Hapoel signs left back Amador before Red Star tie
The Israeli club put Portuguese defender Pedro Amador under contract on July 31, on a four-year deal from Atlanta United. He is eligible against Red Star in Szombathely on August 4.
While Belgrade was counting down the days to Szombathely, Be’er Sheva spent July 31 sorting out paperwork. Left back Pedro Amador passed his medical and signed, and five days later he can walk onto the pitch against Red Star Belgrade. Hapoel Be’er Sheva announced the deal as done, on a four-year contract.
Atlanta United confirmed the Portuguese defender’s departure without disclosing a fee, the phrasing MLS clubs reach for when there is no reason to publish the number.
What Hapoel is getting
Amador joined Atlanta in July 2024 from Portuguese side Moreirense and wore the number 18. MLS records him with 53 appearances in all competitions, 2 goals and 9 assists. His own club counts it slightly differently, 47 games across the regular season and the playoffs, 40 of them as a starter.
That last number is the one that concerns Red Star. A player who started 40 of 47 is not squad filler, he is a first choice arriving from a league that is in the middle of its season. His rhythm has not been interrupted.
The real question is different. How much of a new coach’s plan can a full back absorb between landing and Tuesday night, and whether the coach intends to throw him in at all on a night this size.
Who is missing for Hapoel?
The list is short, but it cuts through midfield. Brazilian midfielder Joao Victor was hurt in the Super Cup match and misses both legs against Red Star. He is the one certain absentee.
Centre back Djibril Diop came out of it better than first feared. Scans showed hip bruising rather than a serious injury, and he is expected to be available. The Senegalese defender arrived in Be’er Sheva in 2025 from Swiss club Yverdon and anchors the back line under coach Ran Kozhuk.
The fixture list
What is fixed before Tuesday:
- August 4, first leg, neutral ground in Szombathely, Hungary
- August 11, second leg in Belgrade at the Rajko Mitic Stadium
- Joao Victor ruled out of both legs
- Diop expected to be in contention
Hapoel did not stroll into the third qualifying round. In the previous tie they were behind after the first leg and turned it around, which says more about the group than any name on the teamsheet. A side that knows how to play from a deficit will not fall apart if it concedes in Szombathely.
What changes for Red Star
When we wrote about the draw, after the 5-0 in the previous round, Hapoel’s left side looked like one of the thinner spots in the Israeli squad. Three days later that gap has been filled by a defender with 53 competitive matches in his legs and no Israeli season behind him to tire him out.
For the analysts at Ljutice Bogdana that means starting over. Footage of Hapoel older than a week no longer shows the left flank Red Star will meet on Tuesday, and nine MLS assists are not the output of a full back who stays home.
If Kozhuk uses him straight away, Red Star’s right side faces an opponent who has known his teammates for a handful of training sessions. If he keeps him on the bench, Hapoel has fresh legs at the Marakana for the last half hour, which is when ties like this usually break. The first answer arrives on Tuesday, August 4.
