KC Comets fall in Game 1 of MASL finals as eventful soccer year in Kansas City continues

Kansas City is soccer crazy.

A week after packing 72,000-plus into GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for Sporting’s match against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, both Sporting KC and the KC Current sold out near simultaneous kickoffs at two separate venues across the city.

Adding further evidence to that claim: The Kansas City Comets took on the Chihuahua Savage in front of a raucous and sold-out crowd at Cable Dahmer Arena for the first game of the Ron Newman Cup Finals, MASL’s championship series.

The match didn’t end in the Comets’ favor. They fell 4-3 in Game 1 and need a victory in Game 2 on Tuesday south of the border to force a knockout game, which is a 10-minute quarter that acts as a third game.

But filling Cable Dahmer Arena hasn’t been a problem for the Comets this year. They led the league in attendance, averaging 4,829 fans a game and totaling 57,947 fans through the regular season.

Then, tack on another 12,622 fans through three postseason matches, with 5,523 of them in attendance for the final.

Comets head coach Stefan Stokic has been involved with the club as a player and coach since 2010. He says this is the best support he’s ever seen for the team.

“How loud they are and how vocal they are, we hear them all the way,” Stokic said. “It makes a huge difference. We’re grateful, thankful, and hopefully they keep on supporting us.”

Sunday evening’s game will be the last the Comets play at Cable Dahmer Arena in 2024, and they gave their fans a good showing.

“KC Current, Sporting, even the Chiefs, all the sports here, it’s always a full house,” said Comets midfielder Lucas Sousa, who scored two goals in the match. “Thank you to the fans who bring such a good part.”

The party-like atmosphere with supporters sections on Sunday very much resembled what you might find at Children’s Mercy Park or CPKC Stadium. Fans showed up in Comets jerseys — as well as Sporting, Current and a smattering of European kits — for a chance to see some soccer, even in a different form.

“When I walked in here before the game started, it makes a huge difference to me and to the boys as well,” Stokic said.

One difference between indoor soccer and other KC teams: The pace of an indoor match is much faster, with plenty of chances and goals to go around. The 4-3 scoreline was relatively low for the MASL, but the match featured some late tension.

The Comets went up 3-1 into the third quarter and outshot the Savage 15-1 in the frame.

But the one shot for the Savage went in, and the Comets’ inability to finish off chances eventually came back to bite them. The reigning champions flexed their muscle in the fourth quarter with two goals to win 4-3 and take the lead heading into the series’ final match.

“When we have chances, we have to make sure we punish them,” Stokic said. “They’re defending champs, and they have a lot of experience. We have to make sure (when) we go to Chihuahua, any chance we get we have to make sure we put it away.”

Game 2 will kick off at 9 p.m. Central on Tuesday night and can be viewed on the Goalazo Network via Paramount+.