Kaleigh Kurtz: Iron Woman and Building Something Special in Denver (BONUS)

Kate Hanson (00:02.012)
Welcome back to the 5280 pitch women's soccer at altitude. I'm Kate Hansen and today's episode is super duper special because for the first time I'm sitting down with a Denver Summit FC player. Yes folks, we are joined today by Kaylee Kurtz and if you're a Summit fan, you are going to be watching her lead this back line all season long. But here's the thing, a lot of you might not.

know her super well yet just because you know this is a new team and so this is why I'm so excited that Kayleigh has decided to sit down with us because she has been in this league for years. She's been to a World Cup, she's won championships, but like I said she's new here to the Mile High City so I want to talk a little bit about the preseason tournament at Coachella. I want to talk a little bit about just getting to know Kayleigh, where she's from, how she got here, what she thinks of Denver, and what made her

want to be a part of an expansion team because it's a whole different ball of wax when you're on an expansion team. So Kaylee, thank you so much for joining me on the 5280 pitch today.

Kaleigh Kurtz (01:10.092)
Thank you for having me. I'm excited. I want all the fans to know all about us. So, ready to dive in.

Kate Hanson (01:14.984)
Well, I mean, if your viral video of you conducting the Colorado Symphony did not make people aware of you and your second hobby here. So for like I said before, most Denver fans might be meeting you for the first time. So let's start back at square one here. Where did you grow up and how did you get into soccer?

Kaleigh Kurtz (01:19.331)
Thank

Kaleigh Kurtz (01:25.346)
My feels.

my most passionate life.

Kaleigh Kurtz (01:41.133)
or what?

Kaleigh Kurtz (01:45.134)
Okay, I am from Greenville. Yeah, we're going way back. Here we go. I was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. And I've pretty much been a Carolina girl for almost all my life.

Kate Hanson (01:46.248)
We're going way back here.

Kaleigh Kurtz (02:01.346)
I got into soccer originally because my older sister, she's three years older than me, she was playing soccer. And at that time in my young early years, I wanted to do everything that she did. So that's how I originally got into soccer. And then very quickly I was realizing that, this is fun. My other sport was swimming. And I had a good time in the water, but swimming laps is not quite as fun as chasing a ball around on the field.

at least for me. So that was when I decided between my two sports and it was soccer took over and then

Kate Hanson (02:29.33)
Yeah.

Kate Hanson (02:36.04)
How old were you when you made that decision between two sports? Because I've got young girls. I've got an eight-year-old and an 11-year-old. The eight-year-old actually, we went and picked up your shirt. This is hers. We went and picked it up at the last Friday at the big, you know, Jersey reveal party. But she does swim. She does soccer. She does softball. I mean, she does basketball. And I remember, so I played collegiate softball. That's as far as I got.

Kaleigh Kurtz (02:40.161)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (02:54.592)
Yeah.

Kate Hanson (03:05.596)
I don't remember having to choose a sport until maybe my junior year of high school. And that's when I stopped playing, you know, soccer and I stopped the golf and I just did soccer or softball. So, I mean, when did you make that decision? Because I feel like it's getting my eight year old, I'm already at the point of like, I don't know how we're going to be able to keep doing all these things.

Kaleigh Kurtz (03:11.215)
wow.

Kaleigh Kurtz (03:18.403)
Okay.

Kaleigh Kurtz (03:27.023)
Yeah, I made the choice in fourth grade. So I think I was 10, maybe 11 max. I remember.

When I talked to girls my age, and a lot of them did basketball and soccer, a lot of them did it a lot longer than me. However, both soccer and swimming were year round, and so that was the big struggle. It wasn't like one season and then the other season so I could participate in both. It became full time year round. Would jump in the pool from three to five, and then my parents would drive me over to my soccer complex and I'd have training from six to eight.

Kate Hanson (03:47.9)
Yes.

