Denver Summit FC NWSL: Utah Recap & Louisville Preview

Kate Hanson: That was not a penalty shot. I'm just gonna say it right out the gate. Before we do anything else, that call, the one that ended up being the deciding factor of Saturday's game, I don't agree with it. Ayo Oke got ball first, and ⁓ I'm not even sure that the contact was made inside of the box. Right at the line, maybe, but inside, I watched it back, we'll watch it back. I watched it more than once. And I'm still not sure. It was a dangerous play, sure. I'll give you that. But here's the thing. Dangerous and illegal are two different things. And a foul at the edge of the box and a penalty shot are two very, very different things. Mina Tanaka stepped up, buried it, 2-1, And just like that, a game that Denver was controlling, a game Denver was winning on the stat sheet, it slipped ⁓ through their fingers. And that's where we're starting today. And I have lots of feelings about it if you can't tell. Welcome back to the 5280 pitch, Women's Soccer Altitude. I'm Kate Hanson And today we're gonna talk about. The game in Utah, the Continental Divide match, and then we're going to talk about what's happening this week against Racing Louisville. I want to talk about what that Utah game means for this team. And then, like I said, we're looking at Friday's game at Racing Louisville. One more game before that June break. One more chance to make a statement that the Denver Summit belong in this league. And we are a team that nobody wants to face. So first, let's talk about Utah. Because obviously, if you can't tell, I need to talk about it. I'm fired up over it. And it was. I felt the same way watching that Utah, that penalty shot, as I did watching the third period of the Avalanche game on Sunday. So if you missed it, let me just lay the fe lay lay out what happened on the field Saturday afternoon at America First Field. Because if you weren't, because if you just looked at the final score, Utah 2, Denver 1, you might think that, ⁓ Denver got outplayed by one of the top teams in the NWSL. You might think that, yeah, Utah, they showed up. They were the better team. And you might think that that result was fair. It wasn't. Denver controlled the possession of that game. They had 58.7% possession. Utah had 41.3% possession. Denver completed 385 passes to Utah's 280. Denver had 23 touches inside of the Utah box. Utah had 14 inside of Denver's. Every single one of those numbers points in the same direction. Denver was the team with the ball. Denver was the team creating pressure. Denver was the team more dangerous the final third. And we lost. We lost. That's the part that genuinely is hard to sit with because this wasn't a performance where you walk away going, Yeah, all right, well, it was a hard fought game. We got what we deserved. We'll do better next time. This was a performance where Denver did almost everything right, and they still came away with nothing. The expected goals number tells the same story. 1.16 for Denver, 1.22 for Utah. That's a difference of 0.06. That, by any reasonable measure, is a coin flip. The model says that neither team was supposed to win this game comfortably. The model says this game could have gone either way. And yet here we are. Something else they worth saying in all of this. This was a road game. Denver traveled to Salt Lake City, played in Utah Stadium in front of Utah's fans against a team that is currently, well, now they're number one in the NWSL, but they were number two prior to the game. And Denver outpossessed them. Denver outpassed them. Denver had more touches in the attacking third. I want you to hold on to that fact when you're feeling frustrated about the result because it tells you something really important about the ceiling of this team. This is not a squad that goes on the road against good teams and gets run off the pitch. This is a squad that shows up, competes, and earns the right to win even when they don't. And one more number I keep coming back to is the crosses. Denver attempted 17 crosses in this game. Utah attempted Denver was getting into wide positions, getting into byline, putting balls into the box at more than double the rate of the opposition. ⁓ That is a team that is being dominated. That is a team that is doing the hard work to create opportunities. Now, I want to be honest about one area where Denver could have been better because, you know, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Nine shots, three on target. Mmm. Guys, that's not enough. When you're controlling 58.7% of the ball and generating 23 touches in the opposition's box, three shots on target. is not converting your pressure into real danger at the rate that you should be. Natalie Means had three shots in this game and an and an expected goals figure of 0.4. That's nearly half a goal's worth of expected value from ⁓ one player alone. mean it came from it came to nothing. On a different day, a different bounce, a different keeper, I mean ⁓ Mandy McGlynn pay played out of her mind. That changes everything. But here's one thing I do want to be clear about. The structure was right. The approach was right. The formation that Nick Cushing has built this team around was working exactly the way it was supposed to work. The ball was moving, players were finding pockets, the press was being engaged and bypassed. Denver was doing their thing. They just needed the ball to go in one more time. And it didn't. And then the penalty call happened. And we will get into that. So let me walk you through how this actually unfolded because I think the narrative