Denver Summit FC's Defense is ELITE (But the Attack Has to Catch Up)

A five-game look at what Nick Cushing has built — and what still needs to find it.

Denver Summit FC poached a point in Washington state Saturday night, battling Seattle Reign to a 0-0 draw at ONE Spokane Stadium before a light crowd of 3,950 fans. With the result, Denver improves to 1-1-3 on the season — six points through five games — and extends their unbeaten run to four matches.

It was not a beautiful game. It was a grinding, physical, chess match of a night in eastern Washington. But it was also something more than a scoreless draw. It was a window into exactly what this team is.

The System Is Real

Three goals allowed in five games. That is the number that defines Denver Summit FC's inaugural season, and it didn't happen by accident.

Nick Cushing's 4-3-3 is built from the back. Carson Pickett and Kaleigh Kurtz anchor the center back pairing, and through five games they have looked more like a seasoned partnership than two players who met in preseason. Kurtz in particular has been excellent — organized, disciplined, reading angles before attackers can exploit them. Saturday she took away Maddie Mercado's back post option on a first-half chance that could have opened the scoring. Small moment. Big save.

Out wide, captain Janine Sonis operates like a second midfielder when Denver has possession. She logged ninety touches Saturday — from left back. She nearly scored twice, clipping the crossbar early and sending a 72nd-minute header directly into Claudia Dickey's hands. Her ability to push high and create overloads while still recovering defensively is the product of a Cushing system that demands discipline across every line.

And behind all of it: Abby Smith.

Abby Smith Is Carrying This Team

The numbers are not subtle. Twenty-three saves on the season. A 0.6 goals-against average. Second in the entire NWSL individually. Named to the league's Best XI for the month of March — the first expansion team goalkeeper to earn that recognition.

Saturday she made three saves that mattered. The most memorable came in the first half when Mercado got clean in on goal and fired toward the lower left corner. Smith kick-saved it. Reflexive. Instantaneous. The kind of save that only happens because a goalkeeper has trained her body to react before her mind can catch up.

Post-match, Carson Pickett put it simply. Smith is unreal, she said. An unbelievable keeper. When it comes down to a couple of chances, she's going to have their back.

She has been doing exactly that all season.

The Attacking Problem Is Real Too

Denver won the statistical battle Saturday. Fifty-three percent possession. Eighteen shots — the most they have attempted in any game this season. They dominated the second half. By the 70th minute Seattle was on their heels, absorbing pressure from corners, free kicks, and long throws.

And they scored zero goals.

Four goals in five games is the honest truth of this season so far. Melissa Kössler is leading the attack and carrying significant defensive attention as the focal point of every opponent's game plan. Yazmeen Ryan has dangerous moments. Yuna at 21 is growing into her starting right forward role with each passing game. But the composure in the final moment — the decision that turns a good chance into a goal — has been the missing piece.

Cushing acknowledged it after the final whistle. They need to create bigger chances, he said. They need to be more ruthless. In a separate moment he admitted he quite likes the fact that they let this one get away. It gives him the chance to see how the team responds.

Megan Reid was more direct. Failing to score is always frustrating, she said. Teams with good structures make it harder — she'll give Seattle that. But it shouldn't have stopped them from putting one in the back of the net.

A Note on Ally Brazier

Colorado Springs native Ally Brazier dressed Saturday and played zero minutes. Her game log for the season tells a shrinking story — 63 minutes at Bay, 22 at Gotham, 15 at Orlando, six against Washington, nothing in Spokane.

The tactical explanation is straightforward. Yuna is listed as a midfielder but plays right forward in Cushing's 4-3-3. She is occupying Brazier's position and she is currently winning that competition. The dynamic running, the ability to stretch Seattle's defensive shape — Cushing has a specific function in mind for that role and Yuna is executing it.

But zero minutes when Denver was hunting a goal in the second half? That is a harder call to explain. Brazier is a professional with championships on her résumé. She deserves real minutes, not the final six of a match that has already been decided by the goalkeeping.

The Five-Game Snapshot

March 14 — at Bay FC: L 1-2. First game in club history. Denver scored first. Lost the lead. Lost the match. Competed throughout.

March 21 — at Orlando Pride: D 1-1. The reigning champions. Barbra Banda. Denver came away with a point. More impressive than the coverage suggested.

March 25 — at Gotham FC: W 2-0. The first win. Gotham won this league in 2023. Denver blanked them in New Jersey. The result that proves this team belongs.

March 28 — vs Washington Spirit: D 0-0. The home opener. Empower Field at Mile High. Forty-five thousand fans. One point when it should have been three. The one that still stings.

April 4 — at Seattle Reign: D 0-0. Road point against an unbeaten team. Most shots of the season. Hard-earned.

What Comes Next

Denver returns to action April 25th when first-place San Diego Wave comes to Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. San Diego leads the league in possession, assists, and has the best goalkeeper GAA in the NWSL. It is the biggest test of this inaugural season.

The defense will be ready. The question, as it has been all season, is whether the attack will show up to meet it.