Denver Summit FC: Coachella Invitational Recap

Kate Hanson (00:36.034)
Welcome back to the 5280 pitch women's soccer at altitude. I'm Kate Hansen So Denver Summit just wrapped up their first ever preseason tournament the Coachella Valley Invitational two games two wins whoop-whoop and seven goals scored. Yeah only two goals were allowed and look

I guess you guys can probably tell I'm excited. I'm really excited about what I saw. And before we get into all of the highlights and the goal, all of the goals that I saw, I want to set some expectations here because preseason is weird. I mean, for everyone that lives in Colorado, hey, the Rockies win games in the preseason. And preseason results don't predict regular season.

wins and regular season success. We've all seen teams dominate in preseason and then completely fall apart when the games actually matter. So what I'm looking for in these games isn't necessarily wins. It's patterns, it's chemistry, it's which players look ready and which players need more time. It's whether

The tactics that Nick Cushing has been working on in training are actually translating when there is a referee and an opponent that is not somebody else on the summit trying to stop you. So that's what matters in the preseason, not the score line. It is the process. So today we are breaking down both games that happened in the preseason.

the 2-0 win over the Utah Royals back on February 15th, and then the absolutely wild 5-2 shootout against the San Diego Wave on February 21st. We'll be talking about what worked, what needs fixing, which players are making a serious case to be in that starting 11th on March 14th against Bay FC. When this team plays for real,

Kate Hanson (02:58.222)
And honestly, after watching both of these games, well, one of these games, I was only able to watch one. The other one I was able to watch via Twitter updates. I think there is a lot more to be excited about than worried about, but we will get to both. So let's dive right in. All right. So let's start with the game from a couple of weeks ago now. February 15th, the first ever game.

Denver Summit versus the Utah Royals. And sadly, yeah, if you guys are not a part of the Denver supporters group, the 14ers, you definitely need to join. I'm in there. They have a great discord. There's been a lot. No.

Kate Hanson (03:51.47)
So I was able to follow this game by following the Denver Summit over on Twitter. And it was okay. For this, we were not able to really to watch the game. We were able to watch the game against the wave, against the San Diego Wave, but we weren't able to watch this game unless you were actually there. Sadly, I was not there. I was at kids soccer tournaments, but I gotta be honest, from everything that I saw,

from the stat lines, from all the recaps. I was nervous going into this game because as you heard in previous episodes, Utah plays a different game. They play a little bit of a chippy game. I was not nervous like, we're going to lose. was not going into it because this isn't about winning or losing. I was nervous like, you don't know what you're going to get. How is this team actually going to look? This is the first time that.

These players are stepping onto the field together in front of fans as a unit, wearing a Denver Summit jersey, actually executing what they have been working on in training against a real opponent who is trying to stop them. You don't know if the chemistry is going to be there. You don't know if the formations are going to work. You don't know if the players are going to freeze up or if they're going to look comfortable.

And right away, from the first few minutes, I felt way better. Because the thing that stood out to me immediately wasn't even the goals. It was how organized they looked. It looked like this team had been playing together for years. When one player stepped into pressure, the whole unit shifted. The back line stayed compact. The fullbacks knew when to push high and when to drop. The defensive midfielder, which we'll talk about who that should be in a minute,

stayed in right position. And that doesn't happen by accident in a team's first game. That happens because the coaching staff drilled it and the players bought in. The final score, like I said earlier, was 2-0, but honestly it could have been more the summit controlled possession. We created chances. Utah really didn't threaten Abby Smith at all. Now,

Kate Hanson (06:16.694)
Let me be clear about something. Utah finished 11th in NWSL last year. This wasn't a top tier opponent that the Denver Summit were facing. This wasn't a test against elite competition. But it was a test about whether Denver could stay disciplined, whether they could execute a game plan, whether they could finish chances when they appeared. And they did it. Cleanly.

