The 5280 Pitch - Denver Summit FC Podcast

What Broke vs. Kansas City and the Houston Preview

Denver Summit FC had 56% of the ball, out-passed the Kansas City Current, and still lost 3-0 at home. So how does that happen — and why does it keep happening at DICK'S? This week on The 5280 Pitch, we get honest about Friday. The nervous possession game. A high line that got picked apart. All three goals off Denver's own giveaways, and a Kansas City side that never needed the ball to beat us. We break down what Nick Cushing called possibly the second-worst defeat of his managerial career — and the one performance that deserved better, with Abby Smith taking home Player of the Match in a game Denver lost by three. Plus what Cushing and captain Janine Sonis said when the excuses were right there for the taking, and nobody reached for them. Then we look ahead to Sunday — the Houston Dash, and the final match at DICK'S before Centennial Stadium opens. Why it's the perfect bounce-back spot, the number that's haunted this team at home all season, and why Kiki Van Zanten's return means it's no walk in the park. New episodes every Tuesday. Newsletter: The 5280 Weekly at 5280pitch.com [http://5280pitch.com] Follow: @5280pitch on Instagram and Threads Merch: 5280-pitch-shop.fourthwall.com [http://5280-pitch-shop.fourthwall.com] Women's soccer at altitude.

Denver Summit FC Is Back: New Facility & Kansas City Preview (BONUS)

Denver Summit FC just opened a NWSL facility that wasn't borrowed, wasn't adapted from a men's team — it was designed, from the studs out, for women. And once you hear what that actually meant in the design, you can't unhear it. Ten years ago, captain Janine Sonis was a rookie in Houston, parking on the street and handing her kit to an equipment manager she never saw wash it. This week she walked into a building with a cryotherapy chamber, a dry float tank, red-light therapy, and a first-team locker room built to the same standard as the Broncos, the Rockies, the Avs, and the Nuggets. Same standard. Not close to. That's the jump. That's the story. I talked to the people who built it and the people who'll live in it — Populus lead architect Valerie, club President Jen Millay, head coach Nick Cushing, and veterans Sonis and Kaleigh Kurtz — about what "designed for women" really means, and why Kurtz says this place might change how long she plays. Then the restart. Five weeks off. Kansas City up next — a team in real disarray, but one still carrying two-time MVP Temwa Chawinga. Cushing has beaten Chris Armas before; Kurtz has to deal with Chawinga now. And Lindsey Heaps is close. I break it all down and give you my prediction. New here? Follow the show and dig into the rest of the coverage. The 5280 Weekly newsletter and full archive — 5280pitch.com [http://5280pitch.com] @5280pitch on Instagram & Threads Merch — 5280-pitch-shop.fourthwall.com [http://5280-pitch-shop.fourthwall.com] Denver Summit FC. NWSL. Women's soccer at altitude.

What Is a Supporters Group, Actually? The 14ers Explain

Denver Summit FC's biggest supporters explain what a supporters group actually is — and why you should be one. Kate sits down with Megan and Emily, president and community liaison of the 14ers, Denver Summit FC's official supporters group, to break down what separates showing up to a match from actually being part of one. They get into the origin story — starting before the team even existed, back when it was just a bid — and how the group grew from a handful of volunteers into tailgates that have drawn thousands of fans across just three home games. Megan and Emily walk through what a TIFO is and how one comes together by hand, the role a supporters section and the Spirit crew play in the in-game atmosphere, and the surprising amount of mentorship Rapids supporters group Centennial 38 has provided along the way. They also dig into the social-justice roots of supporters culture more broadly, why supporters groups exist in soccer in a way they don't in other American sports, and what's ahead for the 14ers this summer, including Fourteeners Fest. If you've ever wondered who's leading the chants or painting the giant banners at a Summit game — or you've never been to a soccer match in your life — this is the episode that explains it all. Find the 14ers at 14ersupporters.com [http://14ersupporters.com] or on Instagram, and catch all the latest Denver Summit FC coverage at 5280pitch.com [http://5280pitch.com] — sign up for The 5280 Weekly newsletter to get it straight to your inbox. You can also find us on Instagram and Threads @5280pitch.

Natalie Means on Her First NWSL Start, Marta, and Denver Summit FC's Playoff Push

Natalie Means graduated from Georgetown and played professional soccer on the same day — and Denver Summit won. She's back on The 5280 Pitch for her second appearance this season, and a lot has changed since we first talked. Natalie went from coming off the bench to earning three straight starts. She's played left winger, left fullback, and utility roles all over the pitch. And she's had a moment standing next to Marta on a kickoff — fully aware of exactly where she was. In this episode, Kate and Natalie dig into what's actually happening inside the locker room at the midseason break: why this team genuinely believes they should be sitting higher in the table, what the expected goals data says about Denver's trajectory, and what Lindsey Heaps' arrival means for the second two-thirds of the season. What we cover: ⚽ How Natalie found out she was starting her first NWSL game — and what that rain delay in Houston felt like ⚽ The graduation weekend she'll never forget: missing the Georgetown ceremony but winning at home with one of her best friends on the opposing team ⚽ Why Denver's xG numbers tell a completely different story than the standings ⚽ What veterans on the team do differently — and what Natalie has started copying ⚽ The Marta pinch-me moment, the new training facility, and the locker room energy around Lindsey Heaps ⚽ Why the "expansion team" label is dead in that locker room 🎙 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jiBAbW0QXepwdqK0qhaaF [https://open.spotify.com/show/6jiBAbW0QXepwdqK0qhaaF] 🎙 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-5280-pitch-denver-summit-fc-podcast/id1859060272 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-5280-pitch-denver-summit-fc-podcast/id1859060272] 📬 Get The 5280 Weekly newsletter → 5280pitch.com [http://5280pitch.com] 🛍 Merch → 5280-pitch-shop.fourthwall.com [http://5280-pitch-shop.fourthwall.com] Follow us: @5280pitch on Instagram and Threads #NWSL #DenverSummitFC #WomensSoccer #ColoradoSoccer #NatalieMeans #5280Pitch

"We Don't Consider Ourselves an Expansion Team" — Devin Lynch on Denver Summit FC

"We don't consider ourselves an expansion team anymore." That's Denver Summit FC rookie Devin Lynch, eleven games into her first NWSL season — and she's not just talking, she's backing it up. Devin leads every Summit rookie in minutes played, and Kate sits down with her for a real check-in on how the season has actually gone since their preseason chat. The transformation has been wild. Devin opens up about the shift from box-to-box midfielder at Duke to her new role as a defensive midfielder, sitting just in front of the back line — and what it's been like learning that position at the NWSL level with veterans like Janine Sonis, Carson Pickett, and Abby Smith checking in on her constantly. We get into the moments that didn't make the broadcast — the slide tackles she swore she'd never do, the Houston blowout, and that one second-half sprint up the pitch where we got to see Devin have more than a single touch on the ball. Plus: her excitement for Lindsey Heaps joining the midfield in July, and a very important Beau Jo's Pizza debrief from her Idaho Springs trip. Follow the show and Denver Summit FC all season long. Subscribe to The 5280 Weekly newsletter, grab 5280 Pitch discounted merch with code SUMMIT10, and follow @5280pitch on Instagram and Threads for more women's soccer at altitude.