Israel at Montenegro
International Friendly
Saturday, June 5, 2021 | 1:45 p.m. CT
Podgorica City Stadium | Podgorica, Montenegro
Broadcast Schedule:
English | ESPN+
Spanish | TUDNxtra.com
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gadi Kinda could make his debut for the Israel Men's National Team on Saturday in an international friendly at Montenegro. The match will kick off at 1:45 p.m. CT from Podgorica City Stadium in Podgorica with live streams available on ESPN+ (English) and TUDNxtra.com (Spanish).
Kinda, 27, has represented his country at the U-18, U-19 and U-21 levels and was last part of a national team camp in 2019.
Born in Ethiopia and raised in Israel, Kinda has reclaimed a national team spot thanks to strong displays as an integral member of Sporting. The playmaker has recorded three goals and one assist in eight appearances this season. He opened his 2021 scoring account in a 2-1 victory at the New York Red Bulls on April 17 and tallied game-winning goals in home triumphs over Austin FC on May 9 and Houston Dynamo FC on May 29.
Kinda signed with Sporting Kansas City in January 2020 after logging over 200 professional appearances in Israel with FC Ashdod and Beitar Jerusalem. An impressive debut season in MLS saw Kinda receive Sporting KC Newcomer of the Year honors last year with six goals and four assists. He placed sixth among MLS newcomers in 2020 with 10 combined goals and assists while also creating 26 scoring chances, second-most on the team behind Johnny Russell.
Led by head coach Willibald Ruttensteiner, Israel are 85th in the latest FIFA rankings and are preparing to resume 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying in September. Israel currently sits third in Group F after three of 10 qualifiers and will need to finish in a top-two position to keep hopes alive for the nation's first World Cup berth since 1970.
Montenegro, No. 64 in the FIFA rankings, are led by head coach Miodrag Radulović and are coming off a scoreless draw at Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. The Montenegro squad features two players from the Israeli Premier League -- Marko Janković (Beitar Jerusalem) and Fatos Bećiraj (Bnei Yehuda) -- as well as Atletico Madrid's Stefan Savic.
