Kansas City, Missouri – Following a big win against 8th place competition Seattle Reign, Denver travels to Missouri to attempt revenge. Against Seattle, Denver had a scrappy win where the expansion team held out after conceding once to secure three points. Tash Flint and Delanie Sheehan both had bangers to add to the scoreboard with Sheehan winning Player of the Match. The Summit sits at a five-game unbeaten streak whereas the Kansas City Current lost to San Diego last week. Here’s three things to look for as the Summit looks to record their first points against Kansas City.
Denver Summit vs Kansas City
Current’s Previous Result: 2-0 Loss vs San Diego Wave
Summit’s Previous Result: 2-1 Win vs Seattle Reign
Previous Face to Face Result: 3-0 Loss to KC Current
When: Saturday, September 26th at 10:30 AM MT
Where: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
TV/Streaming: CBS and Paramount Plus
Player Availability
Denver Summit is unlikely to be heavily impacted by unavailability going into Saturday’s match. However, Pickett, Biegalski, and Brazier are likely to remain unavailable. Despite speculation of possible trades for the trio, it is highly unlikely that is the case. Biegalski’s contract is up at the end of the year with Denver, leaving it unlikely a team would pay for her now rather than wait it out. Furthermore, most players who get put on excused status prior to a trade typically only make it one to two games before the trade is announced. Since these absences have stretched for weeks now, Pickett and Brazier likely have other reasons to not be playing. Fans should remain patient and limit speculation out of respect as both players have indicated their strong loyalty to the team. In the meantime, fans can be confident that the team will be able to record points without them.
While losing Pickett and Brazier does limit Cushing as it reduces his bench depth, the arrival of Naomi Eto will soon soften the blow. Eto arrived in Denver this week and started practicing with the team. While Eto is unlikely to be named to the gameday roster this week as she continues to settle in, fans can hope to see Eto get minutes in the following weeks as a late substitution. For more info on the Summit’s latest roster addition, read this article. In the meantime, Eto’s lungs will need time to adjust to living in the Mile High City.
On the other hand, Kansas City will be more limited by player unavailability. Against San Diego, starting fullback Laney Rouse received a red card, leaving her unavailable for Saturday’s match. Rouse was effective in July in shutting down the attack on the wing, so any weakness there is appreciated. Center defender Gabrielle Robinson will return to availability but will likely be on a minutes restriction, further limiting an already uninspiring Kansas City defense.
Croix Bethune’s unavailability for Saturday will be the most significant. Bethune leads the league in chances created. The former Midfielder of the Year has been a significant unifying presence in the midfield. Kansas City’s possession and plays were poor against San Diego without her. Bethune is also a major contributor for the Current with ten assists (for comparison, Ryan and Sonis sit at the top of Denver’s assist leaderboard with five assists each). San Diego’s ability to shut out the Current was undoubtedly due in part to Bethune’s absence.
Finally, although Chawinga was able to start for San Diego despite initially being ruled as questionable. as she continues to nurse her return from injury her minutes may be more limited than usual. Any limit to Chawinga will also serve as an advantage for Denver.
New Team, Who Dis?
On July 3rd, when Denver Summit suffered its worst defeat of the season to Kansas City Current, they were a shadow of the team they have become. Summit was struggling to consistently score in games with Sonis shouldering the burden. Since then, four new players have recorded goals, Kossler and Flint returned from their drought with two goals each, and Sonis continues to be as dangerous as before. Offensively the team is close to its peak which will be sure to challenge a lackluster Kansas City defense.
KC has struggled defensively this year compared to 2025, with starters Kayla Sharples, Izzy Rodriguez, Lorena, and Elizabeth Ball all having worse stats. Moreover, the team has failed to shutout a team for 12 consecutive matches. Comparatively, Denver has not shut out a team in four matches, a much more reasonable duration.
Since July 3rd, the Summit’s midfield has also seen the addition of Lindsay Heaps. Heaps has been outstanding since her return from her knee injury. The captain has recorded five goal contributions in the eight matches she has played in. In the past three games Heaps has really settled in with two goals and one assist. As always, the USWNT star has also been an important aerial presence in the offense which not only adds another tool to the arsenal but forces opposing defenses to focus on countering her, leaving gaps for other players to score.
In general, the lineup used against Kansas City in July is incredibly different from how Cushing has been setting up Denver recently. Regan, Yuzuki, Flint, and Sheehan will all likely be set to make strong performances not witnessed back in July.
Ultimately, while the 3-0 loss in July was no doubt frustrating, fans should not use that as evidence of Summit’s uphill battle going into Saturday’s match. With the Summit’s progress in the past two months, the three points could be anyone’s.
Key Threats
The key threats the Summit should watch out for going into Saturday are the 12th player, Temwa Chawinga, Michelle Cooper, and Debinha. Regarding the 12th player, the Summit enters one of the most challenging atmospheres to play in at CPKC Stadium. Kansas City has rarely conceded all three points at home and has not lost a single home game all season. While even a tie will be a much-needed point for the expansion team, a road win will be an accomplishment no team has managed yet this year. Since Denver can use all the points they can get, a victory against Kansas City would be especially significant as KC is one of their top competitors for secured a playoff spot.
Temwa Chawinga will as always be a massive threat to neutralize. The former MVP’s speed and physicality will be a challenge for Denver. Kaleigh Kurtz and co. will need to ensure they are tracking Chawinga at all times. If Denver allows Kansas City to make a quick counterattack during the game, it will be difficult to shut out Chawinga. However, despite being scored on frequently on the counterattack this season, the Summit as a whole has been better about slowing down the counter, with players such as Emma Regan being key at disruption.
Michelle Cooper’s ability to attack on the wing will also be dangerous as she sits second in assists and goals for KC. The USWNT star’s physicality and speed will keep Sonis busy all game which may limit her ability to offensively contribute.
Finally, Cushing will also be keeping an eye out for midfielder Debinha. The Brazilian has played a key role in the midfield in goal scoring, chances created, and recoveries. Fortunately, Debinha’s major weaknesses lay in winning duels, especially aerial. The lack of height in the Kansas City midfield will favor Denver, especially with Heaps.
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John Babiak 