|
|
|
Independence, MO —
Good news for The Independence Events Center and soccer fans in Eastern Jackson County.
The Comets are coming to town.
For any soccer fan old enough to remember the Kansas City Comets, a Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) team that took the metro area by storm in the early 1980s, this news will rekindle the love affair a city had with a team that featured players like Enzo DiPede, Gino Schiraldi and Kim Roentved.
The Missouri Comets, a new MISL team that will play 12 home games at the Events Center beginning Nov. 12, will celebrate the past history of the Comets while bringing a new, up-to-date team to its new home in Independence.
“We couldn’t be any more excited,” said team vice president Brian Budzinksi, a part of the ownership group that includes Blue Springs resident Ed Scheetz, owner of Scheetz Construction, and his father Mickey Scheetz, a Portland, Ore., resident who grew up in Excelsior Springs, Mo. “We wanted to make this right, so we’ve taken a while to make this announcement. We had our lawyers talk to the league to make sure it was solvent – and it’s not only solvent, it’s adding new teams.”
The Missouri Comets will be the sixth team in the MISL, joining Baltimore, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Monterrey (Mexico) and Rockford, Ill.
“When the Events Center was being built, the first thing I thought about was bringing an indoor soccer league team to this area,” Ed Scheetz said. “I’ve played soccer for a long time and I met Brian – who owns the Soccerdome in Kansas City – through playing games down there.
“I didn’t know how to go about it, so I started asking some questions. We got some answers, talked to the league, talked to Mike Young at the Events Center and now, it’s going to happen.”
The Comets will be the second major tenant for the Events Center, joining the wildly popular Missouri Mavericks of the Central Hockey League.
“We saw what the Mavericks did last year, and we hope to have that same type of success,” Budzinksi said. “They did everything right. They got out into the community and created a real bond between the players and the fans. The games I went to last year were pretty amazing. The fans got into it and had a great time.
“The Mavericks created a great game atmosphere and we want to do the same thing with the lights, the smoke, the music and a team Eastern Jackson County and the surrounding area will be proud of.”
Good news for The Independence Events Center and soccer fans in Eastern Jackson County.
The Comets are coming to town.
For any soccer fan old enough to remember the Kansas City Comets, a Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) team that took the metro area by storm in the early 1980s, this news will rekindle the love affair a city had with a team that featured players like Enzo DiPede, Gino Schiraldi and Kim Roentved.
The Missouri Comets, a new MISL team that will play 12 home games at the Events Center beginning Nov. 12, will celebrate the past history of the Comets while bringing a new, up-to-date team to its new home in Independence.
“We couldn’t be any more excited,” said team vice president Brian Budzinksi, a part of the ownership group that includes Blue Springs resident Ed Scheetz, owner of Scheetz Construction, and his father Mickey Scheetz, a Portland, Ore., resident who grew up in Excelsior Springs, Mo. “We wanted to make this right, so we’ve taken a while to make this announcement. We had our lawyers talk to the league to make sure it was solvent – and it’s not only solvent, it’s adding new teams.”
The Missouri Comets will be the sixth team in the MISL, joining Baltimore, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Monterrey (Mexico) and Rockford, Ill.
“When the Events Center was being built, the first thing I thought about was bringing an indoor soccer league team to this area,” Ed Scheetz said. “I’ve played soccer for a long time and I met Brian – who owns the Soccerdome in Kansas City – through playing games down there.
“I didn’t know how to go about it, so I started asking some questions. We got some answers, talked to the league, talked to Mike Young at the Events Center and now, it’s going to happen.”
The Comets will be the second major tenant for the Events Center, joining the wildly popular Missouri Mavericks of the Central Hockey League.
“We saw what the Mavericks did last year, and we hope to have that same type of success,” Budzinksi said. “They did everything right. They got out into the community and created a real bond between the players and the fans. The games I went to last year were pretty amazing. The fans got into it and had a great time.
“The Mavericks created a great game atmosphere and we want to do the same thing with the lights, the smoke, the music and a team Eastern Jackson County and the surrounding area will be proud of.”
For older Comet fans, yes, the pulsating theme from “Midnight Express” will be brought back to the Events Center for player introductions.
“We have a rich Comets history and we’re going to use it for the new Comets,” Budzinski explained. “We’re also talking to many of the former Comet players who still live in the area. We want them to be a part of our team, because they meant so much to their fans.”
Now, they’re just trying to get everything in order.
“Everything is going really well right now,” Budzinski said. “We just got our offices over in the Cliffs (Wednesday) and we’re getting an address and phone number so fans can start calling to order tickets and ask questions.”
The MISL games will feature 3-point and 2-point goals and there will be four 15-minute periods. The field will basically be the same size as the ice for Mavericks games, with the addition of a goal at the east end of the arena, which will mean taking out a couple rows of seats.
The Missouri Comets will dress 14 players, but they can have 20 to 23 players on the roster, and Ed Scheetz said they will be looking for local talent.
“We’re looking at a couple of local kids right now,” Scheetz said. “Everything is coming together right now, and we couldn’t be any more excited.”
Log onto www.cometsindoorsoccer.com for more information about the Missouri Comets.
