Comets eye I-70 Series Cup against Ambush

by Nathan Dunn

Kansas City Comets vs St. Louis Ambush

MASL Regular Season — Game 5

Saturday, December 28 — 6 p.m. CT

Where | Cable Dahmer Arena - Independence, Missouri

National Broadcast | CBS Sports Golazo Network

Local Broadcast | 38 the Spot

The Kansas City Comets (3-0-1) will have the opportunity to clinch the I-70 Series Cup when they host the St. Louis Ambush (1-3-0) on Saturday at Cable Dahmer Arena.

Already leading the season series 2-0, the Comets can clinch the best-of-five series with a win on Silverstein Eye Centers Field this weekend. The Comets have won five straight regular-season contests on home turf and average 9.2 goals per game, outscoring opponents 46-25.

The Comets are coming from a bye week but previously beat the Dallas Sidekicks 9-2 in Week 3. Christian Anderaos scored four times while Phillip Ejimadu and Chad Vandegriffe were named MASL Goalkeeper and Defender of the Week, respectively.

The Comets beat the St. Louis Ambush home and away on the opening weekend of play. Leo Acosta's four goals helped Kansas City to a promising start as Ejimadu picked up his first two MASL wins.

Rian Marques remains at the MASL points leaderboard with 10, joined by Utica City FC's Kelvin Oliveira. KC's Brazilian forward has five goals and five assists, while Zach Reget leads the Comets in scoring with six goals.

Ramone Palmer is off to a strong start as well with three goals and two assists. Sitting on 99 career goals in a Comets uniform, Palmer is on the cusp of a major career milestone. He would be the 7th player to join the Century Goal Club in franchise history, joining greats including Leo Gibson, Vahid Assadpour, Lucas Rodriguez, John Sosa, Byron Alvarez and Bryan Perez.

The Comets will be without Henry Ramirez (thigh) and Marcel Berry (lower leg; season-ending injury). The Brazilian trio of Lucas Sousa (knee), Nicolau Neto (thigh) and Rian Marques (hand) are all probable.

Both KC and STL have been stellar on the penalty kill. The Comets have killed 6/7 penalties while the Ambush have killed 5/7. STL has the advantage on the power play, which is 2/4 compared to KC's 2/5.

The Comets are looking for a fifth straight win over the Ambush. STL has lost seven straight inside Cable Dahmer Arena, last beating their in-state foes in April 2022. They will meet in STL on New Year's Eve before the series finale on Feb. 16 at Cable Dahmer Arena.

The Opponent

The Ambush are trying to find a rhythm this season and have an opportunity to send shockwaves throughout the MASL this week. After winning their first game this season over the Dallas Sidekicks, the Ambush can make a big statement if they manage to take the next two against KC.

Last week's 5-4 win over Dallas came from a team effort with five different scorers, earning the win after a mistake gifted Wil Nyamsi an opportunity to put STL in front with 80 seconds left. Lucas Almeida tallied three assists as Pollo Cortes was the winning goalkeeper after relieving Paulo Nascimento in the second half.

STL has some players that can do damage against the Comets, led by the league's all-time leading scorer Franck Tayou, who has four goals and four assists. William Eskay and Julio Varela are other goal threats, with seven goals combined, while Almeida is the provider with six league-leading assists. Tayou, Eskay and Duduca Carvalho enter Saturday on a three-game scoring streak.

St. Louis will be without Skylar Funk (post-concussion syndrome) and Niko Karidis (abdominal strain).

Gameday Guide

The Comets have an exciting day planned on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. with a Culver's Clinic and Blood Drive before the game at 6 p.m.

Culver's Clinic: 10am-Noon — Available for children grades K-8; includes a Ticket to the game, a commemorative Culver's Comets T-Shirt, and a Comets mini-ball

Blood Drive: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. — Sign up and swing by Cable Dahmer Arena before Saturday's game to donate blood in partnership with Community Blood Center

Holiday Ticket Special: Buy 3 Tickets, Get 1 Free for Terrace or Field-Side Seats

Gates: 5 p.m.

Parking: Free

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Cable Dahmer Arena A-Z Guide

POST-GAME PARTY: Main Event Independence