COMETS SIGN ALL-MASL2 FIRST TEAM STAR

by Scott Levinson

KANSAS CITY (July 29, 2021) – The Kansas City Comets announced today that Wichita Wings forward and leading scorer, Eduardo “Benji” Monreal has signed a three-year contract with the club pending visa approval. Per team and league policies, terms of the contract were not disclosed.


Monreal had a breakout season with the Wings during the 2021 campaign, finishing 5th in points the MASL’s second division, tied for 4th in assists and tied for 1st in the league in game-winning goals. He came to Wichita after previously playing for the Chihuahua Savage, which recently announced their intention to move up to the MASL’s top division for the 2021-22 season. Monreal is a native of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.


Monreal is one of three players nominated as a finalist for the M2 2021 Most Valuable Player Award and was named Thursday to the MASL2 First Team. On the Wings this past season, Monreal led the team in goals scored (16), assists (8), points (24), and game-winning goals (2). He helped lead the Wings to the MASL2 Championship Series which they lost to the Cleveland Crunch on July 18th. Over his two-year professional career, Monreal has scored 20 times in 20 games.


Monreal says that he is looking forward to the opportunity to play in the MASL’s highest division. “I am excited to play for the Kansas City Comets and their passionate fans,” he said. I am happy for this opportunity, to represent my country and help this great team win a championship.”


According to Comets Managing Partner, Brian Budzinski, the team has had their eye on Monreal for quite some time. “We’ve watched Benji in person during last year’s preseason Central Cup Tournament and during the Wings’ run to the M2 Championship Series. Benji will fit right into the midfield for us and give Coach Gibson another scoring option. Off the field, Benji has a fantastic work ethic and he plans to become heavily involved in Kansas City’s great Hispanic community.”


One of M2's goals, in addition to promoting the sport in existing and emerging indoor soccer markets throughout the United States, is creating a feeder system of talent for the MASL's top division. Seeing it work with Monreal’s contract with Kansas City has M2 Commissioner, Chris Economides excited. "We're thrilled to see a player of Benji's talents signed by the Comets,” he said. “He's been one of M2’s best players over the past two years, and was an integral part of the Wichita Wings’ success. He's not just being given the chance, he's truly earned the chance to play at the highest level. He's one of many exciting talents in M2 that we hope get the chance to move up. This is exactly how the new pyramid of indoor soccer can work for the betterment of the players and the sport."


Comets fans can get an early look at their newest scoring threat when the team takes on the Omaha Kings FC on August 21st at Cable Dahmer Arena in a preseason exhibition match starting at 6pm. All seats for the match are just $14 and tickets can be purchased by calling the Comets office at 888-9-COMETS or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.