Kaleigh Kurtz (04:05.462)
was hard on them and it was also hard on me and so I had to make the choice in the fourth grade whether I wanted to do soccer something but I think you should like I'm not obviously I'm not a parent so I don't know but if you keep your kids in things as long as possible obviously as it's not straining you or your family it's probably for the best like it makes them so coordinated and multi like multifaceted and it can only help their sporting I think if they're multifaceted

Kate Hanson (04:11.164)
Yeah. What?

Kate Hanson (04:24.028)
you

Kate Hanson (04:31.292)
Yeah. Well, and so you're a swimmer, you then switched to or made the commitment to just soccer. Let's talk a little bit about some of the positions that you played growing up because not my, again, I'm going to go back to my eight year old again. Like she loves defense, like nothing. She has no greater pride than just.

Kaleigh Kurtz (04:42.517)
Kaleigh Kurtz (04:48.598)
Yeah. Yeah.

Kate Hanson (04:54.888)
beating down somebody that's going on a breakaway and just stealing the ball away. She would do that all day rather than score a goal. She loves it. And so not everybody is like that. I mean, know a lot of people play multiple positions. When did you really, what other positions did you play before really diving, like figuring out that defense is where you shine?

Kaleigh Kurtz (04:59.446)
Love it.

Kaleigh Kurtz (05:08.632)
No.

Yeah, well I played club first or I guess like rec and then when I switched to club and it became that year-round soccer I was more of an attacking midfielder from my like rec days and then when I made the switch over to a higher level

My coach did not want me on the field. I was God awful by far the worst player on the team. And so he wanted me nowhere near our goal because I was that bad. So I played forward and then halfway through that year, our center back got injured and my coach was like, say a prayer. Like we got to put Kaylee back there. And I ended up just being like a bull in the China shop kind of defender. And we played stopper sweeper at the time and I was a full blown sweeper in any time.

anyone got past I would just blast it out of bounds just kind of a brute force and that was my style of defending so I wasn't until like nine that I realized like I like defending I kind of get it it's starting to make sense I also don't have to possess the ball I don't have to pass it I don't have to finesse any shots it was strictly like I was on the field to disrupt things and to to be a brute so

Kate Hanson (06:33.2)
Yeah, yeah. think it's... So you grew up in the Carolinas. You played for the North Carolina Courage. You played at UNC. mean, like, Carolina kind of seems like it was always home for you. And before I pressed record here, we were talking a little bit about what's been one of the biggest shocks for moving to Denver and how dry it is.

Kaleigh Kurtz (06:34.126)
That's at least one month of thunder.

Kaleigh Kurtz (06:39.822)
Mm-hmm.

Kate Hanson (06:57.441)
When the opportunity came, why Denver? You're an established player in this league. You could have gone to a lot of places. What made you decide that you wanted to be a part of an expansion team?

Kaleigh Kurtz (07:09.966)
There's a few things. It was the first time in my eight year career history with the NWSL where I got to experience free agency and so I had multiple teams can reach out on that first day of July 1st and So it was really interesting and fun to be able to talk to multiple teams at the same time and see you What is what are your training sessions like who's the coach? You know who's the owner how invested are the fans and I got to ask all these fun questions and kind of get

decide my own future. I stumbled on Denver as my final, you know, hoorah because I visited here when I was...

I was a junior in high school. We had our Yeah, we were like a national or in national championships for the ECNL I ended up not being able to play because I had a broken femur at the time, but I flew out here with my team and I just remember even my parents will say this they were like, my god This place just reminds me of Kaley and I grew up backpacking out in the Appalachian Mountains over on the East Coast so My family got me into backpacking and I just love and my heart and

Kate Hanson (08:02.066)
God.

Kaleigh Kurtz (08:20.712)
just loves the mountains. So one, I think it's really important to prioritize outside of soccer because we really only train for four hours max and that's with a little break in there. you know, I might be like, yeah, well, like an hour of lifting and then maybe two or an hour and a half on the field and then a little break in between. So.

Kate Hanson (08:35.164)
only.

Kaleigh Kurtz (08:45.322)
The rest of our day is pretty empty and we have to, you know, make it whatever we want it to be. And I wanted to be in Denver. I thought it was an amazing opportunity to kind of get my mountain passion and my love for the mountains back. And then I love the idea of expansion because...

