Comets prepare for big weekend with Wave and Fury

Kansas City Comets vs Milwaukee Wave

When: Friday, February 21st, 2020 at 7:05 PM CT

Kansas City Comets vs Ontario Fury

When: Sunday, February 23rd, 2020 at 3:05 PM CT

Where: Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, Independence, Missouri

How to Watch/Stream: Masl.tv/YouTube

The Kansas City Comets will welcome both the Milwaukee Wave and the Ontario Fury this weekend. Both of the incoming opposition have two of the league’s most clinical forwards.

For the Wave, Ian Bennett leads them into SEC Arena looking to add to his incredible record against the Comets throughout his career, which includes ten career hat tricks against the Comets. The other half of the I-Max duo is Max Ferdinand, who has 20 assists and 11 goals this season. Perhaps having the most impressive season of anyone else is goalkeeper Rafa Dias, who has stepped in after Josh Lemos suffered a season-ending injury days befre the season started. Rafa leads the MASL with a .768 save percentage.

Milwaukee enters Friday’s rivalry match already having the season series secured with three wins compared to KC’s one win over the Wave, but still fighting for their seeding in the postseason. They are fighting with Utica City FC and the Florida Tropics for the top three seeds while the Comets are desparately fighting the Harrisburg Heat and Baltimore Blast for the fourth and final spot in the playoffs.

Friday’s game against the Wave will also host the ‘Celebrity Game’ at halftime, which will feature Team Vasos (Nick Vasos of Fox 4 News and Comets play-by-play commentator) vs Team Serrano (Steve Serrano of Mix 93.3 and Comets gameday host). Highlighting the lineup for Team Vasos includes The Blue Testament’s Thad Bell along with Sporting KC and KC Comets superfan Hector Solorio and USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski. Team Serrano is headlined by former TBT contributor Aly Trost along with former FKCK midfielder Jen Buczkowski and Comets legend Gino Schiraldi.

Sunday’s match will be against the Western Conference’s Ontario Fury. The Fury’s future lies in their own hands after 15 games played. They currently sit in fourth place in the West with the Tacoma Stars right behind. The Fury are led by three-time MASL MVP Franck Tayou, who leads the league with 31 goals. While it appears that Jermaine Jones’ stint with with the Fury is over, they will still bring one of the league’s best goalkeepers, as Chris Toth will enter Sunday’s match with an impressive .724 save percentage.

This will be Ontario’s fourth game of the week, previously beating the Sockers on Monday and the Sidekicks on Wednesday with a game scheduled against in St. Louis on Friday.

For the Comets, they will be looking to keep their improbable playoff hopes alive. With an 8-7 record in the East, there is very little room for error with a very difficult schedule ahead. Leo Gibson will look to add to his league-leading 45 points from 23 goals and 22 assists.

Comets defender Robert Palmer is just six points away from tying his career high of 20 points in a season, which the Jamaican defender got in 2014-15 and again in 2015-16. Palmer is also edging closer to a career high in blocked shots, as he is 10 shy of his career high of 41 blocks that led the MASL in 2018-19.

While the Comets will be without Ray Lee, Ray Saari, Matt Lewis, and Robert Kelly, the new additions of Odaine Sinclair and Nick McDonald will benefit the Comets with more depth along with a refreshed Stefan Stokic returning to the lineup this weekend.