Denver Summit FC's First Game: Kössler's Goal & That Red Card

Kate Hanson: Welcome back to the 5280 pitch Women's Soccer at Altitude. I'm Kate Hanson. March 14th, 2026 Denver Summit FC played its first ever professional soccer game and we lost. 2-1 at Bay FC at Park in San Jose and look, the result stings ⁓ I'm not going to pretend it doesn't. ⁓ But the story of this game, man, there's so much more than just the scoreline. And I think we owe it to this team to actually break it down. So that's what today's episode is, a full breakdown, the lineup, including where I had it right, because if you remember last week's episode, I did guess the starting 11, and where I had it wrong, because I did have a few misses. And the first ever goal in club history, that infamous red card that changed everything, and I have a lot to say about that. what Abby Smith did to keep this from being a blowout and the fan reaction all were something else on Saturday and I was so fortunate to be out there with you for ⁓ one the watch parties. So, all right, let's get into it. All right, before game one, I went on record with a projected starting lineup. So let's do the honest scorecard. What I got right. Abby Smith and goal. Yep. Correct. The back four. I did get correct of Carson Pickett, Kaylee Kurtz, Ava Gaetino ⁓ Oke. Nailed it. Four for four. Things were looking awesome. Kossler and the attack. Natalie Means eventually getting minutes, came on in the 78th minute, so I get partial credit for that. And then I messed up the midfield royally. So I had Emma Reagan and Yuna McCormick as the double pivot with Lordis Bosch as the attacking mid. And that is not what Nick Cushing went with. He went with Lynch holding Reagan on one side Tosh Flint on the other. McCormick didn't start. ⁓ Bosch wasn't even in the match day 11. and fans were not quiet about that. One person in the match thread over on Reddit couldn't understand why Lynch started over McCormick and then why Reagan came off at halftime instead of Lynch. Honestly, I don't have a great answer for that either. Lynch's work rate was fine. I thought that she played a very solid game. ⁓ wasn't controlling anything though. And in a game where Bayes midfield was always going to be the dominant force, You need your best ball winner in that pivot. And I think that that's Reagan, but I thought that for her very first professional game, Devin Lynch had a phenomenal start. I also had Olivia Thomas starting up top. She came off the bench at halftime Allie Brazier, Colorado native, Summit's first ever signing. She did start, I got that right. ⁓ And got minutes before McCormick came on. Good debut, she was active, just couldn't quite connect with the attack the way that you would hope that she would in her first game. Natalie Means also came on minute for Pickett. ⁓ and Kurtz assumed the armband after Sonis went off. with that red card, small detail, but that is your structure right there. And assume that since Sonis got the red card, Kurtz will be wearing the armband in their next match against the Orlando Pride. Bottom line on the lineup, back four, I got those right. ⁓ Midfield attack, not so much. Cushing made some calls I didn't see coming. ⁓ Some them I agree with, some of them I'm still thinking about. And as this season goes on, I think that there will be a lot of movement around the lineup with who is starting and who is not. Now, let's talk about the game. Bay FC came out fast. In the eighth minute, Alex Pfeiffer gets the ball on the right, drives inside, and two summit defenders bite Both of them. She pulls back, creates just enough space, and buries it left-footed into the bottom corner, nothing. And the two defenders that she got to bite were Kurtz and Pickett. So those are some veteran defenders that she got the best of. And Pfiffer is a young player. and Alex Pfeiffer did get NWSL Player of the Week ⁓ more power to her. You know, she did have a great game. ⁓ She scored the first goal for her team of the season. And one thing about Pfeiffer is that she is only 18 years old. So she came back from an ACL injury. and she scores two into her Bay FC debut. So you've got to respect it, but the defensive mistake there ⁓ is real over committing on the same player. That can't ⁓ And then... ⁓ Denver responded, which I want to make sure doesn't get lost in the red card conversation because we were down a goal first game, road environment, and they did fold. Smith made some huge saves to keep it at one, including sprinting off her line and sliding to defect. What looks like certain second goal. That is big moment, ⁓ but then the 20th minute. happens. Carson Pickett launches a beautiful ball, two-thirds the length of the pitch left back. Janine Sonis is moving, she brings it down, plays a beautiful cross into the box, and Melissa Kossler attacks the near post and Man, Kossler, German international in her NWSL debut That is ours forever. And the fans in the