KC Comets remain focused on MASL playoffs after falling to Tacoma in home finale
It was a tough weekend for the Kansas City Comets as they suffered two defeats against the Tacoma Stars.
Friday’s indoor pro soccer game ended 4-3. Zach Reget appeared to score an equalizer for KC with just nine-tenths of a second remaining, but the goal was disallowed when officials ruled a handball following a video review.
In Sunday’s defeat, the Comets trailed 3-0 quickly. They tried to rally but the comeback bid fell short, 5-4.
The Stars are still in the thick of the race to get the last spot in the playoffs, battling with the St. Louis Ambush. They poured everything they had into the two games at Cable Dahmer Arena and the Comets came up empty-handed.
The Comets trailed early in both matches and never took the lead. They’ve now five of their last six games.
Comets coach Stefan Stokic said his team’s regression since earning a spot in the Ron Newman Cup Playoffs has been frustrating.
“Every time we take a step forward, we take 10 steps backwards because of different things,” Stokic said. “It’s not easy, but we should have done better, starting with me and my players.”
Injury issues have been a problem since the first game this season, causing the Comets to use 20 different lineups in 22 games. While Stokic didn’t want to use that as an excuse, it has undoubtedly been a factor in their recent woes.
The latest spell of injuries and illness has torn through the team — as many as eight players have had to sit out for a single game. Stokic has seen his team develop a lesser identity and wants his players to revert back to the identity they developed earlier in the season.
“Most important is to go back to who we were,” he said. “I think we’ve lost that in the past games. The main thing is we should not be losing our identity and we are.”
The Comets have two games this weekend to rekindle that identity ahead of the playoffs. KC will visit Utica City in New York on Friday before concluding its regular season at Baltimore on Sunday.
Both venues figure to be difficult settings for an opposing team still fighting for postseason positioning.
The Comets will enter the opening round of the Ron Newman Cup Playoffs in San Diego as a top-five seed. They’re currently seeded third and will play April 5 in the quarterfinals and potentially April 6 in the semifinals.