of the game is really important here. Utah got on the board first, 20th minute. And I will give credit where credit is due. It was Kayana's very first ever NWSL goal. It was a perfect finish. The way it happened is worth understanding though. Because it came from Denver's high defensive line getting exposed. For those of you that did not make the truck to Utah, by the way, for the I loved seeing so many of our Denver Summit fans travel to watch this game and show our team the support. So if you made the truck out to Utah, Well done. I I thought it was awesome that we had so many in the in the stands there. I was not in the stance. I was watching on the broadcast. And for those of you that were watching on the broadcast with me, the broadcast made the point During the game that Chloe Lacasse was being set up to run the channel. That was Utah's plan to get Lacasse behind the line, and it worked on that play. ⁓ Lacas found Qiana Palazzas. In behind. Palazzos took the touch and finished. Abby Smith got a hand to it, but it was placed perfectly. And that took Utah up ⁓ 1-0. I ⁓ really thought that Abby Smith was get a sheet, but I well we'll get to this. So but I I think that we are the way that Abby Smith is playing, she's kinda getting hung out to dry ⁓ in these last few matches. That let's Continue on. We'll come back to that. This is where I think Denver showed you exactly who they are. They didn't panic when that goal happened so early on. They didn't suddenly start hoofing it forward and abandoning their structure. They didn't chase the game in a way that left them exposed. They just kept doing what they were doing. Methodical, possession based, patient, and it paid off. Right at the end of the first half, forty-fifth minute, Delaney Sheehan picks up the ball in transition, she sees space, she drives into it, and then she does something genuinely cheeky. She chips it outside of the foot. This little outside of the boot pass that I watched a few times. I was like, did she mean to yes, she did mean to do that. It was a perfect pass for Yasmin Ryan, who had already started a run. And here's what's brilliant about Ryan's goal. She read the where the ball was going to be early. And she peeled her run wider to give herself the angle. And then she just curled it right home. That was that's not instinct. That is soccer intelligent. And that's two players who have played together for a long time, who know what other is going to do before they do it. And that connection does not come from a playbook. It comes from training together, trusting each other, and being on the same wavelength. She hand Ryan 1-1 at And honestly, at that point, I felt really good about Denver's chances in the second half. They'd answered when they could have buckled. They were playing better than Utah. The momentum was theirs. The second half looked like it was Denver's game to take. And then the 72nd minute happened. Yes, it is time to talk about the penalty. So let's get into it because I was really frustrated to see it during during the game. I watched the replay a couple times. looking online feels like I'm not the only Denver Summit fan that was a little frustrated with that call. But what happened was Iowa K ⁓ and Chloe Lacas. Get into a challenge near the edge of the box. Oke it goes in hard, committed, physical. The kind of challenge you want to make when you're trying to win the ball and you're willing to put your body on the line to do it. Lacasse goes down. Referee Brad Jensen points to the spot. I watched it back multiple times. And here's my honest take. Consider this is just my take. But OK got ball first. That's the first and the most important thing. When you get ball first in the tackle, that is a legal play. That is defending. The whole point of a sliding tackle is to get the ball before the attacker does. And she did. She did. She got to the ball before the attacker did. The fact that there was subsequent contact, the fact that Lacasse went down, doesn't automatically make it a foul. It's soccer. Contact happens. I tell my daughters this all the time. Soccer is a contact sport. It it is a physical game. The second thing, and this is where I really have a problem with the call. I'm genuinely not convinced that whatever contact there was actually occurred inside the penalty area. Right at the line, maybe, at the very, very edge. But inside the box, the spot where a penalty is awarded. I'm just not sure. And when you're not sure when it's that close, when the challenge is happening r right at that white line, it shouldn't be a penalty shot. Not in a game that is tight, not in a moment that is co that consequential. Now look, the referee Brad Jensen is making that call in real time. He has he's got one look. No slow motion, no ability to rewind like I have at home on my couch, which I have done at home on my couch. I understand that. Referees are human and I really hope like that's one of the things. I I understand that VR and AI is making all of our lives so much better, but that's one of the great things about the game. And if you don't agree with me, please let me know. I'd love to hear your opinion. I think that having the human element, even when they get it wrong, it's part of the game. And that's not me saying that Brad Jensen is a bad referee. Or that there was anything malicious going on, you know, no home field advantage. I'm not saying that at all. But I am saying it was the wrong call. And it ended up deciding the game. And I think Denver ha fans have every right to be frustrated about that. Mina Tanaka stepped up to take it. Abby