COMETS HOST DEFENDING CHAMPS

KANSAS CITY (Jan. 3, 2020) – The Kansas City Comets host the Milwaukee Wave Saturday at 6:05 p.m. at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. A near-capacity crowd is expected for the first meeting between the longstanding rivals since Milwaukee eliminated Kansas City in the first round of the playoffs last year.

The Comets enter the contest 3-4, but they haven’t ceded ground at home. Kansas City is 2-0 inside the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena. Saturday begins a three-game home stand, their first stretch of consecutive home games this season.

The Wave, defending MASL champions, sit atop the Eastern Division at 5-1, having not yet lost on the road. Their lone defeat was at home Dec. 7 against the Florida Tropics.

Kansas City will be missing a pair of regular starters Saturday. Defender John Sosa is missing his second game of the season with a hamstring injury, while goalkeeper Max Saxby is nursing a foot contusion. The latter will give rookie Lou Misner his third-consecutive start in the net.

Kansas City is led by the league leader in points, head coach Leo Gibson. His 10 goals and seven assists make him one of the most lethal attackers in the MASL, and Stefan Stokic is amongst league leaders in blocks.

Pending a physical, Kevin Ellis will make his season debut for the Comets. He signed with the team last season, playing 10 games. With more than 90 Major League Soccer appearance under his belt, Ellis’ return will inject valuable experience.

“It was kind of refreshing to see the energy of some of the younger guys,” said Ellis, who’s been in attendance for the Comets’ home games this season.

“I was a little undecided whether I was going to come back and play again or not. Kind of being there and seeing these guys play and how much fun they were having, I want to be a part of that, help out where I can, and help the team win.”  

Milwaukee’s attack is paced by Max Ferdinand, who has six goals and 10 assists coming into the contest. Goalkeeper Rafael Dias is off to a great start in the net, boasting the second-best goals-against average in the MASL.

Saturday marks the first of five meetings between Kansas City and Milwaukee this season. The game will be streamed live on MASL.tv.