We get to create everything that we want to. Like it's a blank canvas and it's our responsibility and our role to be able to create the culture we want as players. I also loved the conversation I had with the coach, Nick Cushing, when I was in that free agency period. And I thought, you know, even though I've been in the league for eight years, I have a fairly established name in this league now. I still want to continue to get better. And that was something that was really important to me. I loved my time at North Carolina.

Kate Hanson (09:26.268)
Yes.

Kaleigh Kurtz (09:33.728)
But I've been there for so long that I felt like you know change is good change causes more growth, so I wanted a really big challenge and I thought expansion would kind of be that on top of you know the ability to create whatever we want it to be.

Kate Hanson (09:51.278)
Yeah, and when you were saying that you've built a name for yourself in this league, you sure have. You don't miss games. So can we talk a little bit about your training? Because it's insane how many full minutes you have played of every single game you have the Iron Woman award. I mean, let's talk about your training that you do, because it can be hard to stay healthy in an NWSL season.

Kaleigh Kurtz (10:14.967)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (10:18.412)
Yes. Well, I have to thank my parents for the genetics. That seems to go a really long way. And then each, well now it's my first time on a new team, but each team kind of has their own repertoire, whatever they do, their routines, how they train, the amount of meters, because everything has now changed into data. And so we wear GPS units on the back of our sports bras that track everything. So it's been really fascinating as

I entered the pros and we had GPSs but didn't really compile the data and analyze it to our fullest extent. And to now it's literally what drives our training sessions. And they might pull players aside and be like, hey, you actually need to do extra running or, hey, we need to back you off. You've done too much this week. So that is really cool to kind of experience. But we have professionals here that look at all the load and manage the load. Yeah.

Kate Hanson (11:13.864)
Well, I mean, so you say you have great genes. You have a team of trainers that are looking at the data. really, I feel like you're drinking from some sort of fountain of youth here. Because you've been able to play every single minute for four consecutive seasons. So how has training been here at Altitude? Has it been a little bit of a f***ing

Kaleigh Kurtz (11:23.255)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (11:34.476)
Yeah.

Kate Hanson (11:41.464)
a challenge for you? Like have you noticed a strong difference? Do you feel better? Like when you guys went to Coachella, was it like, look how far I can run now. I'm not tired. Or let's talk about that a little.

Kaleigh Kurtz (11:51.382)
Yeah, Well, I actually came off the end of the season, which I didn't realize while I was playing, but I had a pars fracture in my back. So I didn't really get to...

Kate Hanson (12:01.488)
You didn't realize it.

Kaleigh Kurtz (12:03.342)
I didn't realize that I had a back fracture. So I played the last few games of the season. I actually don't know when it happened. So I played however many games last season on a back fracture and then finally got an MRI at the end of the season. my leading into preseason, I really didn't do any cardio and I didn't really lift any weights or anything because I needed to keep everything off my back. And so when I got to Denver, they were on top of it. The second they met with me, they wanted to

look at my imaging, talk to me about my back, do the rehab, do all this testing, and they've taken such good care of me. But I will say, this was a different beast coming into that altitude and attempting to run for the first time. It's real. If you're born and raised here, I've talked to people in and around my house, and they're like, can you actually feel a difference? I'm like, yes, I can. I'm dying.

Kate Hanson (13:01.106)
Do you, so, well, let's, I wanna talk about, I wanna talk about some of the expectations that you have for the team this year, but one of the things I talk about on the show regularly is how the summit, how the team is going to be able to use the altitude as a major advantage because you guys have been training in it, and I really think that that's going to be our secret weapon for this inaugural season, but what are your expectations?

Kaleigh Kurtz (13:02.798)
It's real.

Kaleigh Kurtz (13:06.892)
Yeah.

Kate Hanson (13:29.808)
not the team's expectations, but just yours for this very first season.

Kaleigh Kurtz (13:35.439)
yeah.

Kate Hanson (13:38.184)
What does a successful year one look like for you?

Kaleigh Kurtz (13:42.262)
Well, I mean it goes back into the team, so...

In terms of, you know, a successful season, it's that we are successful. You know, I'm one of 11 out there or one of 16, maybe if we use all of our substitutes. And so I can only do so much. It's really based on the week of prep that we lead into to go into that one game. and so I think a successful season, I'm, I'm, we're, we're all so bought in. We had one of our first meetings and Nick made this speech and you never know, like, you know, when you come into an expansion site.

you're like, okay, like, we need to keep our expectations potentially low and not like get too high and not ride the roller coaster. And then he was like, no, we're here to win. See, I don't, I don't know if it's going to happen because you know, I can't read the future, predict the future, but we're here to win. And I was sitting there in this meeting, like, I'm a winner. I agree. And I started getting so pumped up in the middle of his speech. And I was like, okay. And then we get out to the field.

and things clicked so much faster than I was expecting it to. Like the passes were so much crisper than I expected. We've put our... No.

Kate Hanson (14:52.348)
You guys don't look like an expansion team on the pitch. I mean, you guys look like you've been playing together for years. It's been really exciting. But yeah, sorry, continue.

Kaleigh Kurtz (14:59.021)
Yeah.

No, you're good. Yeah, it really is exciting because I genuinely didn't know what to expect. When I came onto The Courage, it was just like this established core that had played together for three years, and then some new people sprinkled in. Whereas this is everyone is coming together. have no prior relationships, but we were able to just click on and off the field so fast. And we have a really good group of we call ourselves the grandmas. Basically everyone that was born in nineteen something.

Whereas everyone else was born in the 2000s. so we have our grandma group and I think, you know, that is, we have a bunch of experience both at the club level and international level. And we've just been able to get everything rolling so quickly. But then, yeah, when you talked about the altitude and then going back to Coachella, it made a huge difference. So we were in warmup and I think I made a joke with the girls and I was like, feel that lack of burn in our lungs. Like it's amazing. So we're in the middle of warmup and having a good time.

because we can just breathe for the first time in two weeks.

Kate Hanson (16:03.854)
Yeah, well, and I'm actually glad you brought up the Coachella tournament because that was, I feel like it was first chance that you guys had to really see how are we clicking as a team? And because you guys have been playing against each other for weeks now, but you were able to go out against Utah and San Diego first time putting on the summer summit jersey. And you were actually the captain for that game against Utah. How, how was that?

Kaleigh Kurtz (16:07.073)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (16:12.148)
Yeah.

Thank

Kaleigh Kurtz (16:21.698)
Yep.

Kate Hanson (16:30.034)
putting on the armband for that very first game, pre-season game, and you got to be the one to wear it.

Kaleigh Kurtz (16:36.63)
Yeah, well, Janine wore it for the first half and then she got pretty or some fairly early in the second half. So then it came back to me and then the second game is when I got to wear it the whole time. But either way, like I eventually wore the armband at the Courage and it's whenever you wear that, it's just such an honor that, you know, the staff, the club, the players see you in that light of a leader. And one of my big things this year was I wanted to work on being a more positive leader.

I have.

a really loud voice, think, maybe not enough to roar over the 45,000 plus that are gonna be coming to our home opener. But I have a pretty powerful voice, but when I'm trying to project at times and things are really loud, I feel like the tone can get a little scary, especially for youngsters. So I'm really working on, know, softening that tone, making sure I meet people where they are and not scaring the crap out of them on, you know, five weeks in. it's whenever you wear that armband, it's such an honor.

Kate Hanson (17:15.921)
I can't.

Kaleigh Kurtz (17:38.428)
It's a privilege to be able to show your club and your coach and your staff and your players that you don't take it lightly. You take a lot of responsibility with it. And yeah, I didn't expect it. And it was just really heartfelt.

Kate Hanson (17:45.256)
Yeah.

