There will be a double dose of football at AAMI Park on Friday night, with the U-NITE Cup Final to be played as the curtain-raiser to the Round 16 blockbuster between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC.
The annual Melbourne U-NITE Cup has been proudly organised by the Melbourne Chinese Soccer Association (MCSA) with the support of event partner Melbourne Victory since 2013.
The overarching purpose of the U-Nite Cup is to bring Melbourne’s diverse communities together through the great game of football.
24 teams started the Cup, with Afghan Premiers and Korea eventually winning their way into the final.
This is the first time the two nations have met in a final since the tournament’s inception.
The curtain raiser between Afghan Premiers and Korea kicks-off at 4:30pm local time.
Get to know the teams…
AFGHAN PREMIERS
Whilst there have been many Afghan teams participating in the Melbourne U-Nite Cup over the journey, this is the first-year team Afghan Premiers elected to form a team to enter the competition. The team consist of players from the MCSA winter league teams, as well as players from leagues external to MCSA.
Afghan Premiers’ road to the finals has been impressive. The team recorded seven wins in seven outings, including a morale-boosting win against Korea in the group stage.
03/11 Bosnia 0-6 Afghan Premiers
10/11 Afghan Premiers 8-2 Syria
17/11 Afghan Premiers 2-1 Zimbabwe
24/11 Korea 3-5 Afghan Premiers
01/12 Japan 1-8 Afghan Premiers
08/12 (QF) Afghan Premiers 4-2 Timor Leste
15/12 (SF) Afghan Premiers 2-0 Turkey
KOREA
Team Korea has been part of the Melbourne U-Nite Cup since its inception. This team consists of players from the MCSA winter league teams as well as players from leagues external to MCSA. Prolific goal scorer Subeom An won the Most Valuable Player award last year as well as the Golden Boot award in this year’s Cup campaign. Korea suffered its only set back when they lost to Afghan Premiers. Korea won its semi-final over Mauritius in a nail biter. The match was locked at 4-4, with Korea eventually previaling 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out.
03/11 Syria 2-8 Korea
10/11 Japan 2-5 Korea
17/11 Korea 2-1 Bosnia
24/11 Korea 3-5 Afghan Premiers
01/12 Zimbabwe 0-19 Korea
08/12 (QF) Korea 6-2 South Sudan
15/12 (SF) Korea 4-4 (pso 5-4) Mauritius
History of the U-NITE Cup
The annual Melbourne U-NITE Cup has been organised by the Melbourne Chinese Soccer Association (MCSA) with event partner Melbourne Victory since 2013. In 2018, the U-NITE Cup welcomed Football Victoria on board to support this community initiative.
Communities from various cultural backgrounds across Melbourne are invited to represent their respective community and participate by forming their own teams. It is an initiative that helps to bring Melbourne’s diverse communities together and make new friends through this great game.
24 teams representing 19 different communities participated in the current Melbourne U-Nite Cup for men. In addition to the men’s Cup, 10 teams also participated in our inaugural Melbourne U-Nite Cup for women.
For more information about the U-Nite Cup, please contact secretary@mcsafootball.org.au
