NICK VASOS: Honoring a Legend of the Game

Nick Vasos never saw it coming.

With 7:26 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Major Arena Soccer League encounter at the Cable Dahmer Arena on Dec. 27, Lesia Thetsane had just given the Kansas City Comets an 8-5 lead.

Game officials then called a media timeout.

In the TV booth, the Comets announcer was ready to take a break along with analyst Erik Bergrud.

During breaks, sideline reporter Ashley "Lux" Elzinga usually says something, promoting the Comets' next home game or doing a feature on a player.

Instead, Vasos' picture was flashed on the giant scoreboards at both ends of the arena.

A stunned Vasos' first thought: Why is my picture on the scoreboards?

Then Lux made the announcement.

"The Kansas City Comets and the Kansas City, Missouri City Council will proclaim January 8, 2026, as Nick Vasos Day in Kansas City," she said. "And we will be encouraging all the citizens to join in celebrating his remarkable career and his role in helping Kansas City's voice be heard on the global soccer stage. We will honor Nick during our game on January 11 against the Milwaukee wave. I cannot believe I have the pleasure to congratulate my friend and co-host, Nick Vasos on 30 years of Comets soccer!"

A smiling and humble Vasos thanked his colleagues.

"Oh, my God. Lux, Eric, I couldn't have two better partners for this," he said. "It's been a labor of love since 1996. My first game when I saw the Milwaukee Wave.

"Erik, I know you had something to do with this. Thank you so much, partner. I really appreciate you. What an honor."

Vasos finished the game, which was won by the Comets, 9-6.

"It's really hard to put into words, thoughts and feelings," he said, looking back at that moment.

Even for someone who has a way with words.

Three decades and counting                                                         

According to the Fox 4 WDAF website, Vasos is known for at least two phrases in his soccer broadcasts.

"You know you’re listening to Nick Vasos on the mic when you hear ‘Ding Dong' after a shot rings off the post or 'Top shelf where Grandma keeps the cookies' after a great goal," the website said.

Think of it.

Thirty years.

Three decades.

How it began

In a fast-paced world of the 21st century where trends and jobs can come and go at the blink of an eye, Vasos' indoor soccer announcing career is a testament to his longevity, passion and talent.

The 58-year-old announcer got his start in 1996 when Zoran Savic was general manager of the Kansas City Attack and Jim Schwab was head coach.

"They were looking for a new voice to lead their franchise," Vasos said, adding that Savic reached out to him after just beginning his radio career a few years earlier. "He had heard me on the air. I had little play by play experience. But I wanted to learn, because I like the sport. He allowed me to grow and allowed me to stay with the job."

Vasos worked Attack/Comets games until the team went on hiatus earlier this century. When the third version of the Major Indoor Soccer League started up in 2010, a group of KC owners that included Brian Budzinski and Jamie Poulson brought Vasos back into the fold.

"I'm incredibly lucky," he said. "You don't do something for 30 years without a lot of help around you and a lot of people who believe in you. I'm so thankful because I'm a Kansas City guy. To be able to broadcast the sport in your hometown as well as work at a local television station in your hometown - I've worked at Fox4 for 25 years - I consider myself really lucky, really lucky."

Center of attention

Thursday, Jan. 8 will be a special day for the Vasos family – Nick, wife Wendy and son Gus - as they will attend a City Council meeting at City Hall, where a proclamation will be read, most likely by Mayor Quinton Lucas, and then presented to the man of the hour.

"I'll probably have just a few short remarks, less than a minute," Vasos said.

Bergrud applauded his announcing partner's achievement.

"Indoor soccer has a long tradition, and particularly does in Kansas City, so somebody who's been connected with it for three decades, that's a pretty significant accomplishment," he said. "And the city recognizes it, which is terrific."

Since 2019, Bergrud and Vasos have teamed up on Comets games. They talk as though they been friends forever.

"We didn't know each other," Bergrud said. "Kansas City is, depending on how you look at it, it's either a big, small town or a small, big town. That first Comets game, you would think we've known each other for decades, and that's not the case. Nick just has a way of connecting with others, which I found very welcoming as I became a Comets announcer."

Added Vasos: "He's the best broadcast partner I've ever had in my life. I appreciate him, and I appreciate everything that he does during every game, but he brings it every time we have a game."

More than the announcers

While the honor is a big deal, Vasos will be the first to let anyone know that a Comets broadcast is more than just the announcers. There is a big crew behind the scenes.