Kate Hanson (17:53.8)
Well, yeah, well, I love that. And when you guys were playing at Coachella, you really played phenomenally. know, two games with two wins and seven goals scored. So from your perspective on the field, what stood out to you about how this team played? I know it was preseason and I mean, even the Rockies went in preseason. I mean, but I mean, but were you, was there a moment where you're like, this is clicking?

Kaleigh Kurtz (17:59.746)
Thank

Kaleigh Kurtz (18:12.94)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (18:17.912)
you.

Kaleigh Kurtz (18:22.984)
not quite in the Utah game.

I'm coming from a club that was very much based in possession and I didn't think that our possession was strong enough in the Utah game. So then going into the second game, that was a big focus of ours was, okay, like, you know, we didn't really retain much possession. We were able to absorb the moments when they were on the attack. We were able to put them on the back foot and score two goals. So then for the San Diego game, our big focus was, okay, can we retain a bit more of the ball, keep possession, maybe pin them in their half a little bit.

So the fact that in one week, one short week, we were able to take that information and see what wasn't working as well in the Utah game. We were able to apply it immediately and against a really tough San Diego side. I played against them last year and they made my courage team look like we were traffic cones out there. So I know what they can do. I know how they like to play. They like to tiki-taka football and we were able to reprop that and we even, I think it was.

one zero, then one one, then two one, then two two. And at that point when it's going back and forth like a seesaw, it can go either way. And we just as a club stuck with it, stuck with the roles that we were given and everyone took their opportunity when they were in front of goal. And so to score five against a really top side is incredible.

Kate Hanson (19:47.898)
it's awesome. It's awesome. And I think that, well, just from what I've been seeing on the threads, everyone was really, really excited. Like, wow, I wasn't expecting this type of cohesiveness from this team already. one thing that you mentioned earlier was that you really were wanting to play for Nick. And he has a different system than what you played when you were in Carolina. So let's talk about that.

Kaleigh Kurtz (19:53.57)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (20:01.741)
Yeah.

Kate Hanson (20:18.212)
a little bit more. What drew you into wanting to play in this new system for Nick Cushing?

Kaleigh Kurtz (20:25.258)
I guess it was less of a lack of a system because one of the things I love about Nick is he takes the players that he has and he doesn't try and mold them into a specific system. He looks at who we have and he tries to bring out the best qualities of the players we have to fit a system or like to create our own system. So instead of trying to, you know, smash people into a little box that maybe that's not their best form or that's not the best suited position for them, he takes everyone's attributes.

and it's like, this is actually, think, how we're gonna be the most successful because we're allowing each player to be the most comfortable that they can be, have the partnerships that they are cultivating on the field, and if it's clicking and meshing well, yeah. So that was something I really liked was that he doesn't really have an exact system. He's able to adapt. then I think he's a very eloquent sweep.

eloquent speaker and when he talks he just instills so much confidence and motivation in the group and that was so refreshing. I loved hearing from him and even like I said on that first meeting I was just like, we're gonna win. Like I'm ready. It's happening this year. So I just I loved everything that he's talked to me about so far and that you know when he did give me the Captain's Armband it was

a huge honor and that you know showed a lot of confidence he has in me even though he's only known me for like five weeks so yeah

Kate Hanson (21:59.536)
Yeah, it's hard to believe it's only been five weeks. It feels like it's been way longer than that. Right. So let's let's talk about some of these other players on the team, because at the Jersey reveal party back at Union Station, there was a couple of questions that were asked that I was so glad that you answered the way that did, because I was like, when I talk to her, I want to ask her to elaborate. And one thing I want you to elaborate on is Natalie Means, because

Kaleigh Kurtz (22:05.932)
You should try rubbing around in it.

Kaleigh Kurtz (22:25.984)
Okay, yeah, please.

Kate Hanson (22:29.638)
She's a defender that's honestly, she's playing all over the field. She's scored a goal, she's gotten assists. What is it like playing alongside her? You specifically called her out when you, when we were talking about players to be excited about. So what about playing alongside her is really exciting for you.

