up with his older brother and his mother in a small apartment in the Bat Galim neighborhood. His mother worked several jobs.

He left school as a teenager to work at an oil factory and played for its team. A scout brought him to the Hapoel Haifa youth team, which won the youth championship without a loss. He moved up to the senior team and played for Hapoel Haifa from 1959 to 1969, winning the State Cup in 1963 and 1966.

Young was the first captain of Israel's national team from Haifa and made 50 appearances with 8 goals. In 1961 he scored against Italy in a World Cup qualifier, and Israel won the 1964 Asia Cup. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics he was Israel's flag bearer, and the team lost its quarterfinal to Bulgaria by drawing lots after a 1-1 draw.

In 1969 he moved to the United States, studied at Adelphi University and earned a bachelor's and a master's degree. He played for the New York Cosmos, which won the 1972 NASL Championship, and retired as a player in 1973. He was also the first commentator of the Israeli television sports department.

He later coached Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Haifa, including an emergency stint at Hapoel Haifa in 1994. He returned to the United States and coached the women's team at Queens College in New York. In 2001 he was named Haifa's Player of the Millennium.