Kössler Makes History. Denver Gets Its First Win.

Kate Hanson: Welcome back to the 5280 pitch, women's soccer at altitude. I'm Kate Hansen. Okay, so we need to talk because this week, Denver Summit FC did something that honestly, I've been waiting to say since March 14th, since the very first whistle of this franchise's existence. They won. And not just won, they beat the defending NWSL champions, 2-0 clean sheet first ever win in franchise history against Gotham FC. But before we get there and we are going to get there, I promise we need to talk about Orlando because the pride game last week, it matters. It tells you a lot about where this team is and what they're still working through. And I don't think enough people are really sitting with it. So here's what we're going to do today. Orlando first, what happened, what it means, why the final score feels a little hollow, and then Gotham and the history that was made on Wednesday night. And then, of course, we are going to talk about Saturday, the home opener, who I think starts, what the lineup looks like, and honestly, some of the roster questions I've been sitting with that I think you're all wondering about as well. All right. So March 20th, Orlando. Inner and Co. Stadium first ever meeting between these two clubs. came in 0-1. So did Orlando. Both teams were looking for that first win ⁓ of the season. teams needing something, wanting to respond after a rough week one loss. Denver loses to Bay FC in the game that they were genuinely competitive in. But again, remember in that Bay FC game, we We're playing the majority of the game down a player because of that questionable red card. but let's continue on because I don't want to harp on the past too much. I have an entire episode ⁓ dedicated to that red card. So if want to listen to my thoughts on that, go back and listen to that episode. But Orlando is not a team you take lightly. They won the NWSL Championship in 2024. They have Barbara Banda, who is one of the most physically dominant forwards in this league. They have Jackie Oval, sharp, technical, constantly causing problems. And on the night, Orlando attempted 23 shots, the highest total of any team in a single match so far this season. 23 shots. Denver held them to just one goal. So before we get into what still needs work, let's just appreciate that for a second. The match opens and it's immediately chaotic. Banda is on the ball early, driving at Kayleigh Kurtz, who was captain of the night, because remember, Janine Sonis did have that red card, so she had to miss the Orlando game. So KK had the armband and she had a great game. And Banda, she is physical. She was looking for that near post. Abby Smith played lights She got her hands to things early and she really set the tone for this entire match. And then the 24th minute, Ayo Oakey plays Melissa Kossler through and Kossler is ⁓ defense, keeps her touch, stays composed, ⁓ low finish, far one-nil Denver. And honestly, love this goal because it was so nonchalant. It was just a little, I'm just going to tap it in, ⁓ a little tap tap tap-a-roo. It was her second goal in two matches. The first time Denver has ever taken a lead in a game and that goal is just clinical. And going to say this now, Melissa Kossler, her nickname ⁓ is clinician. ⁓ She is with the way that she plays. She gets on the inside shoulder of the defender, keeps it out of reach, finds the side netting, genuinely a perfect finish, and she just made it look so easy. And here's the thing about Kossler that I keep coming back to. She came here from Germany. Nobody in this league had film on her, and she has been the most composed attacking player on this roster from minute one. She doesn't rush. She doesn't panic. She just plays. And for an expansion team figuring out so much on the fly, having that steadiness in the attacking third is invaluable. Denver goes into halftime up one nothing, but it wasn't a comfortable 45 minutes. Summer Yates hit the crossbar in the 32nd minute. Oval had a long range effort in the 42nd that Abby Smith had to dive for. And by the end of the night, Smith finished with 10 saves, a career high, and she also got save of the week for one of her incredible saves during the match. But I want you to think about that. Career high saves on the road against the 2024 champions. And then it comes to the second half. Seb Hines, who is the coach for the Pride, he made some changes. ⁓ And ⁓ the minute. ⁓ Oval who had already had a goal disallowed for an offside, which was a lot of a lot of people had thoughts about that offsides call, but she had a constant presence all game. She floats across in from the right wing, Banda rises and headers at home for her birthday. It was Banda's birthday, her actual birthday. Barbara Banda scored on her 26th birthday to level the match. Not happy about it, but I'm not going to pretend that's not a great soccer moment. She becomes the first pride player ever to score on her birthday, the 13th player in NWSL history to do it. mean, that's the sport. I just love storylines like that. But that was the final. The final score was 1-1. Now, here's where I push back on the easy narrative. The easy read is Denver drew away against a tough opponent. good result. We got the draw. We're an expansion team. We're patient. And sure, there's truth in that, Yeah, we take a point on the road against 2024 champs, but the way that they gave up that goal, that's what bothers me. Giving teams opportunities. That's exactly what happened. There was a looseness in that moment defensively and you there hardly any space