Melissa Koestler opened the scoring in the 12th minute and I loved this goal because it wasn't just a lucky bounce. It wasn't a defensive mistake by Utah. It was an actual buildup play. Good movement off the ball, players finding space, and then Koestler, who is a German international who has played at the absolute highest levels, knew exactly where to be and finished.

clinical, that is the word, she was clinical. And then we go most of the game, one nothing, which you know, is fine. You're learning how to manage a lead, you're figuring out how to stay disciplined when you're up and the other team is pushing for an equalizer. And then in the 79th minute, we had an entirely different team for the second half, by the way. In the 79th minute, Olivia Thomas comes in as a sub and scores.

And this is where it gets interesting to me because Olivia Thomas is a rookie. She just won a national championship with UNC. She is just 22 years old and she comes into her first ever professional game. Professional preseason game and scores. That's confidence that is composure that is not being intimidated by the moment and I'm going to talk more about Thomas when we get to the San Diego game because that is.

she really made her case, but even in this Utah game, you could see it. This kid can play. So what did we learn from the Utah game? One, the attack works. We've got multiple players who can finish. Koestler is dangerous. Thomas is dangerous. The movement off the ball is good. This isn't a one player show. Two, the defense is solid.

Kate Hanson (08:42.86)
when we stay organized. Utah, they didn't create much. We kept our shape. Abby Smith barely had to make a save. And that is what you want to see. You want your goalie to be bored. Three, depth matters. Thomas came off the bench and scored. That is huge for an expansion team. You need players who can come in and make an impact when starters need a rest or when the game plan changes. But

Here is one thing that I'm keeping in mind. Utah finished 11th last year. Like I said before, this was an elite team. So yeah, good result. But we need to see how we respond when we play against better competition, which brings us to game two, February 21st, Denver Summit versus the San Diego Wave. And this game was completely different, like night and day.

from the Utah match. San Diego finished ninth last season. You might be saying, well, wait a second. That's not that much work, you know, better off than 11th, Kate But they got in the real, they have a real attacking threat. Ladmila up front, Brazilian international, lightning fast, and she knows how to finish. Danila on the wing, technical, creative, can beat you one on one.

This was not going to be a clean two-null win where we control everything and cruise to a victory. This was going to be messy. This was going to be a shootout. And honestly, it was. Final score was 5-2 Summit. But let me tell you, this game had everything. And we were so fortunate. We were able to watch it on YouTube. The San Diego Wave did broadcast it on their YouTube channel. If you didn't get a chance to see it.

head on over to their YouTube channel and check it out. Denver Summit did not have it on their YouTube channel, but hey, baby steps here. If you want to watch it, go check it out. So let's start with Natalie Means because she had the game of her life and I need to talk about what she is and what she might become for this team. Fourth minute, yes, fourth minute.

Kate Hanson (11:08.906)
Natalie Means, who is listed as a defender who played center back at Georgetown, cuts inside from left back onto her right foot, curls a shot into the bottom corner. Gorgeous goal. Like that is a goal you'd expect from a winger, not a defender who is supposedly playing out of position. And I'm sitting there watching this thinking, wait.

What is Natalie Means? Because here's the thing. She played center back in college, but she scored 10 goals at Georgetown as a center back. And that is not normal. That is not what defenders do. I talked about Natalie Means and where she might fit into this defensive lineup in the full defensive breakdown that I did a couple of weeks ago. So go back, listen to that episode where I talk about all the defenders that we have on the roster. But what we're seeing

in preseason and I think this is Nick Cushing figuring out this in real time. Her attacking instincts are way too good to just park her at center back and tell her to defend. So in the first half against San Diego, they played her at left back, but when Denver had the ball, she was basically functioning as a winger.

pushing high, getting into the box, looking to create danger. And if you watch any hockey, and I know I go back and forth with the hockey on here too, because I'm a big Colorado Avalanche fan. And if you think about the way that the Colorado Avalanche defenders, Kale McCarr, plays hockey.

Natalie Means reminds me kind of like Kayle McCarr. She's a defender. He's a defender, but he can score some goals. You could put him on offense. You could put Kayle McCarr as a winger. He could play offense, but he's listed as a defender, probably one of the best defenders in league. That's what I saw when I was watching Natalie Means play. I'm like, are we sure that she's a defender here? Because she really looks like she could be a great winger.

