Comets shine in MASL Awards, Vandegriffe named Defender of the Year

The Major Arena Soccer League has announced Kansas City Comets defender Chad Vandegriffe as the 2024-25 MASL Defender of the Year, headlining a group of four Comets players named to the All-MASL Teams.

Vandegriffe also earned selections to the Elite Six and All-MASL First Team after leading the league with 81 blocks. He is joined on the First Team by forward Rian Marques and goalkeeper Phillip Ejimadu, while defender Guerrero Pino earned a spot on the All-MASL Second Team.

Chad Vandegriffe - Defender of the Year; Elite Six; All-MASL First Team

Vandegriffe is the second player in Kansas City indoor soccer history to be named Defender of the Year, following in the footsteps laid last year by Berto Palmer. He is also the third player in league history to win MASL Defender of the Year twice, previously winning in 2022 with the Florida Tropics.

The St. Louis native has earned his third Elite Six honor in the past four years and his fifth consecutive All-MASL recognition. Vandegriffe played in all 24 regular season games, producing the third double-digit offensive season of his career and setting a career-high in blocks, averaging 3.4 blocks per game. Vandegriffe (382 career blocks) only trails Palmer (390 blocks) for the first to hit 400 career MASL blocks.

Rian Marques - All-MASL First Team

Marques has earned his first career All-MASL honor after a breakout 2024-25 season. The Brazilian target forward was an early MVP candidate and finished top-five in points and assists, setting career-highs with 24 goals, 20 assists and 44 points.

The 2021 All-Rookie honoree came up big for the Comets throughout this season until injuries held him back the last month of the season. Marques was also a 2025 MASL All-Star selection and finished second in the MASL with 2.3 points per game.

Phillip Ejimdau - All-MASL First Team

In his second season in the league, goalkeeper Phillip Ejimadu took over the starting goalkeeper spot and never let go to earn his first All-MASL First Team honor. Ejimadu was a Goalkeeper of the Year Finalist as the only goalkeeper to end the season in the top three in goals against average (4.55) and save percentage (73%).

Ejimadu's first season as a starter ended with 11 wins in 16 starts. Of his 18 appearances this season, the Minnesota native showcased his outstanding shot-stopping abilities with 15 or more saves in 10 games.

Guerrero Pino - All-MASL Second Team

Pino is recognized as an All-MASL player for the first time since 2019. The UMKC graduate returned to the Comets and helped solidify a dominant defense, earning All-MASL Second Team.

The veteran defender was among the league's leading shotblockers, setting a career-high with 49 blocks. Pino worked as a calm and stable presence in one of the best defensive teams in the entire league.