match thread, people at watch parties in Denver, people watching on their couches. My dad was in attendance at the game at Bay and he said the Denver fans that were there absolutely lost their minds. One fan said that it was surreal that for all the months this was just talk, seeing them score in a real stadium. made it feel real for the first time. But then six minutes later, ⁓ everything changed. ⁓ In the minute, Sonis into ⁓ a slide tackle on Pfeiffer. left cleat comes up just a little bit. Studs make contact. ⁓ Pfeiffer goes down. Referee, Nabil Bensala shows yellow. Then they go to the VAR review and it's upgraded to a straight red. Sonis is off ⁓ she misses the next game. Six minutes after she set up the first goal in club history. Now I want to talk about the actual rule because ⁓ I thought it was a bogus call. when I saw it happen live because it was such a slow tackle honestly she was so far out when she started the slide I was like no this is it it's not an aggressive tackle at all And for red cards, I feel like it's typically a buildup poor tackles and fouls that have happened throughout the game. Now I get it. Under IFAB Law 12, a red card for serious foul play requires a tackle that endangers the safety ⁓ an opponent ⁓ using excessive That is standard. not studs up alone, not contact alone, excessive force. And that word right there, excessive, is doing a lot of work on this red card. The law says the player has to have far exceeded the necessary use ⁓ FIFA's own evaluation framework ⁓ referees, does the player show malice? Which I don't think that she did. Is the player going for the ball? What's the speed and intensity of the challenge? Those aren't just technicalities. That is the difference between a reckless challenge and a dangerous one, between a yellow and a red. Now this is why I don't think it was a red. Look at the images, which I have included here. Sonnus is going for the ball. Full commitment, full slide. She's tracking the ball, not. the player. Her left cleat comes up on contact. That is the technical violation. But is this excessive force? Is this a player who far exceeded necessary use of force? I don't see it. She's not lunging from distance. She's not two footed. She missed time the contact. The studs came up a beat too late. And that is reckless. Maybe a harsh yellow. But the law requires excessive force. And I don't think that's happened. I don't think that that's what's in those images. And Sonis's reaction tells you everything. She pops up immediately, goes straight to Pfeiffer on the turf, appears to be apologizing to the referee. That's not someone who went in to hurt a player. And Cushing said it without even seeing the replay. He said, no, malicious intent there, He watched it from the sideline in real time and called it a committed tackle. And that is your head coach's read. and fans on the agreed too. Multiple people said the referee had it right the first time with the yellow. ⁓ One person it simply, it was a silly call, no intention behind it, just a mistake. Several said that they couldn't see ⁓ VAR overruled a judgment call that could reasonably go yellow. Now, the counter argument is fair. I've had a lot of people... ⁓ coming into my DMs because I've commented on a few posts on social media saying that it was a bogus call. ⁓ here's the thing. One fan said a studs up tackle to the shin at speed is a red in basically any league that you watch. And under a strict read of the rule, sure, there's a case in that. Raise studs, contact made, that's the category. But here's the thing about VAR. A yellow can only be upgraded to a red if the on-field call was a clear and obvious error. Not a borderline call, not one that could go either way. A clear and obvious error. The referee watched this in real time and said, Yellow, it's not a clear and obvious error. That is a judgment call and the VAR shouldn't be in the business of overturning judgment calls. additionally, as I earlier, Sonis started that slide so far out there was not excessive force coming in to Pfeiffer on the hit. Her feet came up because she started her slide so far away. And the bigger picture here that I think is really interesting, the same day, Boston Legacy lost a player to a red card in their first ever game. Cushing called that one a bit harsh too. Both expansion teams opening day, both lose players to cards, both lose the match. And Coach Cushing said it well after, the best referees understand the magnitude of the occasion. a championship game, a first ever game from an expansion team. That context is extremely important. The best officials apply the rules with that context in mind. And that didn't happen on Saturday. At least for us Summit fans, we weren't at home having to play down a player. We were on the road. Boston did have their home opener ruined a little bit because of their red card, but I do think that the league should be paying attention to that. Four minutes after the red card, bass scored. 