February 10, 2024 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – Kansas City Comets News Release
There is no one better at blocking shots in MASL history than Comets defender Robert ‘Berto’ Palmer. The 5-10 defensive standout just became the first player in MASL history to reach the 300-block milestone.
Palmer is trailed by current teammate Chad Vandegriffe’s 266 blocks and former teammate Uzi Tayou’s 257 blocks. Palmer and Tayou teamed up at the Empire Strykers for three years, where Palmer was named MASL Defender of the Year in 2021 and helped his team to their first and only Ron Newman Cup Finals.
The Jamaican has since returned home to the Comets this season, where he has already secured his fifth 40-block season in six years and is on pace to obliterate his career high of 49 blocks in 2019-20. Having played just 11 of the team’s 16 games, Palmer is averaging a career-high 4.9 blocks per game.
Palmer and Tayou are leading the league in blocks this season, though Tayou has the edge with 51. Both are on track to set the new single-season record, which is currently held by Rafa Alves at 59 from his 2022-23 Defender of the Year-winning season with the Florida Tropics.
Palmer originally joined the Comets in 2012-13 out of Park University and helped the Comets to the 2014 MISL championship. He played the 2017-18 season with the Tacoma Stars before returning to the Comets from 2018-20. He played with Empire from 2021-23 before returning to the Comets once again this season.
It took the newly turned 35-year-old 173 games to reach 300 blocks in 10 seasons. Palmer will enjoy this accomplishment but remain focused on leading the Comets back to the Ron Newman Cup Playoffs.
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