Comets announce full 2023-24 regular season schedule

The Kansas City Comets are elated to release their full 2023-24 regular season schedule as a new era of Hot Winter Nights returns to Cable Dahmer Arena.

The new era under first-year head coach Stefan Stokic will have a 24-game slate beginning with a highly-anticipated matchup at home on Sunday, November 26 at 5:05 p.m. CT when the Comets play host to the reigning Eastern Division champion Milwaukee Wave for the rivals’ only meeting this season.

That Comets-Wave matchup is just the first of many intriguing matchups that will bring a stacked lineup of opponents to Cable Dahmer Arena.

"We have the most attractive home schedule we've ever had since the rebirth in 2010,” said Brian Roth, Comets Vice President of Sales. “We are absolutely thrilled to be hosting NINE different opponents for our 12 home games this season. From a fan standpoint, everyone should be excited to see us play a different team at almost every game at Cable Dahmer Arena."

The Comets open the I-70 Series when they host the St. Louis Ambush a week after the home opener before getting their first road test of the year when they visit the Harrisburg Heat on December 9.

Along with the home schedule, the Comets will be tested on the road. They will endure a six-game road trip from mid-January until early February that will take them to northeastern Mexico to play the Monterrey Flash twice before heading west to play the Chihuahua Savage. The Comets will then visit the east coast to play Utica City FC and the Baltimore Blast before completing the final leg of the road trip in St. Louis.

The Comets will conclude the 2023 calendar year with the I-70 rivalry. The Comets will first host the Ambush on December 28 before visiting St. Louis on New Year's Eve.

The Comets will also have two direct back-to-backs. The first one will come less than a month into the season when they face the Texas Outlaws in Texas before returning home less than 24 hours later to face them again on December 17. The other will come in February when they host the Tacoma Stars before the Empire Strikers on February 9 and 10.

Stokic knows this schedule will be a different challenge than anything they’ve faced in the past, but it will be worth it if they can win the Ron Newman Cup.

“For us to be able to win a championship, we need to play against those top teams as much as we can,” Stokic said. “That’s going to be a good test for us this season and prepare ourselves for the playoffs.”

Among the top tests will be Chihuahua, who won last year’s Ron Newman Cup and will pay their second-ever visit to Kansas City on February 16 before the Comets head to California to conclude February with matches against the San Diego Sockers and Empire Strykers.

The final stretch of the regular season gives the Comets three home games, including dates against St. Louis and Utica City before capping off the I-70 Series in St. Louis and the regular season finale at home against the Sockers.

Arena Updates and Theme Nights

Cable Dahmer Arena underwent some exciting updates over the offseason. Fans should be excited to hear the arena’s new sound system and sit in the new seats.

The Comets have promos and theme nights scheduled for the 2023-24 season which will add to the excitement fans will see on the field.

“Besides hosting nine different opponents, we will have some exciting Promo and Theme Nights in 2023-24,” Roth said. “We'll have the annual Mascot Night, Military Appreciation Night, the Celebrity/Media Game, a Green-Out Game, as well as a special ‘I-70 Series REUNION Night’ which will bring back players from both St. Louis and Kansas City from the 1980's and 1990's."

Season Format

The 2023-24 MASL season will have teams competing in two different conferences once again.

The Comets will be in the Eastern Conference alongside the Baltimore Blast, Harrisburg Heat, Milwaukee Wave, Monterrey Flash, St Louis Ambush and Utica City FC.

The Western Conference will consist of the Chihuahua Savage, Dallas Sidekicks, Empire Stykers, San Diego Sockers, Tacoma Stars and Texas Outlaws.

The top four teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs. Every playoff series will be a home-and-home series, with a knockout game if necessary.