Comets extend head coach Stefan Stokic on three-year deal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Comets have announced that Stefan Stokic will continue as head coach after signing a new three-year deal. Per team and league policies, the terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The extension allows Stokic to remain the Comets’ longest-tenured player or coach, having spent 16 consecutive seasons with the organization. While influential from the bench, he has also had an impact elsewhere in the organization, league and community.

“Coach Stefan represents our City, our Club and our League with class and professionalism,” said Brian Budzinski, Comets Managing Partner. “As one of the top soccer minds in this country, I am excited to watch as he continues to lead the Kansas City Comets Organization through 2029.”

A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Stokic accumulated a record of 41-31 in his first three years as head coach. He was the Comets’ first coach to make the playoffs in his first three years as head coach since Vlatko Andonovski.

“It’s really exciting to get another three years,” Stokic said. “It shows the ownership has a trust in me. I’ve been here three years as a head coach, so for them to give me another three years shows that they respect me and they believe in me.”

The 2023-24 season was Stokic’s first season at the helm, leading the team to the Ron Newman Cup Finals for the first time in the MASL era. The Comets were among contenders the following two seasons as well, but faced quarterfinal exits.

Prior to his MASL coaching endeavors, Stokic played 12 seasons as a Comet after originally signing in 2004 and returning in 2010. After more than 200 games representing Kansas City, Stokic joined the Comets’ technical staff as an assistant coach in 2021 before taking over as the franchise’s fifth head coach in 2023.

Stokic hopes to continue building the culture he has already established by adding players who fit into it. After earning another contract, he enters the 2026-27 season as a coach looking to capitalize on his passion and experience with the Comets.

“Every year has been a different challenge for me,” Stokic said. “Now, I have a lot more experience to deal with those scenarios. I’m going to take what I’ve learned over these last three years to build off in the next three years.”

With trust, stability and a strong culture serving as the bedrock for the team’s success, Stokic has his eyes set on competing among the MASL’s elite the next three years.

“My goal is still the same: to win a championship,” Stokic said. “It starts with the foundation of having a good team culture. I want to put our organization in a spot where we have the opportunity to win a championship over each of the next three years.”