Kate Hanson (13:30.286)
So this is something that I think that we can be really excited about, lot of versatility out of Natalie Means.

Kate Hanson (13:41.622)
her attacking instincts, her ability to score, to create, to get into dangerous positions. It's too valuable to waste by keeping her at the back and just asking her to defend. And then in the 23rd minute, Means delivers this perfect cross from the left wing and Melissa Kussler heads it home. Goal and an assist for a quote unquote defender in her second ever professional game.

And then in the second half, they move Means even higher up the field and brought in Carson Pickett at left back behind her. And that worked really well. So here's what I'm thinking. I think by the time the regular season starts, Natalie Means might not be a defender at all. She might be a wingback or she might just be a straight up winger. We'll see. But that's my read on it. I think we've got a lot to be excited about with Natalie Means. Okay. So we're up.

2-0 at this point. Coastlers scored again off of the header goal from Means. Everything's looking great. And then the 13th minute happens.

Kate Hanson (14:55.082)
Abby Smith takes a short goal kick to get Kaylee Kurtz. Kurtz plays it back to Smith and Smith takes too long on the ball. Ludmila who is fast, like really fast, closes her down, blocks the clearance and scores. And this is where I'm so thankful it was preseason because it definitely looked like a lapse of communication and maybe just things weren't

Functioning right? Thank goodness this preseason we got that mess out of the way now So it can never happen again because it was 2-1 after that its preseason This is the exactly the kind of mistake that you I guess you want it to happen now Not in a real game you learn from this lesson in February not in April Not in August when the points actually matter. So like I said, it's actually a reminder You can't be casual in possession at the back not in this league. Let me up put

Ludmila, Ludmila put punished us for it. And there are a lot of fast aggressive forwards in NWSL who will do the exact same thing if we are not sharp. So that is something to clean up, but credit to this team. We didn't panic. We kept playing our game. And in the 23rd minute mains to Koestler two to one again. So.

We're up two to one.

Kate Hanson (16:40.728)
We didn't keep, we didn't panic. kept playing our game. at halftime we are up two to one feeling pretty good. And then the second half starts and San Diego came out flying. 52nd minute, Leah Godfrey, their midfielder absolutely bangs one from the outside of the box off the crossbar and in two to two. And I'm watching and thinking, okay, this is a moment.

This is a test. How does an expansion team respond when a game gets tight like this? When all that momentum that we had completely shifts. When the other team equalizes, do we fold? Do we start playing scared? Do we start playing on our heels? Do we sit back and hope to hold on for a draw? Nope. Four minutes later at the 56th minute, Tasha Flint scores an absolute screamer.

from the top of the box, curls it into the upper corner, three to two summit, and then, who did I mention in the first game? yeah, that's right, Olivia Thomas. She enters the chat in the 66 minute. Thomas's.

Kate Hanson (18:05.486)
Carson Pickett plays it into the box. Thomas takes it first timer as a first timer. Thomas takes a one timer and bottom corner for to summit. And then Thomas wasn't done. She got another one at the 89th minute. Pickett had a corner kick and Thomas rises at the back post and heads it in five to two. So two goals for Thomas.

Two assists for Carson Pickett. And here is what I am taking away from this game. Yes, our attack is legit. We scored five goals against a team with decent defensive structure. We've got multiple goal scorers. Koestler, Thomas, Flint means that is depth. That's options. That's not relying on one player to carry everything. We gave up two goals and honestly, it could have been more.

But keep in mind, we're going to give up goals. We're not going to have clean sheets every single game. And there were moments where our back line did look exposed. The app, the offside trap wasn't always clean. Is that a huge concern? Is that a huge concern? Not yet. It is preseason. We are experimenting with lineups. Kaylee Kurtz. She was the captain for this game played at 70 great minutes and then she faded. But you know, that's.

It's fine.

