Los Angeles, California – Following an upset against Gotham FC, Denver looks to prolong their win streak against Angel City. Last week, Yuzuki and Thomas scored their second career goals, with two goals apiece two weeks in a row. Goalkeeper Kat Asman also recorded her first NWSL clean sheet and won Player of the Match. Meanwhile, Angel City faced off against Racing Louisville and walked away with three points. If you missed it, last week’s article can be found here. Continue on for four things to take interest in as the Summit looks to face Angel City for the first time.
Denver Summit vs Angel City
Angel City’s Previous Result: 2-0 Win vs Racing Louisville
Summit’s Previous Result: 3-0 Win vs NY/NJ Gotham
When: Friday, September 11th at 8 PM MT
Where: BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, California
TV/Streaming: Ion and TheSpot on Denver3
Player Availability
Player availability reports were released Thursday morning for the two teams. For LA, no significant absences are noted, with just the current SEIs and Sydney Leroux unavailable. Denver’s availability was very different from last week as the team saw a few returnees and a few new unavailable players.
First, the good news – who is now available. Eva Gaetino, Gemma Bonner, and Abby Smith are all available for minutes. Although Gaetino was named to the gameday roster last week, she was mistakenly named on the availability report as still out. Regardless, Gaetino did not receive any playing time. Fans will look to see if Gaetino reclaims her starting spot, or if Megan Reid has claimed it for now. Notably, if Reid starts, she will be facing off against her former club. It’s possible Cushing will choose to leave Reid as a starter due to her defensive contributions the past two games or out of a desire to not rock the boat. Starting Reid has certainly not been an issue for the Summit, whereas Gaetino has had some poor decision making at times, resulting in goals. One could argue Gaetino over Reid in the starting lineup for her offensive contributions. Gaetino frequently makes key passes that show off her foresight and vision on the field.
Gemma Bonner also returns after being listed as questionable last week and ultimately not making the gameday roster. Bonner will certainly offer more depth to the defense. This will be especially helpful as defenders Carson Pickett and Camryn Biegalski are not available (neither are injured so their absences are unlikely to be prolonged). While Pickett has appeared in 14 of 24 matches, many of those appearances were towards the start of the season. Picett received no minutes against Gotham, so the team should be prepared to succeed in her absence.
Goalkeeper Abby Smith returns to availability after being out for a few games. While Abby Smith was active in practice this week, it is possible Cushing gives Smith time to rest further before Summit plays two games in the following week. Fans can feel secure in a potential decision to rest Smith with Kat Asman as the backup option (and Jordan Nytes in the wings).
Finally, Cushing noted in practice that he expects Heaps to be able to play a full 90 minutes in Friday’s game. As Heaps returned from injury against Chicago, Cushing has been limiting her minutes as she has worked back to 90-minute fitness. The option to have the captain available for a full game will certainly be an additional tool in Summit’s arsenal.
A Tale of Two Teams
Statistically, comparing Denver Summit and Angel City, one will see that the two teams are similar in a lot of ways. Denver and LA have scored the same number of goals this season (34), have a record of 2-1-1 in their past four games, and are ranking at 9th/10th in the standings (FotMob). The teams both score 1.50 goals per match, possess about 51% on average, and concede 1.20 (Denver) to 1.10 (LA) goals per match. This can make most fans feel unsure about who should be favored to win the match. Both teams have a lot of motivation to win as doing so could bring them closer to playoffs.
One stat to look at is their current form. In the past five games, LA has a 0-1-2 record against teams currently ranked in the top half of the standings. Meanwhile, Denver’s record is 2-1-1. More notably, Denver is the only team to sweep Gotham (current first place team and reigning champions) this season. The Summit also has recorded nearly a third of Gotham’s conceded goals, half their losses, and two clean sheets. Despite going through the fire and playing four of their past five games against top eight teams, Denver has grown stronger for it. Meanwhile, LA has played league bottom feeders the past two games. While getting the wins against bottom teams is essential, LA’s lack of development and perhaps even regression from not competing against top talent will give Denver the upper-hand coming into Friday’s match.
Ultimately, the Summit also has more depth. In the recent games, substitutes for LA have scored one goal, whereas Denver substitutes have three goals. When starters cannot finish the job, Summit has players such as Olivia Thomas and Natalie Means to step up. Meanwhile, LA’s substitutes are on the slower end, unimpressive, and less likely to come in to put the nail in the coffin on a tired defense. Add the Summit’s increased endurance due to practicing at elevation, and the mile-high team comes out on top.
