The Cincinnati Comets was an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, that was a member of the American Soccer League. The Comets won the ASL in 1972, led by 16-year-old Costa Rican-American

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Ringo Cantillo Julio "Ringo" Cantillo is a former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. Born in Costa Rica, he represented the United States. He played five seasons in the American Soccer League where he was the league MVP as a rookie. He won ...

who won

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

that year. At the time Cantillo was a high school student at McNicholas High School and living with head coach Nick Capurro. Cantillo went on to win MVP three more times in the ASL. The following year in 1973 the Comets advanced to the championship again ultimately losing to the

New York Apollo The New York Greeks was an American soccer club based in New York City that was a member of the American Soccer League (1933-1983), American Soccer League. The team began as the amateur Greek-Americans. The club played lower Premier Division of ...

Coaches

* Nick Capurro (1972–73)

Stadiums

*1972: St. Xavier High School *1973:

Nippert Stadium James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, located on the campus of University of Cincinnati. Primarily used for American football, it has been home to the Cincinnati Bearcats football, Cincinnati Bearcats ...

(playoff game against Cleveland played at St. Xavier High School) *1974–75: Trechter Stadium, Cincinnati Technical College, now

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati State Technical and Community College (CSTCC, CincyState, or Cincinnati State) is a public technical and community college in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. History Chartered by the Ohio Board o ...

Year-by-year

Honors

League Championship :* ''Winner (1):'' 1972 :* ''Runner Up (1):'' 1973 League MVP * 1972:

* 1974:

Leading Scorer * 1973: Eddy Roberts Leading Goalkeeper * 1973: Antion Cruz Coach of the Year * 1972: Nick Capurro

References

Soccer clubs in Cincinnati, Comets Defunct soccer clubs in Ohio American Soccer League (1933–1983) teams Soccer clubs in Ohio 1972 establishments in Ohio 1975 disestablishments in Ohio Association football clubs established in 1972 Association football clubs disestablished in 1975 {{Cincinnati-sport-stub