Kate Hanson (19:52.526)
Ava Gaetino started a little shaky, but she got better as the game went on. She has been playing in France and France at PSG. She'll need some time to adjust to NWSL's speed and physicality. That is fine. But the pattern here is clear. When teams have pace upfront, our defensive line is going to be tested. And we need to be sharper than we were against San Diego. The good news again.

This is preseason.

This is when you figure stuff out. The other thing I'm really encouraged by, this is maybe the most important thing from the whole game, is that even when San Diego scored, we did not collapse. We didn't panic, we didn't stop attacking, we kept believing that we could score more. And we did, we did. That is mentality and you can't coach that. Either a team has it or it doesn't. And for an expansion team in their second ever game,

That is really, really good. That is a fantastic sign. So let's talk about who stood out across these two games because there are some players who are making a really strong case to be in that starting lineup on March 14th. Number one, Olivia Thomas. Three goals in two games, rookie national champion, and she looks like she belongs. Now I'm not saying that she's starting on opening day just because she scored three goals in the preseason.

That would be silly, but I am saying that she is forcing Nick Cushing to think about it because here's the thing. This team needs goal scorers and Thomas has shown that when she gets chances, she finishes them. First time finishes headers, different types of goals. That versatility is so important. I tell my daughter this, she, she plays striker and it.

Kate Hanson (21:54.08)
She has a nose for the goal. If you have a nose for the goal and you can find ways to finish, the coach is going to want to have you in on the field. Plus, Olivia Thomas, she's got that fearlessness that rookies sometimes have. Like she doesn't know she is supposed to be intimidated yet. She just goes out and plays. So even if she's not starting, she is going to get minutes. and she is going to make an impact.

Kate Hanson (22:28.034)
Someone else, another person that we are definitely, I feel we are definitely going to see on day one is Melissa Koestler. Two goals in two games, scored in both matches. She is the German international. She's played at TSG Hoffenheim. She knows what it's like to play against elite competition. And you can see that in how she moves. She's always in dangerous position. She's...

great in the air. She is good with her feet. She is a clinical finisher and she is going to be a problem for NWSL defenses all season long. I really believe that. And I know I already talked about Natalie Means pretty, pretty extensively in today's episode, but she's had a goal and assist. She is a constant threat going forward. We, I, like I said, I know I already talked about her a bunch, but I just want to emphasize that again.

The coaching staff needs to figure out where she plays long-term, but wherever it is, she needs to be on the field because she has got something that you just can't teach. That instinct to get forward, to attack space, to create danger, whether it's as a wingback, as a winger, or something else that some position I don't even know, she has got to play.

Someone else, my daughter's favorite player, my youngest daughter's favorite player on the team, Carson Pickett, two assists against San Diego. She is that veteran left back. She has played in this league for years. She knows how to create from deep positions. She knows how to read games. And honestly, having someone with her expertise on the field is going to be huge for managing games, especially early in the season when things are still new and chaotic.

She is not going to panic. She has seen it all before and that steadiness matters. Another player that I think is going to have be have a massive impact on this team is Janine Sonnis. She didn't score, but that's you know, just because you don't score doesn't mean that you're not making an impact. She was everywhere. She has that leadership, that maturity. She was always involved. She hit the post twice.

Kate Hanson (24:46.326)
against San Diego easily could have had a goal. She is a Colorado native. She is an Olympic gold medalist with Canada. She knows what it means to play under pressure. And I think she is going to be so important for this team, not just on the field, but in the locker room, setting the standard, keeping people focused.

Kate Hanson (25:14.382)
keeping people focused. Emma Reagan came on in the second half against San Diego and made a goal saving tackle on Ludmia. Her positional awareness was excellent. She knew where to be. She read the play and she stopped what could have been a goal. I think she is going to be our defensive midfielder by the end of preseason, maybe even by opening day. So

Because we need somebody in that position who can read the game, who can protect the back line, who can win the ball back and start attacks. And Emma Reagan, she showed that she can do all of that in these two preseason games to me. All right. So let's zoom out. What did we actually learn from Coachella? One. This team can score seven goals, two games.

multiple players on the score sheet. I said, Koestler, Thomas, Flint means that is not one player carrying the tack. That is multiple threats. That is depth. And the movement off the ball is good. Players are finding space. They are making runs. They are creating opportunities for each other. That is what you want to see in an attack because in the NWSL teams are going to figure you out.