that was needed. A little room, the left foot, the crosses in, and Banda who does ⁓ not a perfect service finishes it. Denver had the lead for 37 minutes. Giving it away ⁓ wasn't luck. It was a lapse that honestly, player a top-tier player like Banda, they're always going to punish you when you make those mistakes and Like I said, I don't want to just talk about the negatives they're the positives Kossler exceptional again Abby Smith with ten saves was the reason that this was a draw and not a loss Abby Smith has been phenomenal The the press created problems Denver held 49 % possession on the night nearly matching Orlando. That's not a team that's just trying to survive. The work that we have to do is holding leads, defending when the other team is really pushing. Because Saturday, Washington Spirit and Power Field at mile high, they're going to need to figure that out. OK, so that was on Friday. 1-1 in Orlando, one point and a lot of lessons. And then Wednesday happened. Wednesday, March 25th Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Denver lines up against Gotham FC. They are the defending NWSL champions from 2025. Katrin Berger and Goal, who finished last season with a goals against average under one. 11 clean sheets in 2025. She's not giving up a goal all season granted I know it's only the third match but she hadn't given up a goal and then Denver beats them 2-0. I'm gonna say that one more time Denver FC expansion team 11 days into their existence goes to New Jersey and beats the defending champions 2-0 clean sheet. Yeah I'm still smiling over it. All right, so Abby Smith was in goal back four of Pickett, Kurtz, Megan Reed, and Janine Sonis who returned after missing Orlando, whose presence you felt immediately. Devin Lynch and Delaney Sheehan as the double pivot, and then Tosh Flint, Euna McCormick, and Yasmine Ryan as the three behind Kossler And let's talk about Yasmine Ryan for a second. She just arrived from the Houston Dash, where she started all 24 matches last season. She knows this league. She's not coming in blind, but there's something interesting that happens when you've just arrived. You haven't done all the film sessions and the set piece reps yet. So you play with a little more freedom, a little less weight. You can just react. And against Gotham, that was exactly what we needed. So the first half is a battle. Denver's high press, two forwards constantly disrupting Gotham's buildup is creating real problems. Kossler McCormick who goes by just Yuna. So I'm gonna have to start getting used to just saying Yuna. So Kossler and Yuna both test Berger. She's making saves. There was one incredible opportunity where Kossler had a breakaway and all she had to do was finish and man, Berger made a great save. She's everything that her reputation says. But Denver's not backing down. Tosh Flint picks up a yellow card in the 26th minute. I'll talk about that a little bit more later. They go into halftime 0-0, but Denver has the better of it. The press is working, Gotham is not comfortable on the ball. After halftime, 58th minute, Yuna, rookie, playing her first NWSL season, plays a perfectly weighted ball through for Kossler and Kossler for the third time in three games finishes. Clean, composed, first goal Gotham has allowed all season. Think about that. Denver FC scores the first goal Berger has given up in 2026. And with it, Kossler becomes only the second player in NWSL history to score in each of a brand new franchise's first three. regular season games. The first was Rene Kohler in 2013, which was definitely company worth keeping. Now Gotham has to respond. They made some changes at halftime. They bring on Esther Gonzalez, Midge Purse, players who can change a game. They also had Rose Lavelle playing in the second half, but Lavelle was honestly pretty quiet for this game. Savannah McCaswell is looking for seams. Emily Sonnet, man, I felt like the broadcast was just saying her name over and over and over again. She is a threat at set pieces. Denver is under serious pressure. But you know what? You know who was there? Abby Smith, every single time. 73rd minute and this is the moment Tosh Flint who has been everywhere in this match I felt like this was a standout match for Tosh She's played in all of the games so far this season, but I feel like she we haven't really heard her name a ton But she was everywhere in this game against Gotham three shots on the night three tackles one Booked in the first half just relentlessly working And man, did she read a situation. Berger has the ball. Flint presses. And Allie Brazier was pressing from Berger's left side. Berger tries to play it out. And I don't think she saw Flint. I think that she felt the pressure from Brazier coming. But she didn't see Flint. And Flint picks her pocket. And she slots it home. First career NWSL goal. First time Denver has scored multiple goals in the match. forced by pressing from the goalkeeper against the defending champions. The broadcast said she was that she read the play before Berger even made the decision. And that's the thing. This wasn't random pressing. It was structured, patient. She understood what Berger was going to try. And she was already there. That is Nick Cushing's system working. We did have nine minutes of stoppage time in this match, which is a lot, and Gotham throws everything at it in this nine minutes. Denver holds, the back four holds, Abby Smith holds. We end up with that final of Denver two, Gotham zero. First ever clean sheet in franchise history. First ever win in franchise history against the