Commerce City, Colo.- With the April international window officially closed, NWSL match play resumes nationwide. A record 130 players were called up to represent their respective countries, and 27 found the back of the net during the break.
Denver Summit players Janine Sonis and Emma Regan represented Canada and faced Zambia, South Korea, and Brazil as part of the FIFA Series 2026 in Cuiabá, Brazil.
Newly acquired forward Yuzuki Yamamoto represented Japan in three friendlies against the United States. She played in the match in Colorado.
Goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin played with France against Netherlands, twice.
Denver vs San Diego:
Locally, (1-1-3) Denver Summit FC will play host to (4-0-1) San Diego Wave in their first of two games at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. A limited number of tickets are still available. Kick-off is set for Saturday evening at 6:45 p.m.
The host club will celebrate the state of Colorado’s 150th anniversary and the city’s rich sports culture with Denver Unite Night by giving away 5,000 Denver sports scarves to the first who enter the stadium.
Mid-game, the club will welcome USWNT head coach, Emma Hayes. In addition to watching the game, Hayes will participate in a field side question and answer session with fans during the halftime intermission.
Post-game, fans can take in a special drone show- Stories in the Sky, a signature initiative of the America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission.
San Diego Talking Points:
The visitors arrive at metro-Denver, with a four-game winning streak, two of which were clean sheets. They are in first-place with 12 points, one win ahead of Portland
To date, they have outscored their opponents 8-2.
Their offense is led by rookie center midfielder Lia Godfrey who has scored three goals in three consecutive games. Complementing Godfrey are the Brazilian goal scoring tandem, Ludmila and Dudinha.
Blockbuster signing Catarina Macario might see her first-ever NWSL minutes. The USWNT star forward signed a record-breaking five-year contract with San Diego Wave FC in March 2026, running through 2030. The 26-year-old returns to her hometown, joining the club from Chelsea for a $300,000 transfer fee in a deal worth approximately $8 million, making it one of the highest-value contracts in women’s soccer history.
Denver Summit Discussion Points:
Denver enters the match sitting in ninth place. They are coming off a strong defensive run led by goaltender, Abby Smith, who has recorded three consecutive shutouts.
Striker Melissa Kössler has been the standout attacker for Denver this short season. She has scored Summit’s first three goals. However, the promising offensive half needs to fire-up.
Eyes will be Yamamoto to be a catalyst on the attacking end on the pitch. Last season, she was named league MVP in Japan with 8 goals and 6 assists in 22 appearances. Her Tokyo Verdy Beleza side won the WE League championship.
During the team’s post-practice media session on Thursday in Glendale, Summit’s head coach, Nick Cushing said, “The approach is the same, while respecting that they’re a good team,” Cushing added. “I think it’ll be about who can bring the intensity, and we’re obviously going to try and use the altitude to our advantage. If we can play at 100% of our max intensity, that can feel like 140% for visiting teams and that’s the aim for us every time we bring teams here to Denver.”
“What I’m really positive about is the investment and the buy-in players are showing. They are enjoying it, but also believe in it, so hopefully we can continue.”
How to watch: Cable TV and streaming on ION On local TV on The Spot Denver 3 (Channel 3) from Denver7.
Denver Watch Events: Number Thirty Eight, DNVR, 99ers, TrashHawk Tavern, Lady justice Brewing Company
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Matt Pollard 
Samuel Worsley 
Katherine Ammon 