Kaleigh Kurtz (22:35.393)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (22:50.478)
the privilege for the I think for the last four-ish weeks of mainly training beside her and also getting to play beside her in some scrimmages and she is so hard-working she is athletic as anything like can keep up with just about anyone in this league speed for speed wise she's not a true defender and yet I think her 1v1 defending skills are incredible and they're only gonna get better so she's just taken everything as a rookie in stride

And I think that's one of the hardest things to do is you go from college, you go to this next level, which the skip from college to the pros is a huge jump. And she doesn't look fatigued. She looks fit. She came in fit. She's defending really well against the top San Diego side. She's good on the ball. She can play on the left side or the right side. And she's a naturally attacking player, which allows her as a defender to get into the attack, which is when she scored her goal and had an assist.

against San Diego. So I have nothing but positive things to say about this girl. I think she has the potential to go very far in this league.

Kate Hanson (23:57.66)
and another person that's really surprised me is Olivia Thomas. A rookie, three goals in two games. What have you seen from her that makes you think that she's ready to play and start at this level?

Kaleigh Kurtz (24:03.03)
Yes.

Kaleigh Kurtz (24:13.07)
Yeah, when she first got here, I think there was a bit of a learning curve. typically, you know, a player can go one or two directions when they're having this hard time in the first few weeks of preseason. And instead of, you know, countering down or kind of showing that she was afraid, she was like, no, like, I want to continue to learn. I want to get better. I want to get past this. And so she went from.

like zero to 100 in a matter of a day. And it just seemed like this mental switch for her. And she's now like posting players up, spinning people if they get too close. So I think she has adapted so quickly. And watching her, you know, struggle a little bit in the first few weeks, both mentally and physically. And then now she's getting called up to the national team, which is so warranted. It's amazing because...

Kate Hanson (25:02.13)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (25:06.218)
If you've been in the preseason with us for the last five weeks, she's just a completely different player and she's found her confidence. She's found her voice. She is energetic and has so much energy and so much to give. And so the fact that she's scoring, you know, it's going to make Nick's job hard. We have two number nines that I think in every scrimmage we've had so far, they've both scored. So bad thing to have.

Kate Hanson (25:28.488)
Yeah. It's never a bad thing to have people that are putting the ball in the back of the net. Well, and I love that you talked about having the grandmas on the team. There's a mix on this team of veterans like Carson Pickett, Jeanine Sánez, and then you have the rookies like Thomas Means. So how is this balance working? Are the rookies asking a lot of questions of you guys, the veterans? Or are they just kind of going for it to explain what the locker room's like?

Kaleigh Kurtz (25:43.832)
Thank

Kaleigh Kurtz (25:57.51)
I think it just kind of depends. Each person on the grandma side kind of brings something different. So depending on who you are, like some people might be more comfortable talking to Carson. Someone might be more confident talking to me or having a conversation with Abby Smith. Like, so we have so many different people in different positions that we're able to kind of cover our ground. And then I think we've done a really good job of being open with them.

I've had a lot of people come ask questions. Yeah. And I just think that I got to toot the grandma's horns because we took that role and responsibility of like, okay, there is a really big discrepancy between the ages. Like we have 20 year olds and then we have 32 year olds. So, you know, a decade of change. And so like I got made fun of because

Kate Hanson (26:46.812)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (26:54.538)
Apparently, I don't know the lingo at all and I'm never going to probably try and learn the lingo that they're speaking. Yeah.

Kate Hanson (27:00.21)
Well, my 11-year-old just told me that 6'7'' is now so out, so yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (27:05.55)
So out, come on. So yeah, there's just so many things that like the pop culture is just changing so quickly. So it's very nice to have them around because they keep me younger or they make me not understand the word they're saying. And I feel like they're speaking a different language, which they basically are. But I think the mix has just been.

really amazing to see that, you know, even though there is this big difference between ages, we're all able to come together on the field, joke around together, get the job done in all of our preseason scrimmages so far, and I think we have a good time doing it while we're on the field too.