defending champions. A few things beyond the scoreline worth highlighting. Janine Sonis she was back in this game. She capped in the side and played 90 minutes, finished with four crosses, two interceptions, and when Denver needed to keep the ball and relieve pressure, Sonis was composure itself. She is a six club NWSL veteran and she brought all of that experience into this lineup. Tosh Flint, her full game, people will remember that goal, obviously, but Flint had three shots, two on target, three tackles, won and an assist. She was the most active player Denver had on the pitch. Like I said, I felt like she was everywhere. Yuna, rookie, 78 minutes played, first career assist, the ball she played for Kossler was weighted right, timed right, split the defense. That is a player with real soccer IQ. And I mean, we have to talk about the clinician, Melissa Kossler. I'm going to keep saying that. That is her nickname. three goals in three matches, second player in NWSL history to score in all of the brand new franchises, first three games from Germany. Nobody has scouted her in this league. Is most dangerous attacking player Denver has on the field in every single minute of their existence and this is not a hot streak. This is who she is. So let's talk a little bit about Saturday. Washington spirit and power field at Mo High. Noon mountain time on CBS. Over 50,000 tickets sold. I mean this city I knew Denver would show up but 50,000 people for a brand new expansion teams first ever home game. that is not just support, that is a statement. So let's talk about what I expect to see on Saturday. And I actually want to start with the formation story because I think it's one of the most interesting things about how this team has developed over just three games. Formation first, and this is worth walking through properly because the shape has changed and it tells you something real about how Cushing is building this. Game one against Bay FC. Denver lines up in a 4-3-3, more aggressive, three across the midfield, real offensive talent, and then Janine Sonis gets ejected in the 25th minute, red card, down to 10 players, they lose 2-1. And now it's important to say that even with 10 players, Denver was in that game. Kossler scored, they were competitive, but playing down a person for 65 minutes in your first ever NWSL match is brutal. And I think Cushing looked at what happened offensively With that three man midfield, stretched thin and made a decision. Game two Orlando, he shifts to a four, two, three, one. Two holding midfielders now, a double pivot, protecting the back four, three attackers behind him, single striker, more structured, more defensively organized. Denver goes to Orlando, holds Barbara Banda and 23 shots to one goal and draws one, one. probably gets a point that they wouldn't have gotten with the original shape. And then game three, Gotham, same 4-2-3-1, same double pivot, same structure, and Denver beats the defending champions 2-0 with a clean sheet. So do I expect Cushing to change it for Saturday? No, absolutely not. He found something in that shift between the games of one and two, and it's working. The double pivot is the engine of the press. The three behind Kossler gives you the flexibility and the movement and is the part that I think is underrated. It protects the defense in a way that the 4-3-3 didn't. When Sonis sent off against Bay, there was no cushion. ⁓ The gives you that. have two players whole job it is to sit and protect and recycle. That is extremely important. here's how I think Saturday lines up. Abby Smith and goal, obviously. She's been playing out of her mind. She's been one of the best keepers in the league through three games. Back four, I expect to see Carson Pickett, Kaylee Kurtz and Megan Reed as the center back pairing. Janine Sonis at right back. This unit has been solid. Kurtz and Reed have been dependable. Sonis adds and distribution. Pickett's on that left side is real. I expect them to stick with that double pivot of Devin Lynch and Delaney Sheehan. And I want to talk about Lynch in a second because I've been getting questions about why we keep seeing her. And I think people need to understand what she's actually doing out there. ⁓ three behind Kossler, Tosh Flint, Yuna, ⁓ Yasmine Ryan. Same group as Gotham. I don't see any reason to break that up. They just beat the defending champions together. And then of course, Melissa Kossler up top alone. Just let her run and score goals. Now address some things because I think ⁓ seen questions and I have them too. Devin Lynch. keep this over on the forums. People keep asking why does a player who just came out of Duke start, why is she starting every game? And honestly, I want you to watch her play. She's played 265 minutes through three matches. In a double pivot role requires you to be everywhere, covering, pressing, recycling ⁓ possession, protecting the center backs. And she's doing it. She came out Duke, which is one of the most tactically sophisticated programs in college soccer, been pushing clearly trusts her positional discipline completely. The interesting question isn't why she's playing, it's why a rookie fits this system so well right out of the box. Lourdes Bosch, zero minutes, nothing. She's on the roster, healthy as far as we know, two-year contract signing and Cushing hasn't touched her. I genuinely don't have an answer to that. Something I'm watching. Allie Brazer, Colorado native, one of the four homegrown players on this roster. The crowd Saturday is going to want to see her. I was surprised that she wasn't starting