The Melbourne Chinese Soccer Association (MCSA) kicked off the 2022 U-NITE Cup on Sunday, October 30 with support from Football Victoria and Melbourne Victory.
The U-NITE Cup has been an annual tournament since 2014 and is a celebration of cultural diversity, bringing together teams representing nations from across the globe.
There are 24 Men’s and 10 Women’s teams competing in this year’s event with the Grand Final set to be held on Sunday, January 15.
The MCSA dedicated the first week of group games to Hary Milas, who was well respected in the Football Victoria circles and was He was a good friend and a great supporter of MCSA and the U-Nite Cup over the years.
In Group A of the Women’s draw, AUS United defeated the Brunswick Zebras 3-0 and Chile managed to scrape past Mauritius 3-2.
Team UNITE enjoyed a 3-0 victory over Viva Italia in Group B, while Villarreal Melbourne edged past Turkiye Girls 3-2.
Iraq is sitting pretty on top of Group A in the Men’s competition after a 6-0 victory over the Liberian Panthers. Congo will also head into matchday with a healthy goal difference after defeating Egypt 6-2.
Afghan United picked up an important 2-0 victory against Vietnam, given they face the tough task of Congo in round two.
China was ruthless in their 12-2 victory over Himalayan Tigers Nepal, catapulting them to the top of Group B. Australia B also picked up a comfortable 5-2 victory over Syria Eagles, setting up a huge round two match against China. Malaysia and Somalia drew 2-2 to round out the group.
Turley and Mauritius share the top spot in Group C after both enjoying three-goal victories over Columbia and Timor Leste respectively. Brasil heads into round two in third place after taking care of TL Galaxy 3-1.
Zimbabwe was a class above when they easily accounted for Fiji 10-0 in Group D, while Korea defeated SE South Sudan 3-2 and Sunshine South Sudan defeated the Afgan Premiers 3-1.
The tournament winners will experience a unique Melbourne Victory matchday experience at the club’s January 26 doubleheader for the Club’s U-NITE match with Sydney FC.
The 2021 champions were Afghan United (Men) and Roxburgh Park United (Women).