Denver, Colo.- Seven matches into the her NWSL season, Natasha “Tash” Flint has three goals and two assists. She’s doing well within the system under Denver Summit head coach Nick Cushing. The two worked together previously. Still, she’s having some of her best moments when she “just goes for it.”
Coming full circle, 12 years in the making:
The Salford, England native signed at 17-years-old with Manchester City Women’s out of the academy in 2014. Cushing was in the academy set up at that time.
He admitted to Burgundy Wave that Flint had some struggles then. She was a brilliant young player with a bright future, but Cushing feels he didn’t help her achieve her potential for her age. The system wasn’t a perfect fit and maybe he could have coached better. Maybe he let her down. That’s football sometimes.
Flint was a part of the 2014 FA Women’s League Cup-winning side but was released by City the following year. Stops at Leicester City, Liverpool, and Blackburn Rovers led to a loan spell at Celtic for the second half of 2023-24. She tallied 11 goals in 14 league games and won the Scottish Women’s Premier League.
In the summer of 2024, she joined Tampa Bay Sun for the inaugural season of the USL Super League. This past January, she joined Summit on loan through March. The club picked up the permanent transfer option, signing her for 2026 and 2027 on April 17.
Twelve years after that letdown at the Etihad Campus, Flint is flying a mile high, or 1.6 kilometers.
“Tash is a player I’ve believed in for a long time, and we’re thrilled to extend her time with the club,” said Cushing. “She’s definitely got the quality to play at the highest level. Her technique is exceptional. Still more to come.”
Working with in the system while having freedom:
So what’s made Flint successful early on at Summit? And what’s she doing to create eyebrow-raising highlights?
Cushing is tinkering a bit given recent results. There’s still a Man City influence to their approach. They want to be good and entertaining on the ball. Flint knows how to do that. While they’re not a full pressing team, they press strategically. Certain pressing triggers, depending on the opponent, have worked. One led to Flint’s first goal and the club’s first win at Gotham.
Flint has been a good system player for the possession and pressing aspects of how Summit play. She’s been unselfish, setting up teammates and providing quality passes to unlock defenses and creating big chances. One could argue however that she’s at her best when she goes off script and is selfish.
Take her secondary assist against San Diego. She finds space for an outlet ball, works quickly in the given space, then delivers a weighted pass to Yaz Ryan for an eventual tap in. That game was an excellent display of her off-the-ball movement and quick execution.
“She’s continued to show that through her technical skills and consistency. She has the ability to impact games in big moments and we’re excited about what she will continue to bring to the team moving forward,” said Cushing.
Her most spectacular moments have been when she’s just gone for it. She had the best chance created out of nothing at “The Kickoff” at Mile High. If that had gone in and the game had ended 1-0, everyone on NWSL Blue Sky would know her name.
Tash made good on that aspect of her game, with a similar play at Boston Legacy last weekend. “People are saying it’s a banger of a goal,” Flint said postgame. “Just seen the opportunity. The left side of the goal was on, and just went for it.”
Summit would go on to lose that match 3-2, so the team does need to improve playing with a lead. Flint is a part of that.
But if she keeps up her spectacular passing in transition, hard work pressing, and the occasional banger, Summit will be good this year. Twenty goal contributions in a 30 game season is possible if she stays healthy. That’s Best XI stuff.
Cushing will be able to say he’s done right by a player he has history with. And Flint can look back on the journey, and say to her teenager self that everything worked out in the end.
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Katherine Ammon 
John Babiak 