Nick Cushing Signals Lineup Changes: Denver Summit FC vs Houston Dash Preview

Katie: Well, at the same time, it's a learning experience. It's once again like we are a team that is learning and growing and we're really digging in. And so those opportunities happen and unfortunately it happened against us, but it doesn't mean that we're hanging our head low. Like we take it, we move on and once again it's in the past so we don't like forget the past. We're learning from it and we look forward. the reality is I have to change the team. ⁓ That's fact because if I don't change the team after two losses, we concede six goals. ⁓ And got no chance of getting in the team. So ⁓ the that haven't had minutes have put me under pressure. ⁓ And that's what they should do. You know, they have to train at the level that ⁓ puts in contention and then ⁓ after them the opportunity. So ⁓ there been many players this week and we will definitely give ⁓ some that haven't had an opportunity the chance to stake their claim to get a run in the team.

Kate Hanson: That's Nick Cushing, yesterday, after practice. Welcome back to the 5280 pitch Women's Soccer at Altitude. I'm Kate Hanson and I went to practice yesterday, expecting to ask some tactical questions about Saturday, and walk away with a couple usable clips for this preview episode. between the summit and the dash, I did not expect that quote. So,

Katie: what happened in Boston and San Diego ⁓ ⁓ Painful ⁓ and unacceptable ⁓ in the way we see the game me and team ⁓ You'd much rather happen in than in So ⁓ is the way that I see it now if it's still happening October, we're just not a good team ⁓ but I know that we are and Be more spatially aware of where people are and ⁓ if anyone's running off the back shoulder, communicate a little bit better so that we don't put ourselves in those situations. ⁓ And then the last goal, think I could have just booted it and cleared it out of bounds ⁓ instead of just trying to block it, really swing my leg through it. So each person kind of takes a little piece of the puzzle and ⁓ luckily it's fun that we're in a team sport because it doesn't all fall on one person. There's little puzzle pieces of how breakdowns happen.

Kate Hanson: I had to come home and I had to redo my entire outline and the storylines because I was planning on doing a full reunion type of story ⁓ episode between Yaz and Delaney and Abby coming back to Houston for the first time since being traded. yeah, that changed everything that quote because that's our head coach on the record telling a room full of reporters

Katie: learning your little puzzle piece and then how can you translate that to the next game so that it doesn't happen again. just said to the team there, is the highest level of the game. You can't get any higher. You can change countries and change leagues, you can't go any higher than the highest level. And this is NWSL, so ⁓ it's meant to be difficult. we watched the most recent game and we've watched some of their games. ⁓ They ⁓ are a completely different team ⁓ when we were there last year and. ⁓ as any team is, are making changes with the growth of our league and they are a team that just works really hard and they're going to try and press from the get-go and so I think that's something that we know and we're prepared to face.

Kate Hanson: that the team that's walking out for the Houston match on Saturday is not gonna look like the same team that we've been watching this season. And honestly, I've been turning that quote over in my head ever since. Am I reading too much into things? Because there's a version of that statement that's panic, and then there's a version of that statement that's clarity. We are a young team. We have a lot of great young talent on the roster. I think it is a clarity statement. So today, I wanna talk about Cushing, what he actually said, what that means. The Houston team that we are playing on Saturday, which by the way, looks very different than it did three weeks ago, where Denver wins this match. The reunion, I wanna talk. about something fun that I think that I'm gonna do for the rest of these preview episodes. So stick with me because I think it's gonna be a lot of fun and I'd like all of you listeners to join in and contribute to this fun section that I'm gonna be incorporating. Because I mean, it's more fun when we all get to do this together. I'm sitting alone here talking to you guys, but if I can hear from you and we can all chime in on these episodes, I think it'd be a lot more fun. stick with me until the end for the fun stuff. But I want to start with the lineup change. Because that quote is the headline. Cushing said, and I'm paraphrasing it here, the part that you didn't hear in the cold open. that the players who haven't been getting minutes have put him under pressure in training. That's how he framed it. They put him under pressure, which is the version of they earned it, quote unquote. And I think it's that actually. It's not him being generous. It's not him panicking about two late losses. It's the that this team has. So who up on Saturday? I don't know. He didn't name names. We'll see at lineup release, which I promise, follow me on the socials. I put it out there the second that I see it. But here's the part that got me. In the same press conference just a few minutes earlier, he said this. you'd much rather it happen in April than October. Boy, isn't that true. Both of those things are true at the same time. The long view and also changing up the team. That is a coach asking the fan base and reporters for patience while telling his players that patience has a deadline. And I think that I think it's the right move. I think it's the only move, actually, Because if you only do one of those things, the other one falls apart. You can't ask fans to stay patient if the team you're putting out there is the same team that just lost two leads. And you can't change the team out of panic without a frame for what you're building. So both, at the same time, that's what I took away from our presser with him yesterday. And we had the opportunity to talk about who we are playing. here's who Denver is. This is. this is where it gets really interesting. The Houston Dash, they have three wins, three losses, and one draw. They're in seventh place. They have 10 points. And if you'd ask me to break down this team three weeks ago, or maybe just on Tuesday when I drafted my original outline for today's episode, I had a lot on Kiki Van Zanten because she has four goals on the season, all four of them at home. and she was named to the April Best 11. She's been a difference for this team. But then Wednesday happened, so the Dash just played on Wednesday against Utah, and she pulled up short. Looks like a hamstring injury, but she's gonna be out for Saturday's match, which changes everything. They have Cat Raider on the right and Olivia Thomas's former teammate, Kate Fosse, leading the line through the middle. Fosse is just back from an ankle injury. Saturday will be her fourth match back and probably Clarissa Lurasey or Messiah Bright on the left, none of whom have been the goal scorer this season. So the front three you saw on the highlight clips a month ago for the dash. is not the front three walking out on Saturday. The Houston attack that you have to plan for is, honestly, I'm not sure what it is. their own defender Malaya Berkley said publicly last week after the Seattle draw that the rotations in the movement that made the offense dangerous have been disappearing. Her exact quote was, maybe we've lost a little bit of that, end quote. And that was with Vanzantin available. Now, Houston is still going to be hard. Their defense is real. They have a very solid back four. Avery Patterson, US Women's National team member, she's on the Houston dash. Three of their back four are tracking Iron Woman seasons. Which you know, means every minute of every match. Their goalkeeper, Jane Campbell, is two appearances away. from being the first goalkeeper in NWSL history to reach 200 career appearances with a single club, which is pretty darn awesome. So what I'm saying here with Houston is they're tight, they're organized, they're not gonna be shifting and changing up that back four unless something drastic happens. Going into this past Wednesday's match, they had only conceded six goals across seven matches, which was the best in the league. Then Utah hung two on them, outshot them 10 to nothing in the first half. So even the defense has cracks. But here's the read that I want all of you to be aware of for this match on Saturday. Houston without Van Zanten is the most beatable version of Houston that we will see this season. They have to score and the player who was scoring is not on the field. Yes, they will absolutely defend hard. They'll grind. They'll make us earn a win. at home with three matches without a win, ⁓ leading scorer out against a team that just paid them $1 million for two of their players. Yeah, I'm talking about Yaz and Delaney. That's a Houston side that needs Saturday more than we do. So three things that we need to do well on Saturday. One, play the ball behind their back line. That is how Utah scored on them on Wednesday. I guarantee you that the Summit is watching tape from Wednesday ⁓ and taking notes. Both the goals came as through balls into the channels. Houston's defenders are good in front of them good in the air. They're less good when they have to turn and run. Carson Pickett, if she plays, I don't know who that starting 11 is gonna be, but Pickett, if she can put a service ball through traffic anywhere, we have Tosh Flint, we Yaz Ryan making runs. The combinations are there. Two, use the wide channels. centrally, but their fullbacks push high. If we get into transition moments, that's where we hurt them. Three, the first 10 minutes, Houston is gonna come out fast at home. It is empowering women's night and they are bringing out a lot of women who are changing the game. Cheryl Swoops will be there. Numerous sports executives are gonna have a panel featuring top women from every major Houston franchise there. President of the FIFA World Cup 26. I mean, ⁓ it's to be a very inspiring night, lots of fans in attendance. Denver need a goal early to settle that building. ⁓ If can absorb that energy and get to halftime even or ahead, which would be better, I'd prefer we get to halftime ahead, we're in really good shape. The Houston that we have seen the last three matches has not finished games well. And I know that that is the... ⁓ calling the kettle black. ⁓ But Houston is in the same boat. Of course, the thing I keep coming back to, we have to actually hold the lead this time. I asked Kayleigh Kurtz about that yesterday after practice. What you do differently when you're defending a lead late. I think I could have just booted it. That's our center back, our iron woman on the record, ⁓ naming the exact moment. And that's, I want everybody to that because that's rare. Most players give you the diplomatic version of accountability. Kurtz gave us the technical version and honestly, ⁓ that's what gives me confidence in this team. The film has been watched. The fix has been identified. Ownership is being taken by every single player on this team. now a question of execution on Saturday. Three of our players on Saturday are walking back into Houston on the side. We have Yaz Ryan ⁓ and Delaney They came over in the biggest cash trade in NWSL history. What I think is awesome about these two players is that they both publicly prefer to be traded to Denver. They're both originally from Gotham FC. They won the 2023 NWSL championship together, then went to Houston as a duo before coming to Denver. And of course, our keeper, Abby Smith. I love the Abby Smith story because She saw this moment as an opportunity to come to the expansion team and she said, I'm not gonna be in the shadows anymore. And she is making it really hard for the coaching staff to do any sort of keep or switch. she has had a very different journey to get to Denver. She was in Houston, didn't get a lot of appearances. mean, the... Abby's story and the games that she is putting up for us as a keeper are really something to admire and be excited about for not only the Denver Summit and us as fans, but for her to get her time to shine. I asked Abby about what she's seen from her old team this season. She's doing the work, y'all. She said they're going to try and press from the get-goal. That is a goalkeeper who used to wear that jersey telling her own back line what's coming. That's also the first story that we just talked about. Houston is going to come at us. They're desperate for that win. The fact that they started so hot and now they're kind of going this way, going down the table. They're hungry. Smith knows it and on Saturday three players who used to be on the dash are now playing against them. ⁓ Motivation. not going to be a question. They want to show. ⁓ the dash that they made the right decision to come to Denver. Okay, I wanna talk about something fun for just a little bit because... I feel like I've been getting way too tactical with a lot of these and if we all have fun on this show then what are we doing here? So let's have some fun. And I'm not talking about doing the wave at a game. That's a whole separate episode and my feelings toward the wave. What we're gonna talk about is mascots. So I thought it would be fun if we talked about if Denver had a mascot, what would it be? And please send me your thoughts on what mascot the Denver Summit should have. But Denver doesn't have a mascot. Neither does Houston, which means... It's just me, I get to invent one for each team on Saturday. And then they fight. So, this week I am choosing the mascot of the Denver Yeti. Specifically, a Yeti in altitude gear. Thinkin' Patagonia puffer, smart wool socks, Stanley Cup of cold brew, calm, steady, And you might say, well, why a Yeti? Well, because Denver's identity has been endurance, the defense that won't let you breathe, the goalkeeper who won't let you score. Yetis don't panic. They just are. And then Houston, I'm picking the armadillo. I know. You might be saying like, ⁓ why wouldn't you choose like a horse or something for them being cowboys in Texas? But no, They had only conceded six goals all season all season before Wednesday. They go after you when pressure comes and they bite you in the ankle. That's armadillo behaviors. Plus armadillos are weirdly fast, defensive, unbothered. They headbutt coyotes and they are the unofficial state animal of Texas. So Yeti versus the armadillo. tell me what would think. What would your mascots be for this game? Hit me on Instagram at 5280pitch. Tell me what mascot you think Saturday's summit should be. And I'll try and work some of these in ⁓ to all the episodes on who the mascots are for each game and who would win. I am picking, obviously, the Yeti to win this match against the Armadillo. I see it going late, being decided late on who is going to be coming out with that victory in the matchup. three things to watch on Saturday. I hope you liked that little segment. I hope that was fun. If you didn't like it, again, just tell me. Send me ⁓ over on Instagram. Let me know. ⁓ I thought it would be fun to imagine ⁓ these teams, mascots, would be and who would win. ⁓ right, so three things to watch on Saturday. The lineup release, obviously. Cushing told you it is going to be different. That is something that we're all going to be watching for, seeing if there's earlier subs, who that starting 11 is. We're going to also be watching for that first goal. If Houston gets it, they will sit back and counter. If we get it, the building turns nervous and they have to chase. And chasing is exactly what they have not been good at. And the late game, the 85th minute. We know what that's been. ⁓ We know what we have to do. I want to leave you with something that Kayleigh Kurtz said yesterday because Kurtz has been in this league since 2018. And I asked her if a brand new team has to go through these moments to actually become something. It's meant to be difficult. Saturday, May 9th, 6 PM, NWSL Plus and the spot number three. Don't miss this game. And I know it's going to be a big sports night here in Denver because the Avs are also playing, ⁓ get two TVs gone. My, friends, Dan and I love going to their house because they have like three TVs down by their couch and all of them are on different sports channels. So absolutely love that. But find it, find a sports bar to go to, go to DNVR bar, head to the 99ers, find a spot in it. ⁓ One of the great things about being a part of the 14ers support supporters group is that they have a lot of watch parties. They share out where that you can watch the game. if you want to go to a sports bar, catch both games at the same time, there's a number of spots that you can go to watch the game. But I highly recommend that you check the 14ers page first because you don't want to make the same mistake I did. and just assume that since everybody watches women's sports, that the sports bar you go to will turn the game on for you. I made that mistake once and I was very unhappy. ⁓ I don't want to name names, but if it gets to that point again and I go there and they won't turn the game on, I will name names. I This team wants to win. This team knows that they're capable of winning. Obviously, we're scoring goals. Now we just need to hang on to those leads. There's going to be lineup changes before this game on Saturday. I think that, you know, I said last week when I did my pregame, my live pregame show at DNVR bar that Yaz Ryan was going to find her stride. She's been having the looks. I think that she gets another one Houston against her former team. I see Yaz Ryan getting on the score sheet. I don't know who else to say is going to score because I feel like she's definitely going to be starting. I don't know if it's gonna be Cussler or if it's going to be Olivia Thomas that's starting, or if we see Thomas come on earlier. There's a lot of things with that Nick Cushing quote that predictions kind of be up in the air because I don't know who we should be keeping an eye on because I don't know who's gonna be playing. We're gonna see lineup changes. I think it's good. I think it's perfect timing for us to see some lineup changes. Who knows how long? we'll see this new lineup play. But I think shaking things up and seeing the depth that this team has, this is a perfect game for it. Why not And no live pregame tomorrow because of all the craziness with the Denver sports bar scene ⁓ with the avalanche plane just an hour after the summit. It's going to be crazy. So no live pregame show tomorrow, but for all away matches, I will be doing live pregame shows, announcing the starting 11. I'll be diving into what we can watch for in the match, what the injury reports say and doing my predictions for the game on who will win the game. And I try not to be too much of a homer on it. I definitely did not see a 3-2 loss with the Boston Legacy. I thought we were going to get a 3-0 win. tell me your favorite mascot choices for some of the upcoming matches ⁓ and I'll be sure to and include in upcoming episodes. If you're not following on the socials yet, well, what are you waiting for? Head on over to Instagram ⁓ or to threads at 5280pitch. Sign up the newsletter, folks. I just dropped another secret merch ⁓ item ⁓ and... They're been really fun. So they're going to be released to the rest on the socials and on the website shortly. But for now, it's only for newsletter subscribers. you want some Denver Summit ⁓ gear from the 5280 pitch, be sure to check us out at ⁓ under the merch. But again, sign up for the newsletter. That's where all of the most exciting things happen and get announced first And folks, stay strong. I want to leave you with this quote from Abby Smith. It's true. We're a team that's learning and growing. And as fans, we're learning and growing right along with them. If this is your first time checking out the 5280 pitch, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and there's plenty of room on the summit train. Hop aboard. Can't wait keep on riding to the top with all of you. we'll see you week. ⁓ Be sure to in 6 p.m. to watch your Denver Summit take on the Houston Dash. I'm Kate Hanson. This has been the 5280 pitch Women's Soccer at Altitude.