KC Comets weekly update: Kansas City mourns death of legendary coach Pat McBride
In need of a response after a frustrating week, the Kansas City Comets delivered a statement win on Sunday at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, defeating the Dallas Sidekicks 9-2.
Sunday’s seven-goal victory was the type of result coach Stefan Stokic was looking for. From start to finish, the Comets commanded the game and were relentless in pursuit of redemption after last week’s overtime loss in Milwaukee.
“Our main goal was to make a statement,” Stokic said. “Not just goals but defensively as well. I think we achieved that, though there were a few things we could have done better.”
The Comets will have some time to recuperate before a two-game set with the St. Louis Ambush to end the calendar year. The Comets host the Ambush on Saturday, December 28, before visiting them on New Year’s Eve.
Comets’ Tasmanian Devil strikes
While the Comets had six different scorers against the Sidekicks, one took the game by storm: Christian Anderaos.
It was a special night for the former KC Roos men’s soccer star, who scored a career-high four goals with his mother, grandmother and grandfather from Brazil in attendance alongside his wife on the last night they spent together before his family returned home more than 5,000 miles away.
“I think it’s one of those dream nights,” Anderaos said. “I always dreamed of those as a kid. Offering those goals to my family and celebrating those goals with them is a dream coming true.”
Anderaos’ work ethic and endless energy allow him to pressure opponents in a defensive runner role. That is how he got his “Tasmanian Devil” nickname, from the Looney Tunes cartoon. The role comes with challenges, but Anderaos reaped the rewards of all his hard work on Sunday.
“I’m happy he gets rewarded with goals,” Stokic said, adding that he emphasized to Anderaos going back to the basics. “That position is very hard. I played it for so long and there are times when you go many games without scoring a goal.”
Comets mourn loss of Pat McBride
The Comets also received news of the passing of former coach Pat McBride, who died on December 11 at the age of 81. The U.S. National Soccer Hall of Famer had a huge impact on soccer in the United States, most notably in his hometown St. Louis and Kansas City.
McBride won two national titles and two All-American honors at St. Louis University before captaining the U.S. National Team. He later ventured into coaching as indoor soccer popularized nationwide in the late 1970s and into the 1980s.
McBride was the first coach for the St. Louis Steamers in 1979, winning Co-Coach of the Year in the first season of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He later became Comets head coach in 1981, where he helped elevate the Comets to become a competitive team with the franchise’s first two playoff appearances and won Coach of the Year again in 1983.
The Comets and St. Louis Ambush both honored McBride before their respective home games on Sunday with a moment of silence.