Kansas City Comets lead the way with 4 MASL All-Star selections: Weekly update
The Kansas City Comets celebrated with about 250 road supporters at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri, after clinching the I-70 Series Cup with a 4-3 road victory over the St. Louis Ambush in unconventional fashion on New Year’s Eve.
It was important for the Comets to bounce back after losing the previous matchup on home turf. The Comets got going with three goals from Rian Marques. Lesia Thetsane’s second-quarter score made it 4-2, but St. Louis grabbed one back before halftime.
The second half was a completely different story. For the first time in team history, the Comets ground out a victory with both teams pitching second-half shutouts.
“You have to be able to bounce back and answer,” Comets head coach Stefan Stokic said following last Tuesday’s victory. “That’s what we did tonight. We did it in a championship manner by defending our goal and not getting scored on in the second half.”
The struggling Ambush offense fired just six shots in the final 30 minutes of play. The Comets’ defense answered each attack, most notably with saves from Phillip Ejimadu, a goal-line clearance from Chad Vandegriffe and by killing a two-minute penalty early in the fourth quarter.
Stokic continued, “I want to be able to count on my defense to win me games. Tonight, my defense won me the game.”
The Comets were scheduled to host Milwaukee on Jan. 5, but the severe winter storm forced the game to be rescheduled for Friday, March 14.
Comets lead MASL All-Star Selections
The Comets had a league-high four players named in the first 24 players selected for the 2025 MASL All-Star Game. Vandegriffe and Marques will be joined by Comets teammates Nicolau Neto and Zach Reget at the All-Star Game in Utica, New York on Feb. 12.
The Comets could add a fifth if Leo Acosta gets selected. The fan vote, which Acosta currently leads, is available at maslsoccer.com/vote and remains open until Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 1 p.m. Central. Commissioner Keith Tozer will announce the final two picks for the All-Star Game.
Next Up: Comets welcome innovative Empire Strykers
Next up for the Comets is a test against the Empire Strykers. The Southern California team will come in as Kansas City thaws out for a Friday evening contest at Cable Dahmer Arena.
Empire is under first-year head coach Onua Obasi, an indoor veteran who coached Newtown Pride FC to win the inaugural $1 million grand prize of The Soccer Tournament in 2023. Obasi has already introduced some innovative changes for the Strykers, which include the tactical use of the goalkeeper as a more regular part of the offense, offering a unique test that Stokic thinks his team can answer.
Comets great Robert Palmer and Mexican superstar Marco Fabián lead the Strykers.
Palmer won 2024 MASL defender of the year in his eighth season with the Comets and has also had stints with Empire and the Tacoma Stars. Fabián won MASL Newcomer of the Year after transitioning to the MASL from a prolific outdoor career as a member of the Mexican National Team and tying the Comets’ Reget for last year’s golden boot.
Friday’s clash inside Cable Dahmer Arena will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at kccomets.com/tickets.