"We're all on one team, and that includes our production staff," he said. "I go out of my way many times to tell each of the members of our technical staff that I appreciate everything that they do, because we have the best production team in the MASL in Zimmerman Productions. ... We have a producer, a director. We have a replay operator. We have four camera operators that have done multiple games for multiple years, and we are still being innovative. We have technology at Cable Dahmer that we are looking to implement that no other team is using.

"Erik and I can be great and everything. But if you can't hear us, if you can't see us, if the camera's not framed, if it's not in focus, if it's not following the ball, if it's not catching that crucial moment that may be needed for a referee's review, then what do you have?"

If you haven't figured it, Vasos loves the indoor game.

"We are very, very proud and excited of our way of done with our broadcast," he said. "I attribute a lot of it to Erik, and a lot of it to Lux, as well as our production team of being able to spread the word of indoor soccer. Erik and I think it's one of the greatest sports ever. Some people are out there that don't know about indoor soccer still to this day, even though indoor soccer in this country started before MLS and was really the highest form of soccer in the 80s. Back in the day, being able to spread the word about our sport and to be able to do it on different platforms that have potentially big audiences is really inspiring for me."

Always be prepared

There are many reasons why Vasos has been able to be the popular voice of indoor soccer in Kansas City. Of course, there's talent. And then there's pre-game preparation.

 Like many broadcasters, he has put together what he calls boards.

"You've got the players, number, name, hometown, and stats, as well as any notes," he said. "You have them for every team, and then I have a third one for the game, which has team stats, and other types of coaching notes or player notes. I make three boards every game. My preparation typically is usually about anywhere between four and six hours per game.

"A broadcaster that I admire said to me many, many years ago, and that is reason you prepare is for an opportunity, because when preparation meets opportunity. It equals a moment, not just for you, but for you and your audience. If you use your preparation to meet that moment, it can create some pretty magical things within the broadcast."

His day job

A Kansas City, Kansas native, Vasos graduated with a B.S. degree in Broadcast Communications and Media Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He started on radio before joining Fox 4 (WDAF-TV) in 2002 as a general assignment reporter. He became an early morning anchor, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., among other responsibilities.

Vasos rises at 2:10 a.m. to start his day and is on the air at 4:30 a.m. on various shows. He leaves the station around 11:30, returns home. He will walk the dog, shop for groceries and make dinner for his family.

If the Comets have a home game on Friday night, it could be a long day's journey for Vasos.

"Fridays can be kind of a tricky thing during the season, because I'm up at two, and then when I get home, I typically have a few game notes that I need to tend to. I'll essentially be up from 2 a.m. until like 10:30 p.m. Fridays can be a long day. It can be kind of tough."

A World Cup is looming

If you think Vasos' 2026 soccer experience will end with the completion of the Comets' MASL season in the spring, you are wrong.

He will be doing features and updates about the teams that will play at Arrowhead Stadium during the World Cup this summer.

"This is going to be such a great opportunity for so many of us in soccer in Kansas City, in business in Kansas City, and all soccer fans in Kansas City," Vasos said. "That's an opportunity for the Comets. We are going to leverage our involvement in the community with the World Cup. It'll be during our off season, but we plan to be a part of this. I'm lucky enough that on my other job, my job on television, at doing the news. Our station will broadcast World Cup games. My goal this year is to be a significant part of our coverage of the World Cup, and I can't wait. I've already done a couple of preview shows on FOX.

"I'm just curious about learning about different cultures. What is an Ecuadorian’s life like back in Ecuador? What kind of food do you like to eat? What about your team? Have you had a good team for a long time? How excited are you? How far did you travel? What kind of music do you listen to? ... It's very fitting that Argentina is going to play a game, at least a group stage game, here in Kansas City, because are the barbecue capital of America."

Argentina has forged a world-wide reputation for its beef.

Catching the Wave - again

If you want to get technical, there will be two Nick Vasos Days - on Thursday and then on Sunday, Jan. 11, when the Comets host the Milwaukee Wave, which just happened to be the first game he announced in his career three decades ago.

"The symmetry is kind of neat, because the very first game I did as a professional indoor soccer announcer was against the Milwaukee Wave. Who was going to be our opponent on Sunday the 11th? Yes, it'll be the Milwaukee Wave."

Vasos will be brought out to the field at halftime. Perhaps the proclamation will be shown and he'll give some short remarks before heading back to the booth to finish the game.

"That's what I know so far," Vasos said. "Who knows what those sneaky folks like Bergrud and Budzinski have in store for me?

Regardless of what also might be in the works, for four days, Nick Vasos will have the times of his life.

Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter.