Episodes

Denver Summit FC goalkeeper Abby Smith is the NWSL league leader in saves — and she's just getting started. Kate Hanson sits down with the two-time NWSL champion on The 5280 Pitch to talk about one of the most compelling stories in women's soccer right now. Abby opens up about how a high-energy kid from Plano, Texas found her way into goal, set the program record at the University of Texas with 30 career shutouts, and spent nearly a decade competing across six professional clubs in the NWSL and...

Denver Summit FC just beat the defending NWSL champions 2-0. Clean sheet. First win in franchise history. And Melissa Kössler — "The Clinician" — scores for the third game in a row to make NWSL history. But we're not skipping Orlando. Kate breaks down the 1-1 draw against the Pride, why Abby Smith's 10-save, Save of the Week performance is the only reason Denver came away with a point, and why giving up that Barbra Banda birthday goal still stings. Then it's the Gotham recap: how Denver's form...

Devin Lynch’s road to Denver Summit FC starts here. In this episode of The 5280 Pitch — Women’s Soccer at Altitude, host Kate Hanson sits down with Denver Summit FC rookie midfielder Devin Lynch to talk about her journey from Duke University to the NWSL. Devin shares what it’s like entering the league as a rookie and joining Denver’s expansion team during its historic inaugural season. In this episode we talk about: Devin’s soccer roots growing up in Illinois Her development at Duke and the...

Denver Summit FC blew up their roster one week into the inaugural NWSL season... In 24 hours, the Summit acquired USWNT forward Yazmeen Ryan and midfielder Delanie Sheehan from the Houston Dash in a blockbuster trade, then announced the signing of Japanese international Yuzuki Yamamoto from WE League champions Tokyo Verdy Beleza. Three proven players. One week in. Before a single home game has been played. Kate breaks down what each signing actually means — Ryan's versatility and why two NWSL ...

Denver Summit FC lost their first-ever professional game 2-1 at Bay FC on March 14, 2026, but the story is so much bigger than the scoreline. In the 20th minute, Melissa Kössler headed home the first goal in club history off a beautiful Carson Pickett ball and Janine Sonis cross. Six minutes later, Sonis was sent off with a controversial red card that changed everything. Kate breaks down the VAR decision that upgraded a yellow to a straight red, why the call didn't meet the IFAB standard for ex...

BONUS EPISODE: Carson Pickett joins the show! Carson Pickett has been in the NWSL since 2016. She's played 185 games. She's seen the league go from $8,000 salaries and host families to expansion teams selling out NFL stadiums. And now she's helping build Denver Summit FC from the ground up. In this episode, Carson talks about why she chose Denver as a veteran in a league that's finally treating players like professionals. We cover her rookie year in Seattle, what clicked when she got to North ...

Denver Summit FC plays their first-ever NWSL game on Saturday, March 14th against Bay FC at PayPal Park. This is it—the real thing. In this episode, I break down what to expect from Bay FC, including their massive $1.1 million signing of USWNT midfielder Claire Hutton. Bay struggled to score last season (26 goals, lowest in the league), but they were organized defensively and just acquired one of the best defensive midfielders in the NWSL. I cover Denver's likely starting XI—Smith in goal, Pic...

Kaleigh Kurtz has played every single minute of every game for four consecutive NWSL seasons. What most people didn't know — she finished last season with a back fracture she didn't even know about. In her first interview since joining Denver Summit FC, the veteran defender sits down with Kate Hanson to talk about why she walked away from eight years at the NC Courage for an expansion team, what training at altitude has actually felt like, and what the Coachella preseason revealed about this roster. She breaks down the chemistry forming between veterans and rookies, calls out Natalie Means and Olivia Thomas by name as players to watch, and gets genuinely emotional talking about playing in front of 45,000 fans at Mile High on March 28th — a number she says will change the way the game is physically played.

Coachella Breakdown: What We Learned From Denver’s 7-Goal Preseason The Denver Summit wrapped up their first-ever preseason tournament at the Coachella Valley Invitational with two wins, seven goals scored, and plenty to talk about. In this episode of The 5280 Pitch: Women’s Soccer at Altitude, we break down what actually stood out from Denver’s 2–0 win over Utah and their 5–2 shootout against San Diego — and what it tells us about this expansion team heading into the March 14 opener against Bay FC. Match 1: Utah Royals (2–0) Denver’s first-ever match as a club wasn’t flashy — it was organized. Key Takeaways: Defensive shape was compact and disciplined Possession looked intentional, not frantic Melissa Koestler opened the scoring with a clinical finish Rookie Olivia Thomas came off the bench and scored in her professional debut Utah finished 11th last season, so this wasn’t an elite test — but it was a clean execution of a game plan. For a team playing to…

Jordan Angeli co-founded For Denver FC and helped bring the NWSL to Colorado. In this episode, she tells the full story of how Denver Summit FC went from a Twitter DM in 2023 to 45,000 tickets sold for the inaugural home opener—before playing a single game. We cover the entire journey: organizing watch parties for a team that didn't exist, convincing Rob Cohen to become majority owner, bringing Peyton Manning and Mikaela Shiffrin into the ownership group, and what it meant when Lindsey (Horan) Heaps chose to come home to play for Denver Summit FC. Jordan is a Colorado native, former NWSL player (Boston Breakers, Washington Spirit, Western New York Flash), and co-host of the Soccerwise podcast. She's now part-owner and ambassador for Denver Summit FC. This is the story of how a grassroots movement became a professional sports franchise in one of the fastest NWSL expansion timelines ever.

