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Preview: Roentved returns with Wichita to face Comets

Former Comets coach Kim Roentved returns to Kansas City as the head coach of Wichita for the first time.

Brian Harris scored four times in the last match with Wichita
Brian Harris scored four times in the last match with Wichita
Thad Bell

The Missouri Comets face off against the Wichita B-52's tonight at the Independence Events Center at 7 PM. In their last meeting a few weeks ago, the Comets easily handled the visitors from Kansas 13-3. Since that weekend, Wichita let their coach go and brought in a very familiar face to Comets fans. Kim "The Rocket" Roentved took over head coach duties, started bringing in some new players and snatched a win over PASL champion Chicago to claim third place in the standings.

Roentved was the head coach of the Comets when they came back into the league and led them into the playoffs all three seasons he was head coach before stepping down and let Vlatko Andonovski take over.

When talking to Andonovski, it is easy to hear how highly he regards his former mentor and boss. "If there is someone that can get that team up and going it is Kim Roentved. I have a lot of respect for him. I think there is no one else that could do a better job than Kim with that team."

Does Andonovski see this as a chance to beat his old friend? "Honestly? No. He is a very, very dear friend of mine and I would not want to against him," Andonovski claims. "But at the end of the day it is just a game and that is how we are going to take it."

"It's never easy going against former team mates and friends," Comets keeper Danny Waltman responded when asked about going against his former coach.

Defender Brian Harris takes a different view. "I always look forward to playing former team mates." The previous match against Wichita saw Harris score four times on former Comet Boris Pardo.