They are going to scout you. They are going to know your tendency tendencies. And if you only have one way to score, they're going to shut it down. But if you have multiple players who can finish, you have got different ways to create danger and that is harder to stop. So yeah, the attack is real. I am not worried about scoring goals to for an expansion team, not even for an expansion team. We have depth.

Olivia Thomas came off the bench and scored three goals across both games. Carson Pickett came in and created two assists. Emma Reagan made an impact defensively. That matters. That really, really matters because in a 26 game NWSL season, you can't play the same 11 players every single match. People get tired. People get injured. International windows open. You need rotation. And if your quality drops significantly,

Kate Hanson (27:39.148)
When you rotate, you are in trouble. But Denver's shown that they have players who can come in and can contribute. And that is huge. Kudos to Kurt Johnson for putting the team together that he has. Number three. I just did a whole episode about the defense. I thought this was our strongest suit. I think we might need to tighten up the back a little bit. Out of all the things, I mean,

Ludmilla exposed us multiple times against San Diego, the offside strap. It wasn't clean. Kurtz faded a little bit late in the game, which is fitness, but it will come. That's something to monitor. And that mistake from Abby Smith on the first goal. That can't happen in a real game. Now are those fixable problems? Absolutely.

This is pre-season. This is where you're supposed to make these types of mistakes and learn from them. But they are problems that need to be addressed before March 14th when we play Bay FC in a game that actually counts because Bay FC, they have made some moves. They have some dangerous players. And if we're not sharp at the back, we will get punished. So that is the work. That's what needs to happen between now and the opener. But here's the most important thing that I saw.

The mentality and the belief, the refusal to panic when things got tight. San Diego equalized at two, two, and we didn't sit back. We didn't get scared. We went right back at them and scored three more. You can't teach that either a team has that fight in them or they don't. And for an expansion team that has never played together before to show that kind of resilience.

in their second ever game, that tells me something about the culture that Nick Cushing and his staff are building. And honestly, that might be more important than anything else that we saw at Coachella because tactics, those can be coached, fitness can be built, partnerships can develop over time, but that belief, that refusal to back down, that is foundational. And if Denver already has that,

Kate Hanson (30:05.966)
They're going to be okay. All right. So that is the Coachella breakdown. Two games, two W's, seven goals, and a whole lot to be excited about. Some stuff to clean up, but overall for a team that has never played together before for an expansion club in their first preseason tournament, I thought this was really encouraging. The attack looks dangerous. The depth is real and the mentality that

fight, that refusal to back down when things got tight. That is what you build on. We are so close to the real season kicking off. Just a few weeks, you guys. March 14th at Bay FC. I cannot wait. I am still thinking about flying on out there. Man, it'd be so cool to head out there and watch it. Tickets are not that expensive. So.

I don't know, if you're gonna go, you should let me know if you're gonna head on out there. I know that the Supporters Club, there's a number of people from the 14ers group that are heading out there, but if you're gonna go, hit me up over on the gram, let me know if you're gonna go to the Bay FC game. We should have some Summit green out there supporting our ladies for their first professional game. if you haven't connected with me on the socials,

If you haven't subscribed to the podcast, well, what are you waiting for? Make sure that you're subscribed to the 5280 pitch wherever you listen to podcasts, follow on Instagram, sign up for the newsletter at 5280pitch.com. Get your March. You can wear it to that, get to that opening match, wear it around town. Next week. I am going to be talking about the midfield. We'll be talking about the forward group.

And then we can finally start talking about all the games that are happening. We're going to be talking about Bay, Orlando, Gotham, home openers, what to expect, what to watch for. If you haven't gotten your ticket for the home opener yet, what are you waiting for? We've already broken the record. 45,000 strong. Let's just keep it going until then. Thank you so much for hanging with me on the pitch women's soccer at altitude. Let's go summit.