Denver, Colo.- After a great week on the East Coast, Denver Summit FC are confident going into their first ever home game, which will be a spectacle. If you didn’t already, read up on the Takeaways against Gotham to get a better understanding of the team’s journey so far this season.
In case you missed it, Denver Summit recorded their first win in club history against Gotham FC in New Jersey on Wednesday night. The game is now available for replay on the NWSL app for anyone playing catch-up. The team had their best game yet, but there is still progress they will need to continue to make to ensure a win for the home opener.
Now, the day is almost here! Denver’s long-awaited record-breaking home opener will be kicking off before you know it. Here’s five things to look for when Denver takes on USWNT star Trinity Rodman and the Washington Spirit (2025 NWSL Championship Runner Ups).
The Match: Denver Summit hosts Washington Spirit
When: Saturday, March 28th at 12 p.m. MT
Where: Mile High (Empower Field)
TV/Streaming: The Spot 3 by Denver7 and CBS.
Possession in the Midfield
Denver Summit looked significantly more organized in the Midfield with the introduction of Delanie Sheehan (leaving Regan on the bench). Passing accuracy for the team went up. The improvements of Flint and Lynch also aided in less turnovers, better through-balls, and effective marking. Although I was down on Lynch after her first game against Bay FC, her improvements the past two games have been significant – if she keeps improving at this rate, she will be a dominant force in the midfield.
In comparison, Spirit’s midfield will be a worthy opponent. While some may argue Spirit’s starting midfield is weaker than Gotham’s, Spirit’s midfield has better overall depth. In addition, Gotham’s midfield looked poor last game and not solely due to Summit’s abilities. Therefore, it should be interesting to see who gets the nod from Spirit (Bernal, Santos, Hershfelt, and Abiodun are all powerful options). If Denver continues to start Sheehan, Flint, and Sheehan they will need to be up to the task to adapt to whatever center midfield Spirit Coach Adrian Gonzalez throws their way.
Diversification of the Attack
Against Gotham, Denver recorded five shots on target – compared to two and one against Orlando and Bay FC respectively. Tash Flint also became only the second Denver Summit player to score this season. While the dominance of Melissa Kossler (3 goals already) is something the team should not take for granted in their attack, the team will also need to look to get more players involved in taking shots and creating opportunities. The more players that get involved, the less predictable and thus dangerous the Summit will be.
Defending Against Spirit’s Speed and Organization
Denver was excellent at times at breaking out of Gotham’s high press. Spirit attacks very similarly, but is also known to be dangerous attacking on the flank in a speedy manner. Although Trinity Rodman may not get the start after playing a full 90 minutes against Utah on Wednesday, the Spirit attack cannot be underestimated. Players such as Rosemunde Koassi and Gift Monday were very successful last year in breaking down defenders on their back foot. Spirit has also excelled at scoring off of crosses from the flank. This is one of Denver’s weaknesses defensively as seen against Orlando with the Barbra Banda goal as well as the inability to stop crosses from Gotham. Outside defenders such as Janine Sonis and Ayo Oke will have to shut down the crosses as much as possible and not get caught sleeping on the back post.
Player Availability
Player availability will help make the game easier for Denver. The illness that swept through players and staff seems to have passed, and all but three players are available to make the gameday roster (assuming Biegalski is still out on a knee injury, Coach Cushing will be able to include up to 20 of the 23 healthy players on his roster for the game).
Although Japanese National team player Yuzuki Yamamoto would certainly help bolster Denver’s chances, she is unlikely to join the team yet. Yamamoto’s arrival will likely take a few more weeks (the NWSL no longer requires teams to list a player waiting for a green card on their availability report). Fans can realistically expect Yamamoto to arrive sometime before the summer break. For those unfamiliar with Yamamoto, she had an outstanding performance for the Japanese WNT in the Asian Cup, where Japan beat Australia in the final.
On the Spirit side, Brick Wall and former USWNT goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury is out on maternity leave. Aubrey’s joy can also be ours, as Spirit is currently using Sandy McIver, a far less experienced goalie. In Spirit’s game against the Utah Royals, a poor pass by McIver cost the team a goal for Utah and the win. If Denver can continue to force goalie mistakes as Tash Flint did against Ann Katrin-Berger, the team could see some easy goals picked up there.
Set Pieces
Set pieces have the chance to make or break this game. On the Denver side, the team has failed to register significant offensive opportunities off of corner kicks. The team needs to take advantage of corners and free kicks to get the ball in the back of the net. On the Spirit side, Leicy Santos is known for her dangerous and accurate corners and free kicks (as well as clinical shots). Denver will need to prevent these opportunities as much as possible to avoid a goal like this one from last season.
Thank you for reading Burgundy Wave. Support us via our Patreon starting at $5/month. You can also make a one-time contribution via Tip Jar. We’re always looking for new talent. Let us know if you’re interested in covering Colorado Soccer.
Matt Pollard 
John Babiak 