COACH VLATKO ANDONOVSKI NAMED FINALIST FOR THE ANNUAL KEVIN GRAY COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (June 24, 2024) – FC Kansas City and Missouri Comets head coach Vlatko Andonovski has been named a finalist for the annual Kevin Gray Coach of the Year award. The awards will be announced on Monday, June 29 in a special celebration at Sporting Park and will broadcast on tape-delay in the Kansas City Metro on Time Warner Cable. image

The Kevin Gray Awards, presented by Pepsi, were established by FC Kansas City and Missouri Comets Director of Soccer Operations Huw Williams in 2024 in honor and memory of the late Kansas City Sports Commission president Kevin Gray (shown on right), who passed away on Jun 15, 2024, after battling cancer. The awards, co-sponsored by Sporting Kansas City and Global Sports International (GSI), recognize the athletic achievements of soccer players in the Kansas City area.

Led by Andonovski, the Missouri Comets and FC Kansas City won the 2024/14 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and the 2024 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Championships respectively. This year, the Comets once again excelled on the field after finishing the regular season with a perfect 20-0 record and made it all the way to the Conference Championship were they fell against the Baltimore Blast.

The following awards will be presented annually, as decided by a panel of Kansas City soccer leaders:

  • Male Youth Player of the Year -- given to a high school senior for club/high school success
  • Female Youth Player of the Year -- given to a high school senior for club/high school success
  • Adult Player of the Year -- given to a collegiate or professional player with ties to Kansas City
  • Adult Coach of the Year -- given to a local college or professional coach, from either Kansas or Missouri, for his/her team’s success
  • Youth Coach of the Year -- given to a local girls or boys recreational, high school, club, from either Kansas or Missouri, for his/her team’s success
  • Soccer Ambassador of the Year -- given to a person in the community who has worked tirelessly to support the game and growth of soccer within the Kansas City

The awards ceremony is held annually during the summer at Sporting Park in conjunction with a home Sporting Kansas City match.