Comets set for Retro Night against UCFC

Kansas City Comets vs. Utica City FC

MASL Regular Season — Game 18

When: Sunday, Feb. 22 – 4pm CT

Where: Cable Dahmer Arena

Broadcasts: The Spot 38 (local TV) | MASL+ | MASLtv | National Soccer Network | Victory+ | Unbeaten Network | Fox Sports Mexico (Mexico only)

Tickets: Ticketmaster | Tickets For Less

Retro Jersey Auction: Event.Gives

The Kansas City Comets will host Retro Night as they look to complete the three-game season sweep of Utica City FC on Sunday, Feb. 22.

To celebrate the occasion, the Comets will be wearing throwback jerseys to pay homage to the 1989-90 season. Fans can bid on autographed retro jerseys through Event.Gives until Monday morning at noon.

The Comets took the first two road games of the season series back in December, using a comeback effort to take an overtime victory on Dec. 7. They returned to Upstate New York a week later to run away with an 11-5 win.

While the cross-continental tandem of Jan Goosens (1.9 points per game) and Dale Mitchell (1.5 points per game) led the Comets to the league’s best home record in 1989-90, the new cross-continental duo of Rian Marques (2.6 points per game) and Zach Reget (1.9 points per game) has punished opposition over more recent years. Marques, a native of Brazil who leads the league with 36 points, and Reget, a native of Wisconsin who is level with Marques on 21 goals, welcomed a third talisman into the fold this season with the addition of Englishman Dom Francis, who has contributed 14 goals.

Offensive production can also come from defenders Nacho Flores and Lesia Thetsane, who are among the MASL’s leading defensive contributors going forward. Thetsane’s 10 goals in 17 games are more than any defender from the Comets’ team in the 1989-90 season, which included Kim “The Rocket” Roentved.

Thetsane is also a top-three shotblocker in the MASL with 29 blocks, trailing Empire’s Berto Palmer (36 blocks) and Comets stalwart Chad Vandegriffe (45 blocks). Vandegriffe is averaging three blocks per game, but will need a major uptick to reach Iain Fraser’s 108 blocks tallied in 51 games throughout 1989-90.

Reget and Flores have also been lethal on the power play for the Comets, combining for seven goals with a man advantage. As a team, the Comets lead the league with a 35% success rate on the power play and are among the best on the penalty kill with a 79% kill rate.

The Comets sit second in the league standings entering this weekend with a record of 9-5-3 on 28 points, looking to take all three points with hopes of remaining in contention for the MASL Shield. They have lost back-to-back games, most recently losing to the San Diego Sockers in a shootout on home turf last weekend.

A win on Sunday could reestablish the Comets of a first-place spot if Milwaukee loses on Saturday in Baltimore and at home on Sunday against St. Louis.

The Comets will be without Leo Acosta while goalkeeper Julio Coronado is questionable. The Brazilian duo of Marques and Lucas Sousa are probable.

Utica City FC

Utica City visits the Comets on Sunday sitting at the bottom of the MASL standings with a recent shift in focus for the remainder of the season.

Utica City will be under the leadership of Tommy Tanner, UCFC general manager who assumed the role of interim head coach earlier this month after the team parted ways with Hewerton Moreira after four years.

UCFC sits last with a 4-8-3 record on 13 points, with two wins on the road in six tries ahead of this weekend. Prior to Sunday’s meeting, they will visit St. Louis for a Saturday night matchup.

Losers of three straight, Utica City has won just one of its last seven contests. They are coming off two home defeats last weekend, losing in overtime 7-6 to Baltimore before falling 6-4 on President’s Day to St. Louis.

Among the few bright spots for UCFC has been Sergio Pinal, who is fifth in the league with 30 points from 17 goals and 13 assists, including 7 points against the Comets. Mehrshad Ahmadi is Utica City’s other double-digit goalscorer with 11 goals in his sophomore campaign.

There have also been some personnel changes on the field for UCFC, including the trade of Barbaro Shelier to Empire and the release of Ramazani Juma. They have brought in some reinforcements with the signing of forward Francesco Pagano and veteran defender Joey Tavernese before adding former MASL2 Goalkeeper of the Year Rainer Hauss ahead of this weekend’s road trip to Missouri.

UCFC will be without Stephen Teixeira, Meny Silva, Ricardo Orozco and goalkeeper Xavier Snaer-Williams through injury. Utic City’s most tenured goalkeeper, Brian Wilkin, is also not available alongside Jorge Lozada while Geo Alves is questionable.

The Comets will honor all generations of professional indoor soccer in Kansas City on Retro Night, including several representatives from the first Comets team from 1981, all three championship years, as well as a pair of legends from the Wichita Wings. For the list of 40 indoor soccer alumni joining us, please see below.

Fans will have the opportunity to meet the legends of past and present after the game on the field. Tickets for Retro Night are available at kccometscom/tickets.