Smith actually guessed the right way. So that is one thing. Abby Smith has had two penalty shots she's had to face this year, and she's guessed the right way both times. Y you can't blame Abby Smith on that at all. She got her hand to it. It was just placed low and hard enough that it really didn't matter. And that made it two one Utah and that's that. And here's what makes the whole thing sting just a little bit extra. Utah has taken three penalties this season. Three. That ties them for second most in the league. There's a pattern there. Utah gets into physical situations near the box and they draw fouls. Lacasse, in particular, is very good at using her body, staying on the ball, and inviting contact. That that is a skill. I'll acknowledge that. I mean, for anyone that watches the NBA We all know like ⁓ or not, SGA will draw knows how to get penalties. He takes more free throws than anyone else in the league. Some players just know how to draw the fouls. And Lacasse did that. She is very good at using her body, staying on the ball, inviting contact, but it's also something Denver's back line needs to understand going into their rematch when they see the Royals again in August. And Denver has now conceded two penalties this ⁓ this season, and both of them have converted. Both of them have been costly, and that's something that the coaching staff is going to have to look at carefully. So where does this leave Denver? What's the actual picture look like right now? And that I want to just push back on any doom and gloom because I do think that they're some of the reac reaction, mine included, has been too negative. But this is not a team that is broken. This is not a team that has a structural problem. This is a team that is on the right track. They're playing better than their record. Denver Summit is third in the NWSL in goals scored with sixteen. Third in the whole league, behind San Diego and the Portland Thorns, two of the best teams in women's soccer right now. And tied with Washington Spirit in the Utah Royals. So think about that for a second. An expansion team, a team playing their very first NWSL season together, third in goal scored. That's not a struggling offense. That is a legitimate, dangerous attack that the rest of this league needs to take seriously. And we have a very big part of our team coming over starting in July. And here's something I don't think is getting talked about enough, honestly. They're doing this without Lindsay Heap. And Denver is still third in goals. That tells you something real about the depth that Nick Cushing and Kurt Johnson have built here in Denver and the quality of players that are already on the pitch. Abby Smith is fifth in the league in saves with 32 through 10 games. There are two ways to read that number. One way is our defense is giving up too many shots. Fair point. The other way is Abby Smith is elite, and she is keeping Denver in games that without her might look very different. I think both are true. But The second thing is the one that I want to emphasize because Smith is performing at a level right now that belongs in the conversation about the best goalkeepers in this league. And then there's Janine Sonis I want to spend a minute on her because I think the way that she played Saturday without scoring. Now remember past two games, she got back-to-back braces. She didn't score on Saturday. But She had eighty two touches. Eighty two. In a road game against a top three team, she was everywhere. On the ball, off the ball, pressing, dropping, linking, creating. Before Saturday, like I said, she had scored twice in each of her last two games. Back to back multi goal performances on Saturday, no goals on the score sheet, but those eighty two touches, more than any other player on the field for either team. She was the most involved player on the pitch. That is what a leader looks like. That is what a player who makes everyone around her look better. She does not disappear when she's not scoring. She does the work regardless. And that is so important for a team that that's on the cusp of getting to where they're where they're going. Janine Saunis is operating right now at a level that is genuinely special. And obviously, she's our captain. She plays on the Canadian national team. It's not to say that she's come out of the woodwork, but she's doing it in this Denver Summit kit in the first season of this club's existence, and she is playing like her entire career depends on it. It's it's incredible to watch the ⁓ love that she has for this team and the desire for this team to be elite. Right now the summit are three, four and three. Twelve points. the record does not tell the full story. The performances are there, the quality is there, the results are coming. ⁓ I believe that. we've had ⁓ a very heavy road start to season. Come July, we are home back in the Mahay City a lot more often where we can use that altitude to our advantage. Now, before we move on to Louisville, because we have one more game before the break. Quick individual shout-outs from Saturday. Delaney Sheehan, the assist was beautiful. Outside of the foot, perfectly weighted, trusting Ryan to make the run without even looking. Ugh, she finished with 37 completed passes and eight recoveries. She was everywhere on that pitch. Kaylee Kurtz, 53 completed passes in a road game against a team that was actively trying to press and disrupt. She is the heart of this back line. the player who makes the first pass out of the defense, who sets the tempo, who keeps things calm when things get difficult. She's one of the most