Why KC Comets’ next contest ‘is probably going to be the biggest game of the season’

The Kansas City Comets returned from a three-game road trip in Mexico empty-handed following tough matchups against the Monterrey Flash and defending champion Chihuahua Savage.

The Comets lost twice in Monterrey, losing 12-5 on Sunday, January 14, before making some critical adjustments and letting a three-goal lead slip away in a competitive 8-7 loss on Tuesday, January 16.

Despite the loss, Comets coach Stefan Stokic was pleased with the play of goalkeeper Phillip Ejimadu, who made 23 saves in his second start of the season on Tuesday.

“His performance Tuesday was unbelievable,” Stokic said. “He made maybe only a few mistakes. For a rookie to come into Monterrey and have a game like that, that just tells you the quality of how good he is.”

On Friday, the depleted Comets suffered an 8-2 loss in Chihuahua to wrap up a stretch of four games in seven days. By the final game in Chihuahua, it was evident that this stretch of games had taken a toll on the team — visible in KC’s tired legs and poor decision-making.

“I think the guys came out and gave everything they could,” Stokic said. “You could see that we were hurting on this long trip.”

Through that four-game stretch, the Comets earned only one point for an overtime loss against Utica City. After that, the team lost three games in a row during its trip to Mexico.

Now midway through the 2023-24 Major Arena Soccer League campaign, the Comets are happy to put the most brutal stretch of the season behind them. They now sit fourth in the Eastern Conference, just two points behind second-place Milwaukee Wave.

“The next game is going to be huge for us,” Stokic said. “This is probably going to be the biggest game of the season for us.”

The upcoming schedule will be challenging with another three road games on the horizon, but the Comets have time to reset before heading out to New York for a meeting with second-place Utica City FC on Sunday.

Following the trip to Utica, the Comets will finish the road trip with a visit to Baltimore on February 2 and St. Louis on February 4.

The Comets will finally return home to Cable Dahmer Arena for a back-to-back against the Tacoma Stars and Empire Strikers on February 9 and 10. Tickets for all Comets home games are available at kccomets.com/tickets.