New Kid on the Block
On Wednesday, Denver Summit announced the signing of Naomi Eto, Cameroon national and 2026 WAFCON champion. While Eto is unlikely to be available for Friday’s match due to visa processing, lack of team time, etc., she will be an incredible addition to the Summit to finish out the season.
Who is Naomi Eto, and why should fans be excited about this signing? Eto is a forward who predominantly plays right wing. Although technically Summit acquired Eto from PSG, the 21-year-old has mostly played in the Italian Serie A Femminile league on loan from PSG. While in Italy, Eto’s record was not incredibly impressive. Of 18 matches started, she only recorded three goals and one assist. However, as a young rookie’s first season in a serious league, this stat is not a disappointment at all. For comparison, Summit’s Yazmeen Ryan started 25 matches in her second NWSL season and only scored three goals with five assists. Getting experience and lots of minutes in a good league is far more important for Eto’s ability to hit the ground running in the NWSL.
There is a lot of potential for Eto, and while it may not always be reflected on the scoreboard, there is lots to be excited about. Eto has shown strong leadership and efforts to be a team player for Cameroon. From captaining Cameroon’s U-20 team at a World Cup, scoring Cameroon’s first U-20 World Cup goal, rising to the WAFCON final with a team noted as underdogs, and scoring a goal and contributing to two others during the final itself, Eto already has an incredible resume.
Naomi Eto is additionally important due to her notable speed and creative abilities as an attacker. One of the more critical things the Summit has lacked at times is speed. One of the NWSL’s key characteristics is the speed of play, so Eto’s natural ability there will set her up for success. Her speed will help her to stretch backlines, score via through balls, draw fouls, disrupt the opponent’s counterattack and draw players out of positions to create opportunities for her teammates. Eto was incredibly successful at all of these skills during the WAFCON tournament. Ultimately, Eto’s strengths are abilities that are hard to teach and separate the good players from the best.
If fans want to see for themselves, Eto’s creativity was essential during the WAFCON final against Malawi. She succeeded in creating difficult to defend opportunities, and her goal was truly a moment of brilliance. In general, Eto’s creativity is shown in the types of touches and moves she makes on and off the ball. If Eto can recreate the magic in the NWSL, she will be an incredible asset for the Summit.
The one weakness I notice from Eto is she could improve on her ball handling skills. She is occasionally dispossessed or makes poor plays with the ball due to her at-times sloppy handling. However, this weakness is something she will likely mature out of and is not a cause for long term concern. Given Cushing’s history with refining young players who show similar promise, it is not a reach to believe Eto has the potential to become one of the best forwards in the league.
Key Offensive Threats
The top three offensive threats to watch out for are Evelyn Shores, Sveindis Jonsdottir, and Maiara Neihues.
Evelyn Shores is currently on a hot streak. In the past two games, the forward has recorded three goal contributions, including her first brace against Racing Louisville. Shores currently leads the assists with five this season. As Shores continues to heat up, Janine Sonis will look to contain her. The good news? Sonis put on a master class last Saturday containing rookie Jordynn Dudley, so Shores should be nothing the fullback has not already seen.
Meanwhile, Sveindis Jonsdottir and Maiara Niehues have been leading the Angel City pack with 7 goals each this season. Both players are having a breakout season. When Jonsdottir was out on injury, LA looked a sorry imitation of themselves, so it will be essential to ensure she is as useless to her team as possible. This will be difficult, as Jonsdottir’s impact goes beyond the typical goal scoring and assists. The forward is known for her throw-ins, likely the most dangerous in the league for their reach. Giving up a throw-in in the defensive third against LA is akin to giving up a corner kick against another team. The more the Summit can limit those, the better.
Maiara Niehues has also played well for LA, but recently has played more limited minutes due to an unspecified leg injury. As she makes her way back into the starting lineup and ninety minutes, she will be less of a threat than usual. In terms of weaknesses, Niehues is relatively ineffective at connecting her team. Her inefficiencies in terms of passing, dribbling, and fouling all are opportunities for the Summit to take advantage of.
Matt Pollard 
John Babiak 