Ascent boys in Europe to defend title, girls make 1st EU trip & will face Arsenal

At the 2023 Rey Cup, Ascent’s first European appearance, the U16 boys claimed the tournament crown with a perfect 6-0-0 record, which included 21 goals scored and zero conceded, and a 3-0 semifinal win over English League 1 academy side, Fleetwood Town.

At the 2024 Rey Cup, Ascent’s U16 girls (pictured) will become Malawi’s first full female squad to hit European soil, where in the group stage they will match up against top Icelandic side Throttur FC, Danish champions FC Nordsjaelland and Arsenal FC of the English Premier League. This will be an incredible experience for the very youthful Ascent girls, who will trot out a roster with an average age of just 14.5 years.

“Last year our boys brought their very best to the 2023 Rey Cup, both on and off the field, and we were very proud of how they represented Ascent and Malawi,” explained academy co-founder George Maguire. “For our girls, this European event is an opportunity that they’ve earned and this is just one more step towards equity at Ascent Soccer.”

Earlier this month, Ascent sent seven youth players to Malawi’s 30-woman senior women’s national team camp, and in May the Ascent Soccer U21 Girls became the first-ever youth team to qualify for an adult/senior Champions League with their senior women’s national title.

Ascent’s recent success in Iceland, has also become a jumping off point for some of their male talent. Precious Kapunda (U19) and Levison Munyenyembe (U18) are currently on contract at second tier side UMF Afturelding, while Mwisho Mhango (U17) and Hermas Masinja (U18) just completed a two-week trial at top tier side Breidablik FC.

Below is the schedule for both the Ascent Soccer boys and girls at the 2024 Rey Cup.

2024 REY CUP SCHEDULE (Reykajvik, Iceland - All times local)

Thursday, July 25

12pm - Ascent U16 Boys vs Austrulund (ISL)

4pm - Ascent U16 Girls vs Arsenal (ENG)

6pm - Ascent U16 Boys vs Throttur (ISL)

Friday, July 26

11am - Ascent U16 Girls vs Throttur (ISL)

2pm - Ascent U16 Boys vs Íþróttabandalag Akraness (ISL)

6pm - Ascent U16 Girls vs Nordsjaelland (DEN)

Sat July 27 & Sun July 28

Knockout Stages (Matches & Times TBD)

2024 Rey Cup Live Stream: https://reycup.is/live-stream/