2-1 and that is the match. Essentially 10 players trailing by a goal with 63 minutes left, not including extra time. And Sonis also gets that one game suspension so she misses Orlando on Friday too. This red card costs Saturday and it costs us on Friday. The silver lining here folks, barely. She should be back for the home opener on March 28th. And we do have another game that we have Sonis back for two after the Orlando Pride game, but something that didn't get enough attention. I don't want to talk about the two to one score line because I feel like being down a player for 63 minutes and we held them to two to one. That's an incredible feat. We did awesome. So let's talk about ⁓ how great some of our players played. Let's talk about Aoki. She shut down Rachel Kuninaji. Kuninaji is a Zambian international. She is physical, ⁓ super duper fast aggressive. In 2025, she had four goals, four assists and drew 42 fouls in under 21 games for Bay. ⁓ She is the of forward who makes defenders lives miserable. Oke had never played a minute in the NWSL before Saturday and Kununagi was quiet the entire match. Nothing down that side of the field. Oke her, contested her physically and had the pace to recover when Kununagi got into space. ⁓ that is really impressive a player making their NWSL debut. My dad, like I said, he was there. He couldn't believe how fast Kununaji was, but then also how fast Oke was. ⁓ Even the most critical post-game breakdowns acknowledged the speed and Oke grew into the game. And that matters for too, has Barbara Banda. ⁓ Anne Temua-Chawanga, two of the best attackers in the league. Without Sonis, whoever else is going to be lining up it right back, I'm assuming that Oke will be back there too, but Oke's going to have an enormous job. after seeing her play on Saturday, I'm not counting her out. I think that she can hold her own in this league. So being down a player and down a goal with 63 minutes, Bay out shot Denver 20 to six, which is understandable. The fact that we had six shots on target, that is amazing. Smith made 18 saves. Bay's new coach, Emma Coates, said after the game that her team should have had at least two more goals. She's right, but you know what? Smith stopped. Two separate one-on-one breakaways in the second half alone. Two situations where it's your goalkeeper against an open attacker and both times, Abby Smith won. Smith was real MVP and I'm not gonna argue with that. She was authoritative, she commanded the box, she kept this from being a very ugly debut result and honestly, the team deserves a ton of credit too. The defense looked disjointed in the first half, but once they had something to protect in the second half, they really came together. Yuna McCormick came on in the second half and put in a solid 28 minutes for her NWSL debut, composed in tight spaces, won some good duels. It was really good to see. So game one, what do we actually know? The defense has something. Smith is as advertised. Kurtz was steady, Gaetano was impressive for a 23 year old in her first NWSL game. Oke has the tools, the foundation is there. The midfield, I think that's where we need work. Six shots for the whole match, even accounting for 10 players for 63 minutes. That gap in shot volume tells you that the midfield isn't generating the platform this offense needs yet. The midfield is constantly getting beat. know, heaps does come in July. That's the reality. And we have six NWSL rookies on the roster. of any club in the league this season. Bay FC, one thing to keep in mind is that Bay FC has been together for three years. Chemistry takes time. This isn't a surprise. And the Sonis red card changed what we really know about this team from game one. We never got to see 11 v 11 for 90 minutes. We never got to find out what this offense actually looks like with a full squad. And that's genuinely frustrating. here's what I keep coming back to. The path makes sense. stay competitive through the first third of the season, win some close games, stay in the playoff conversation. And then again, Lindsay Heaps arrives in July. She's the US Women's National Team captain, one of the best midfielders in the world. That is a completely different team. Game one was a bump. Bumps happen. All right, Friday in Orlando, we head from one coast all the way to the other. And luckily, you know, Denver's right smack dab in the middle of the country. So it's not that bad of a commute to the next game, but it still kind of sucks. 