Denver Summit FC didn't mess around building their back line. They went out and got veterans. Championship winners. Players who've actually won stuff in this league. In this episode, we break down all eight defenders on the Summit roster—from Kaleigh Kurtz's ironwoman durability (played every single minute for four straight years) to Carson Pickett's attacking threat from fullback (3 goals, 2 assists in 2025), Janine Sonis coming home to Colorado with Olympic gold, and the young talent like Ayo ...

Denver Summit FC's most important month. Six matches. Four at home. This is what they've been building toward. In this episode, we break down August's schedule match by match—starting with the expansion rematch against Boston Legacy FC, then North Carolina Courage's structured attack (featuring Manaka Matsukubo's 33 shots on target), the altitude revenge game against Utah Royals' 345 tackles, two critical road tests at San Diego Wave (85% passing accuracy) and Portland Thorns (297 shots), and c...

May is where the Denver Summit stop being new — and start being tested. In this episode of The 5280 Pitch: women’s soccer at altitude, we break down Denver’s brutal May schedule and explain why this road-heavy stretch is the true examination of their inaugural NWSL season. Five matches. Four on the road. Every opponent asking a different question. This episode walks match by match through Boston, Houston, Orlando, Utah, and Racing Louisville — not to predict results, but to explain what each game reveals about Denver’s growth, adaptability, and identity. If March was the introduction and April was the adjustment, May is the gauntlet — and how Denver handles it shapes everything that comes next. Subscribe for weekly Denver Summit and NWSL analysis, and stick with us as we build this season match by match.

The Denver Summit open their inaugural NWSL season with a challenging first half of the schedule. In this episode of The 5280 Pitch, we break down every match in the opening stretch — key opponents, player matchups to watch, and how home games at altitude differ from life on the road for an expansion team.

The last few weeks around Denver Summit FC have been a lot. Signings came fast, the NWSL schedule dropped, and then the stadium news hit. This episode is me stepping back to talk through where the Summit actually are right now — what this expansion roster is telling us, why the Lindsey Heaps signing matters, and how Denver is preparing for its first NWSL season.

Lindsey Heaps is coming home — not as a symbol, but as a foundation piece. In this episode of The 5280 Pitch, we break down why the Golden, Colorado native and U.S. Women’s National Team captain is such a rare signing for an expansion club. From her development with Colorado Rush to Olympic gold, 150+ international caps, and a career built on reliability and control, this isn’t a story about hype — it’s about structure. What does Lindsey Heaps actually bring on the field? Why does midfield cont...

Carson Pickett is more than a left back — she’s a foundational signing for Denver Summit FC. In this episode, we break down where Pickett ranks among NWSL defenders, why she’s one of the league’s elite attacking fullbacks, and how her game fits perfectly at altitude. We also explore her historic USWNT debut and the impact of her advocacy off the field.

Denver Summit FC took a major step toward permanence — and it didn’t come quietly. In this episode of The 5280 Pitch — women’s soccer at altitude, we examine the approval of the club’s purpose-built stadium at Santa Fe Yards and what it represents beyond soccer. We break down the Denver City Council vote, the $70 million public funding package, and the legally binding community benefits agreement that promises long-term investment in surrounding neighborhoods. This episode also wrestles with t...

When you’re building from scratch, certainty matters. In this episode of The 5280 Pitch: Women’s Soccer at Altitude, we dive into why Denver Summit FC’s signing of Abby Smith is about more than goalkeeping — it’s about trust, experience, and setting a tone for an expansion team. A two-time NWSL champion and one of the league’s most consistent keepers, Smith brings calm, professionalism, and championship perspective to Denver’s back line. This episode explores her journey, her mindset, and why ...

In Part 2 of our Ally Watt player profile, we move beyond the box score and into the journey that shaped one of the NWSL’s most relentless attackers. This segment dives into the winding path Ally Watt took through the league — the role changes, the uneven minutes, and the moments that tested her belief before sharpening it. We talk about what it takes to survive and adapt in the NWSL, how Ally’s speed and edge became weapons once she found the right fit, and why her story resonates with fans who understand that growth in this league is rarely linear. This is the heart of the profile — the mentality, resilience, and work ethic that don’t always show up in the stats but show up every single matchday. If you want to understand why Ally Watt’s rise matters — not just how it happened — this is the episode segment that tells that story.

Denver Summit FC’s first-ever signing is a hometown hero. In this episode, we spotlight Colorado native Ally Watt — her journey from Colorado Springs to Texas A&M, through the NWSL, and now back home as the club’s historic Player No. 1. We break down why her speed, mentality, and championship pedigree make her the perfect foundation for an expansion team and what her homecoming means for fans and the future of women’s soccer in Colorado.

Denver finally has an NWSL team — and in our first episode, we’re breaking down how it happened. From the grassroots movement behind the bid, to the powerhouse ownership group featuring Rob Cohen, Mellody Hobson, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Peyton Manning, this is the full origin story of Denver Summit FC. You’ll learn why the league chose Denver, what the “Summit” brand really stands for, where the team will play, and why this moment matters for women’s sports in Colorado. If you’re ready to get plugged in before the first whistle blows, this is where your 5280 Summit journey starts.

Get your first look at Denver’s newest sports chapter. In this trailer, host Kate Hanson introduces The 5280 Pitch — the fan-driven podcast dedicated to Denver Summit FC and the NWSL. You’ll hear what this show is about, why women’s soccer at altitude is something special, and what to expect as Denver builds its first NWSL roster. This isn’t the official team podcast… it’s the place where fans get context, storylines, analysis, and the inside track from day one. If you’re ready for the Sum...