When I walked into the Independence Events Center Wednesday afternoon and saw Gino Schiraldi, a wave of emotions swept over me.
Schiraldi was the face of the Kansas City Comets back in the early 1980s when the Major Indoor Soccer League team was outdrawing the Kansas City Chiefs.
He was the toughest guy out on the turf and the nicest guy away from the game he dominated. He signed more autographs than any player in the history of the franchise and had his number retired when he finally walked away from the game.
“People don’t realize how big the Comets were, and what an event their games were,” said Blue Springs High School soccer coach and former Comet, Doug McLagan. “Gino was the man. Just look at him, he still looks like he could play, doesn’t he?”
The big smile and familiar gap between his front teeth was evident most of the afternoon as his Comet colleague and longtime Wichita Wing adversary, Kim Roentved, was named head coach of the new Missouri Comets.
“Kim is the perfect choice,” said Schiraldi, who runs several soccer academies and works for Midway After Market, an auto parts delivery service. “If you mention the name Kim Roentved in the soccer community it demands instant respect. I’m here today for Kim – so are the other guys.”
Joining Schiraldi and McLagan was former all-star Alan Mayer, the first goalkeeper to wear a helmet while playing.
“I love it, I just love it that the Comets are back and that Kim is their coach,” said Mayer, a Lenexa, Kan., regional sales manager for Dearborn National. “They’re playing the (old Kansas City Comets’ theme song) Midnight Express – I still have people ask me about that song. When we were introduced and we heard that song, we knew it was going to be a special night.
“And today – they announced Kim and, bingo, it’s all happening again. I love this arena and this community is a soccer community. Kim will do a great job and the fans are going to love him.”
In 1981, I was a rookie reporter with the Kansas City Kansan newspaper and the Comets were my beat.
Schiraldi, Mayer, Enzo DiPede, Yilmaz Orhan, Zoran Savic – they weren’t just players I covered, they were my neighbors.
The management of the Comets – the brilliant Lieweke brothers, Tracey, Tim and Todd – put the Comets out into the community. The players attended little league soccer games, they stayed after games to sign autographs and they became the newest hometown heroes.
