KC Comets update: Two games (and one big milestone) at hand against Milwaukee Wave

The Kansas City Comets, the only undefeated team left in the Major Arena Soccer League, return to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday against one of their bigger rivals at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence.

The Comets (3-0) lead MASL’s Central Division, while their opponent, the Milwaukee Wave, is winless in third place at 0-1-1. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com (for groups of 10 or more, call the team directly at 888-9-COMETS).

After a quick turnaround, the Comets face Milwaukee again on New Year’s Eve at 3 p.m. in Milwaukee.

Race to 400

Comets player/coach Leo Gibson and Ontario’s Frank Tayou are both nearing the 400-point milestone. Tayou is at 397 combined points, with 312 goals and 85 assists, while Gibson is right behind him with 195 goals and 192 assists for 387 points.

Gibson has a chance to close the gap or even hit the 400 mark before Tayou plays again. The Comets have the two games against Milwaukee this week and Ontario does not play again until Sunday.

When Gibson became the Comets’ head coach before the 2019-20 season, he’d planned to coach full-time. But injuries and visa issues have forced him to keep playing longer than expected.

With the strength of the Comets this season, and some additional key players likely to be cleared to compete soon, the question looms: Will the team’s leading scorer, who also happens to be its head coach, take himself off the field? Gibson figures it won’t be a difficult choice.

The Comets have three talented attackers awaiting clearance: Rian Marques, last season’s scoring leader and league rookie of the year runner-up; promising forward Felipe Abreu, who was injured last season; and rookie Benji Monreal.

None bring Gibson’s veteran savvy, but he’s ready to lead from the bench.

“Hopefully we can get Rian (Marques) back soon and that will help me step away,” Gibson said. “I am just trying to help the team, but I would rather focus on coaching this season.”

Most importantly, Gibson doesn’t foresee a dropoff in offensive production should he remove the “player” from his player/coach title.

“I think with the team we have right now I am at peace,” he said. “These guys have great potential — they can score goals, they have the speed to play defense — so I would rather help them understand the game and turn this over as soon as possible and help them get the experience to grow.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 1:12 PM.