Comets Sign Trio With Local College Ties To Roster

The expansion Missouri Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League announced the signings Monday of three players with local college ties -- forward Levi Coleman, midfielder Lucas Rodriguez and forward/midfielder Tony Avery.

Coleman recently completed his first professional season with the Charleston Battery of the USL Second Division, leading them to the league's last championship game, defeating the Richmond Kickers. The league will merge with USL First Division to become USL PRO for the 2011 season.

He also played in the USL PDL for the Kansas City Brass and the Professional Arena Soccer League's Kansas City Kings.

A former Metro Player of the Year in high school by the Tulsa World, Coleman began his college soccer career with Florida International, then transferred to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

At FIU, he was named to Conference USA's All-Freshman Team and, at UMKC, led them to the Summit League championship and an NCAA Men's College Cup appearance while also being named a second team all-league player.

Rodriguez, who also played for the Brass and the Kings, played for the NSC Minnesota Stars in the USSF Division 2 Pro League this season along with Comets teammate Geison Moura, leading the Stars to the league's only playoff season.

At Johnson County Community College in Kansas, he was named to National Junior College Athletic Association and National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-America teams in his sophomore season, and was named to the NJCAA All-Region VI First Team and the Kansas Jayhawk Conference First Team in 2005 after scoring 12 goals, five of them game-winners, along with six assists.

He then transferred to Mid-America Nazarene College, where, in 2009, he was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference's Most Valuavle Player and the conference's first team, as well as the National Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's third team.

Avery played collegiately at UMKC, professionally in 2003 for the last Comets team in MISL, and last played for the Colorado Predators of the Premier Arena Soccer League.