against Gotham, but we looked really good out there. And think that right now ⁓ is fighting for her spot. Home opener in front of 50,000 people. I her getting some minutes. Off of the bench. I don't see her starting, which would be a shock because she's one of the big names. She's a first signing here in Denver. The Kari Garcia, Spanish international, signed through 2027. Seven minutes ⁓ of soccer so far she's absolutely should be on the field more. I suspect she's still integrating getting up to speed on the system. The press triggers the language of what Cushing is building. She is a player that I'm gonna be watching closely as the season develops. And then another player that we saw a lot in the preseason who was finishing and was making Cushing's decisions hard is Olivia Thomas. appeared ⁓ since. And Olivia Thomas is very fast, but you know, I think that she is going to come on for Kossler in some games later in the season. But right now, Kossler is just way too hot. Emma Reagan. She's played in 107 minutes across two games. She wasn't in the Gotham 11. Natalie Means. 40 minutes total. These players are contributing in training, but Cushing has settled on a core group pretty quickly. The depth chart is already forming. And the players who just aren't available right now, if you missed the news, Jasmine Akey, out for the season, confirmed last week, tore her ACL. That is a real blow because she is a very exciting young player. Jordan Baggett, she is on maternity leave. Lindsay Heaps, she doesn't join till June. Faith Weber is on loan to Tampa Bay, Sun FC through June. A lot of names people expected to see just aren't even in the building yet. Now, Washington spirit, let's talk about who's coming through that tunnel on Saturday. Washington right now is 0-1 and 2. They lost their home opener to Portland, drew Racing Louisville 2-2 after coming back from two goals down, and drew Utah 1-1 on Wednesday. They haven't won a game yet. And for a team that went to back-to-back NWSL Championship finals, that is a very uncomfortable, unfamiliar place to be. Of course, We all know this name, their danger player, Trinity Rodman. She's 23. She has 36 goals and 23 assists in five seasons with this club. She is, one of the highest paid players in NWSL. You have to know where she is at all times. The good news, Washington hasn't been finishing their chances. In their home opener against Portland, they took 13 shots with 62 % possession and had one shot on target. One. Yes, that is a team that is creating situations but not converting. Denver's defensive organization, which has been really good, can exploit that. Where I am concerned is they are going to come in desperate. A team with Washington's pedigree that is 0-1 and 2 to start the season. will see a first ever home opener in Denver as an opportunity to get their season. So while the results have been poor, I would not sleep on this Washington side. The matchup that I'm watching the most, Denver's high press against Trinity Rodman the counter. Because if Washington gets her the ball in space, she can run it Kurtz or pick it one on one. And that is ⁓ The press has been excellent. but it requires discipline. One lapse and Rodman's gone. One win, a draw, a loss. Denver Summit is not at the bottom of the NWSL table. We're right in the middle. And that's a real statement for an expansion club. And here's what I keep coming back to. Before the season, the consensus was be patient. Then we saw preseason. And I think all of us were little excited about the team that we were seeing in the preseason, that we knew they could finish. But I was still expecting growing pains. But this team is not playing like they need that grace. They went from a 4-3-3 that got exposed down to 10 to a formation that just held the defending champions to zero goals. They're pressing, they're scoring in every match, they're making NWSL history. That is not a team still figuring things out. That is a team that is figuring things out fast. But Saturday is different though. Saturday... is the home opener. 50,000 people, national TV, a nation is watching, and the Washington spirit desperately a result. Kossler in front of that crowd at altitude after scoring in three straight matches. I cannot wait to see what she does. If you're not going to the game, there's still tickets available. Let's sell out Empower Field. Let's sell out that game. There's going to be watch parties throughout Denver still, but you should be at that game. mean, if you have kids, talk about a core memory right here. It's going to be incredible seeing that stadium full of people cheering on women's soccer at altitude. All right, that is the 5280 pitch for this week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Leave me a review. It helps more than you know. Sign up for the newsletter. If you're on the newsletter, you get access to that special discount code for discounted merch. I've been seeing people rocking the hat around Denver, that 5280 pitch hat. And fun fact, I saw Kayleigh Kurtz in her Instagram stories rocking the 5280 pitch hoodie around on the road trip. So get your pitch merch, sign up for the newsletter, subscribe, leave a review, all the things. If you're going on Saturday, I'll see you there. Come find me. I will be there. ⁓ Getting my family excited for this women's soccer season. The Denver Summit are going to be a great team to watch. Jump on the Summit train now. They're more the merrier. All right, that is it for today's episode of the 5280 Pitch. Women's soccer at altitude. Let's go Summit and we'll see you next week.