employer important players on this roster. And I I get that playing defense, you know, you don't get a ton of goals, you don't get a ton of the glory, but she is definitely one of the most important players on this roster. And it's no wonder she has that Iron Woman status because how can you take her out of a game, right? Yasmeen Ryan, the goal, obviously, the peel, the angle, the curl. But also 44 touches and four recoveries. She's now scored twice and tallied three assists over her last five matches. I'd say she's starting to get real comfortable with this roster, real comfortable here in Denver. It took a little bit for, you know, her she she got traded here after the season started. It took a minute for her to find her footing. I'd say that she is in form. She is confident. And she's a genuine problem for opposing defenses every time she touches the ball. Alright, that's Utah. That's the frustration. That's the reality of where Denver is right now. So let's move on. We can't change the past. I wish we could. We can't. Can't change the past. So let's talk about the future. Our final game before the June break. Denver is off to Louisville. Take on racing Louisville. And This is our final chance to build momentum before going into that pause. One more opportunity to send a message to the rest of this league. more chance for this group of players ⁓ to themselves and everyone watching that what they've been since March is real. Friday night on the road. Racing Louisville. And I'll be straight with you, I like Denver's chances a lot. So the Louisville picture. Racing Louisville is last in the NWSL. Sixteenth out of sixteen. ⁓ Seven points ten games, two wins, one draw, seven losses. They have conceded nineteen goals this season. That is the worst goals against total in this league outside of Chicago. And the shots allowed number tells you why. A hundred and sixty-five shots against through ten games. compared to Denver's 123. Louisville is seeing forty-two more shots than Denver through the same number of games. Their defense is not just struggling, it is giving up chances at a rate that is genuinely alarming. ⁓ Their passing accuracy sits at 70%. Denver, 79%. Denver is more accurate out of the back, more efficient in transition, more composed on the ball in every part of the pitch. Their fouls number, 109 committed through 10 games, is the most in the entire NWSL. Louisville is a physical team that plays on the edge and that creates set piece opportunities. for whoever they're playing against. Now, fair is fair. Louisville is not gonna be a just a walk in the park. They have scored fifteen goals this season. Their keeper is third in the league in saves with thirty three, which tells you that she has been working overtime and she is making stops. When Louisville is dangerous, they are actually dangerous. And like I said, I'm not disrespecting this team, but the overall picture is what it is. This is the worst defensive team in the NWSL right now that we're facing. And Denver, third in goals in the league, is about to walk into their stadium on a Friday night. That genuinely sets sets the summit up beautifully for success. Now think about what this group of players has already been through this season. A one two loss at Bay to open the year, a draw at Orlando, the high of winning at Gotham, the frustration of a goalless draw against Washington at and power field at Mile High, a loss at Boston, a loss against San Diego, and then That 4-1 win against Houston and then the 3-1 win over Orlando on Pride Night here in Denver. They have been through highs and lows in the same season that most expansion teams don't experience until year two or three. And they keep showing back up. That tells you something about the character that Nick Cushing has built into this club. Now, they go up to Louisville with a point to prove. I think they're going to prove it. The specific numbers that define this match for me. Away goals. Now again, Denver's played a ton of games on the road, but eleven of Denver's sixteen goals this season have come on the road. Eleven. They are right now a better road team than home team, which is unusual for any club. Now keep in mind again, we had the game at Mile High, we had two games at Dicks. We've only had three home games for the entire first half of this season. So Most expansion teams feed off that home energy, home crowd. And man, Denver fans have been showing up for this home team. Denver seems to thrive on the road. Louisville Stadium is not going to rattle them in any way. Louisville's defensive shape, they get beaten in behind. With 165 shots allowed and 19 goals conceded, the evidence is clear, folks. They they don't hold their line effectively. They don't win aerial duels at a high rate, and they don't close down runners fast enough. Denver's forward line with Ryan's pace, Flint's intelligence, and Kussler's movement is designed to exploit exactly those weaknesses. The passing gap, 79% for Denver, 70% Louisville. That is going to show up in the game. Denver should be able to move the ball through Louisville's midfield and find space in the attacking third without needing to force things. Patient passing, switching the point of attack, drawing fouls, that is the game that Cushing wants. And Louisville doesn't have the personnel to stop it. And the fouls. One hundred and nine fouls committed by Louisville this season. Set pieces in dangerous areas with Janine Sonis or Carson Pickett on the ball, that is a real threat against a team that is already struggling to defend open play. So what does an ideal Denver