Kaleigh Kurtz (28:14.848)
I think it depends on who you ask because we have so many players who are on international duty at the moment. So for them, it's finishing out their international jobs and then coming back and also recovering so that they can prepare for that opening week. And then for us here, if you talk to any club and all the players who don't go on international duty, we put in a grind, we put in a shift and they're like, this is a perfect opportunity to, you know, get our meters up, keep the fitness level.

Kate Hanson (28:20.7)
Right?

Kaleigh Kurtz (28:44.872)
players who maybe don't typically play high super high minutes like 60 70 to 90 minutes they're now having to put that shift in so

I think it depends on who you ask, like I said. For me at least, it's continuing to push the standards of the group while some of the internationals are away and keeping that leadership and my own personal standards high so that I can perform on the field every single day of training. And then continuing to keep my body right because if we have five sessions a week, it starts to add up and it's, know, my main job is not to leave the room.

Kate Hanson (29:21.704)
But you got to go for that Iron Woman again this year, you know? Right? Yeah. So yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (29:25.87)
I got to try, you know? Part of it's to the coach, you know? Everybody. then all the, there's a lot of pieces. It's not just me.

Kate Hanson (29:36.388)
Yeah. man. So you have BFC coming up down the road. Honestly, they didn't, the NWSL didn't give you any, you know, I don't want to say leeway or I don't know. Like they didn't help out the summit at all with this first half of the schedule. I feel like you guys are constantly on a plane and then you're, we're here for March 28th and then you're gone again. But March 28th is a big day and.

Kaleigh Kurtz (29:40.898)
Yep.

Kaleigh Kurtz (29:56.536)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (30:02.52)
Yes.

Kate Hanson (30:03.89)
You're gonna play it in Power Field, Mile High Stadium. guys have already broken the record for an NWSL match. What are you expecting that atmosphere to be like?

Kaleigh Kurtz (30:12.514)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (30:16.335)
I already have goosebumps just talking about it or like when you just said it. The most I think I've ever played in front of was LA's inaugural home opener and that was I think 22 to 25 thousand. Yeah, we're mashing that and I remember being on the field.

Kate Hanson (30:31.022)
smash that.

Kaleigh Kurtz (30:37.519)
And I could not communicate to my teammates because of how loud it is out there. And so it changes the dynamic of the sport that you play. When you have 7,000 and you're kind of enclosed, you can speak to your teammates around you. And when you're on the field and there's 45,000 people and everyone's screaming and excited and they bring this energy, it changes the way you play because you no longer can rely on your auditory sensory. You have to rely on typically

Kate Hanson (31:00.998)
Yeah.

Kaleigh Kurtz (31:07.502)
your peripheral vision, constantly head on the swivel, you're pointing so you're gonna probably see all of us with our arms all over the place trying to communicate. And so to have 45,000 tickets already sold and knowing that that's the fan base that is showing up for Denver Summit FC.

I'm baffled. I genuinely cannot believe that this is happening and that this is my team. I feel so lucky. Um, when I was at the Courage, no knock to them. But people had knew I went to the dog park and people would ask me, you know, why, why are you, how are you here at 3pm with your dog? And I was like, Oh, well I play professional soccer. And then they're like, we have a women's soccer team here. And I was like, and now when I walk around Denver, I went, I ended up bending my engagement rings.

So I had to go to a jeweler's to get it fixed and he was like, my gosh, you're a summit player? And he like recognized me and it was just a crazy experience where I walk in and someone knew my face and that has never happened before. So.

Kate Hanson (32:11.72)
And you haven't even played a game yet! mean... It...

Kaleigh Kurtz (32:14.19)
I can't believe that this city has riled around a game that hasn't even happened yet and the team that we haven't really shown what we can do in this league besides two preseason scrimmages.

Kate Hanson (32:28.712)
Yeah, I mean, well, I was telling Jordan this when she came on the show that, you know, it's about time we got a women's soccer team here because I feel like Denver is such a strong sports town, but we love our soccer. mean, we've, there's been a number of, you know, between, Lindsay heaps and then, you know, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith. Like there's a number of U.S. women's national team players that have come out of the Colorado system. Like it's.