6 PM Mountain Time is going to be on Victory Plus and the spot Denver three. We take on the 2024 NWSL. champions. As I said in the Kaylee Kurtz interview that I had a couple weeks ago, man the NWSL really didn't do us any favors with our opening schedule. And we're going to be without Janine Sonis. So who are we dealing with? Orlando finished 2025 with 11 wins, seven draws, eight losses. They scored 27 goals. They allowed 27. That goals against number is the best in the league alongside Washington Spirit. So in other words, they don't give up much. They're organized. They are hard to break and they're super duper fast. Like I said earlier. But here's what makes them genuinely scary, their attack. Barbara Banda, man, eight goals in 16 games last season. She is a top five forward in this league. She is physical, explosive, plays with her back to goal and turns defenders inside out. She was limited to 16 games last year and she came out ⁓ ⁓ her season debut against the Seattle Rain on Sunday and she looked just as fast as ever. And since looks like she's healthy, she's probably going to be the most dangerous player Denver will be facing this year. And then there's the width. Orlando led the entire NWSL last season with 535 crosses. That's not a fluke, that is their system. They play very, very wide. They stretch defenses, they get balls into the box from everywhere. Kerry Aboilo down the right, Angelina pulling strings in the middle. For Denver, this is a very different test than Bay FC. Bay wanted to control the ball and possess the ball. Orlando, they want to at you. Get wide, flood the box. The defensive shape has to be tight, has to be compact, ⁓ gaps whatsoever in the flanks. And that's why ⁓ Sonis, ⁓ man, it sucks. ⁓ hurts so much right now. She was the captain for our first game. She is one of our most experienced defenders, Canadian national team member. She was only on the pitch for 26 minutes on Saturday and she still managed to set up a goal, the first goal in club history against Orlando's attack. Not having her, I think she is going to be very, very missed. Whoever steps into her spot on Friday has a very big job, has very big cleats to fill. In the midfield. This is where Denver has to be better on Saturday. If Orlando gets on top in the middle third, it's going to be a very long night. Whoever Cushing puts in that double pivot has to win second balls and make the game difficult. Honestly, this is a hard game. Orlando at home, a team with a championship pedigree. ⁓ looking to bounce back after a tough 2025 season. A team that lost their their first game of the 2026 season as well. They're going to be going against an expansion team on the road. Smart Money folks is not on Denver here, but upsets happen. And if Denver can stay compact, if they can limit Orlando's crossing opportunities and Nick has something on the counter. Kossler Brazier, Thomas, there is a path. It's a narrow path, but it's there. Friday, 6 p.m. Mountain, the Denver spot, three. I'll be watching. I hope you will be too. There are watch parties happening. If you're not a member ⁓ the ⁓ yet, that is the supporters group. Check them out. Join the supporters group. I went and hung out with them for their watch party. ⁓ last Saturday and it was a ton of fun and I'm pretty sure they're having another watch party on Friday so check them out, Well, Summit FC 0-1. First game, it's in the books, ⁓ we did get our first ever goal. Melissa Kossler it was a beautiful goal. ⁓ honestly, it's kind of how I pictured it happening because ⁓ looked a lot like what we saw in the preseason. We saw a lot of Kossler crashing the net. We saw a lot of those deep passes from Carson Pickett moving the ball up the field. I'm very hopeful for this team. I am. think that we, being down a player for the majority of the game, we held our own. We came back and right away after we got down, ⁓ think that this ⁓ ⁓ to be a very fun team to watch. ⁓ we got that first game out our system. Now ⁓ we go ⁓ and taking the league by ⁓ storm. The two goals that we conceded, they weren't really Abby Smith's fault. A red card I don't agree with and a second half where 10 players held on for 60 plus minutes and kept it at 2-1. Not what we wanted, but not nothing either. Alright, that is it for today's episode of the 5280 pitch. If you're not subscribed to the podcast yet, make sure you subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Be sure to leave us a review. It matters so much by leaving a review. We have broken the top 50 for the top soccer podcasts in the United States. So that's all because of you guys and I can't thank you guys enough. Keep sharing the 5280 pitch with your friends, with your family, and let's get more people onto the Summit train. All are welcome. We can definitely use more people here because we have over 50,000 tickets sold for that March 28th game. It is coming up fast, folks. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, well, what are you waiting for? Make sure you get your tickets for that first game. and if you haven't signed up for the newsletter yet you can get special discounts on fun merch just like this. head to the ⁓ 5280pitch.com and sign up over there. All right ⁓ share this with Summit fan who needs some perspective after that card on Saturday. This has been the 5280 pitch women's soccer at altitude.