performance look like on Friday? Possession based from the very first whistle, patient, methodical, no rushing Against Utah, which is a genuinely good defensive team, Denver controlled nearly 59% of the possession. Against Louisville, that number should be way higher. Take your time, make them run, make them foul. The more fouls that Louisville commits, the more set pieces Denver gets, and the more opportunities become available. Wide areas, this is where it opens up. Louisville's defensive shape has gaps wide. And in behind. Yaz Ryan on the right getting in behind the fullback, Delaney Sheehan finding the overlap, Tosh Flint drifting into pockets and stretching the back line horizontally. Denver has the personnel to make Louisville's defense look at three threats all at once and choose wrong. Melissa Custler in the half spaces, three chances created against Utah a much tighter defensive team, against Louisville's ⁓ midfield, I think that she is going to have even more room to operate. her the ball facing goal in those pockets between the lines and trust her to do damage. The clinician earns her nickname. Yes. Been a while since I've been able to call the clinician. It's about time she got another goal for us. And defensively, clean cheat is absolutely the target and absolutely achievable. Abby Smith is playing the best soccer of her career. The Denver defense has more than enough quality to hold a team that is last in the NWSL. So my prediction for this game, Denver wins. Two goals minimum, clean sheet, statement result heading into the break. And here's the bigger picture. I'm going to end on this because I think it matters the most. Lindsay Heaps is on her way. She arrives in July, and when she does, everything about the conversation around this team changes. The expectation level shifts, the way the rest of the league looks at Denver Summit, FC shifts. She is a genuine impact player. And adding her to what Nick Cushing has already built here is going to be something. And it's not like she's just been sitting at home eating bonbons. She's been playing over in Europe. So she's been playing, she's ready, she's in form. This is this is what I keep coming back to. It's this group, the players who have been here taking the pitch since March, who have been grinding through an expansion season with all of its highs and lows and learning curves and hard moments, they have a chance right now to prove something on their own before Lindsay Heaps arrives, before July, before everything changes. A win in Louisville, clean sheet, two goals minimum, dominant from the first minute, that is a statement. That is the proof. That tells the league that Denver isn't a team waiting to become legitimate. That tells the fans who have been showing up that what they're watching is already worth believing in. That tells every player in that locker room that the work they've been putting in since day one has built something. Real. Because here's what I know about this team after 10 games. They're third in goals in the NWSL. They have a goalkeeper who is fifth in the league in saves and playing some of the best football of her entire career. They have a captain in Janine Saunas who is one of the best players in this league right now. They have a back line that includes Kaylee Kurtz, who is quietly indispensable. They have a forward in Melissa Custler, who creates chances nearly every time she touches the ball in the final third. And they have a wing, they have a winger in Yaz Ryan, who is inform and dangerous and getting better every single week. Three four three, twelve points. That record is going to look different by October. I guarantee it. I believe that I believe it wholeheartedly. And here's the other thing I believe. The fans who have been showing up, who have been watching this team from the very first kick in March, who went to Empower Field for the home opener, who went to Dicks for Pride Night, they picked the right team. They picked a team that competes, that does not fold, that answers when it falls behind. that plays good football and keeps its shape even on the road against quality opposition. Folks, Denver Summit is the real deal. The record will reflect that. And Friday night in Louisville is where it all starts to turn. That's gonna do it for this week's episode. If you haven't already, subscribe to the 5280 Weekly. The newsletter goes out every week, and it's the best way to stay connected with everything Denver Summit between episodes. I'll link it in the show notes. You can check it out at 5280pitch.com. There's lots of great merch available. Some new hats just dropped, some new hoodies just dropped. If you're enjoying the show, Please like, subscribe, follow all the things because when you do that, when you leave a review, when you click follow the show, it pushes it out into the algorithm to get more people aware of our podcast, aware of our Denver Summit team, Aware of women's soccer. Leave us a review. It takes ten seconds and it helps so, so much. Connect with me over on social media. I'm very active on Instagram and on threads. It's just on the we're just going up from here, folks. I'm frustrated by the Utah loss too. I don't think it was a fair loss, but it did show that team can compete with the best in the league. ⁓ And if not for what my opinion, a questionable call that led to a penalty kick. This was a game that we very easily could have won. We went toe to toe with the best in the league. Denver Summit are on their way up. I'm Kate Hanson. This is the 5280 Pitch Women's Soccer at Altitude. We'll see you after Louisville.