Kaleigh Kurtz (32:40.494)
you

Kaleigh Kurtz (32:51.445)
Mm-hmm.

Kaleigh Kurtz (32:58.35)
You too.

Kate Hanson (32:58.504)
We love our soccer. We love our sports. Why? What took so long? so one thing, one, and I know I said that there was, I was only going to ask you a couple more questions, but this is, swear the last question because it was, it was really exciting when, uh, again, at that Jersey release party, how I felt like you were really sitting down and giving some very tactical advice to

Kaleigh Kurtz (33:04.954)
No, it's exciting.

Kaleigh Kurtz (33:11.704)
But yeah, no problem.

Kate Hanson (33:28.656)
not just young soccer girls, but young soccer players about the importance of being deceptive and just really a lot of, it was great coaching that you gave to anyone that was really listening and trying to take it in. I know my 11 year old, I swear after she heard you speak, she has focused on her ball skills and trying to be deceptive a whole lot more. So.

Kaleigh Kurtz (33:28.782)
you

Kaleigh Kurtz (33:36.642)
Mm-hmm.

Kaleigh Kurtz (33:55.35)
Nice.

Kate Hanson (33:55.514)
If there's anyone listening right now, because I know that there's a lot of young fans that listen to the podcast, what is one thing that you would, one piece of advice that you would give them as they continue their soccer journey?

Kaleigh Kurtz (34:10.001)
Well, going kind of off the deceptive and how I learned it, you can learn so much from not just playing, but watching the sport. And you have to change the lens and the perspective of how you watch it. It might not be just for the enjoyment of watching the sport and how the ball moves, but it's watching how players move, how their body reacts when the ball's coming. How do they, you know, they start shifting their shoulders so they can get away from defenders.

so many amazing female and male players that you can learn from. so I've done very little coaching, but when I have, I've noticed a huge difference between boys and girls. And boys will watch a sport and they'll see Messi or Ronaldo or whomever that they're following and they do this move and they're willing to try it. And so to any girl listeners, don't be afraid to fail. I think that's one of the biggest things. Don't be afraid to look silly.

enjoy it. We all fail. I can't do it around the world and that's okay with me. I'm a professional soccer player. I made a name for myself but I can't do it around the world. So there's so many things that you know...

I decided not to do because I was afraid of failing and I think that kind of pushed me back a little bit. So be afraid, don't be afraid to fail, enjoy learning, keep trying everything and then learn from the people that are you know in front of you or in front of your TV. Like the Denver River Lirers, plug plug.

Kate Hanson (35:41.456)
like the Denver Summit are going to be. Yup, yup, exactly. again, if you haven't gotten your tickets yet for March 28th, what are you waiting for? It's gonna be insane. It's gonna be so much fun. Poor players aren't gonna be able to hear themselves. The jerseys, or the kits have dropped. They look legit. They look great. We got Kaylee's here. I know I was so silly. was like, maybe I'll wear it. And then I was like,

Kaleigh Kurtz (35:48.259)
Thank

Kaleigh Kurtz (35:58.124)
We won't.

Kaleigh Kurtz (36:05.998)
Woo!

Kate Hanson (36:10.402)
Like I can wear a youth large anyways. well, Kaylee, this has been an absolutely incredible conversation. I can't thank you enough for joining me on the 5280 pitch. And if people want to connect with you, you have an awesome Instagram. I love seeing all the pictures of you and your dog. If anyone knows a great Thai place here in the Denver area, you know, let us let her know because I'm.

Kaleigh Kurtz (36:11.854)
I'm not sure

Kate Hanson (36:37.064)
I'm not a big Thai fan because I probably haven't found a good place to get it. So yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you again, Kaylee. This has been such an awesome conversation and good luck this season.

Kaleigh Kurtz (36:38.975)
Yeah, that's okay. You know, we're all entitled to our own opinions and whatever foods we want.

Kaleigh Kurtz (36:51.522)
Thank you, thank you for having me.