America provided the birthday, and we hoped the Denver Summit would bring the fireworks.
Instead, Kansas City proved more lethal with their scoring opportunities, beating the Summit 3-0 in their first match back from break.
To say the Current out-classed Denver would be misguided; in fact, the Summit excelled in many of the fundamental aspects of the game for most of this match, including possession.
But in the final third, and certainly in front of goal, the Summit seemed bereft of answers.
"I can't do this very often," said Summit head coach Nick Cushing after the lopsided defeat. "I think this is possibly the second worst defeat of my managerial career. This is not good."
Cushing's sobering statement may seem at odds with his typically optimistic nature, but he understands these moments are crucibles for young teams - especially, expansion teams.
You either learn, or you perish.
"The one thing that is critical for everybody to understand is that performance is way below the level of this project," added Cushing. "It's one that we have to learn from, one that we have to fix, and as a staff I take responsibility for it."
"[We all know] that performance was well below our standard," added Summit captain Janine Sonis. "We're going to look back and see a lot of opportunity that we didn't take advantage of. We create a lot of our own problems, that is equally as frustrating as it is an opportunity. [We need to] clean small, technical errors up and get back to work because we know the next challenge is coming and it's coming fast."
Michelle Cooper's goal in the 35th minute proved to be the game-winner, but the negative result shouldn't overshadow the monumental nature of this night.
If air can crackle, the atmosphere was absolutely sizzling with anticipation around DICK'S Sporting Goods Park hours before kickoff. A lot of that can be attributed to excitement for the Summit's return to action, but as a black-clad figure roamed the pitch there was also an unavoidable hint of hope.
Like the Summit's climb was truly just beginning.
Lindsey Heaps smiled and waved from the field as she checked in with the NWSL broadcast before being ferried away — the whirlwind exhaustion surely created by her last few days of travel and introductions making no headway against the unadulterated joy of being home.
Finally, home.
"Everything they've done for an expansion team is incredible," Heaps told the NWSL broadcast crew. "They're doing everything the right way. I hope I can bring experience, leadership, and help the team improve. Whatever I can add, and I'll do everything I possibly can to put us in that playoff picture and make this even more of a winning club."
Heaps, of course, didn't feature in the Summit's match against Kansas City. She did however join their next training session on Saturday at the CommonSpirit Performance Center.
From there, the expectation is that Heaps will make her match debut when the Summit open up Centennial Stadium against her former team, the Portland Thorns, on July 18th.
But merely having Heaps in the building signaled something big for this franchise. The opening of their full-time, purpose-built training center in the shadow of their soon-to-be temporary home stadium — paired with the arrival of their prodigal daughter — made the Denver Summit Football Club feel, for the first time, whole.
Complete.
Head coach Nick Cushing said leading up to their match with the Current to expect changes to his starting XI, and he wasn't lying.
In addition to starting Colorado native Ally Brazier for the first time this season, Cushing also elected to re-insert Carson Pickett and Emma Regan into the group at the expense of Delanie Sheehan and Yuzuki Yamamoto. Part of the shake up was due to Tash Flint missing her second straight match due to a torso injury.
The result was Brazier and Sonis flanking Melissa Kössler on Denver's front line, Yazmeen Ryan playing as a sort of roaming attacking midfielder similar to Flint, Regan and Devin Lynch holding down the midfield, and Pickett returning to her natural home of left fullback.
A quarter of an hour of gametime passed in the blink of an eye, both squads feeling each other out like boxers attempting to size up their opponents. An errant back-pass nearly doomed Denver, while on the other end Sonis linked up with Kössler for an attempt on frame that was saved by Current keeper Marisa Jordan.
In the 28th minute, the Summit confronted Temwa Chawinga for the first time, and the reigning NWSL golden boot winner nearly got the better of them. If not for tremendous positioning and bravery by Abby Smith, followed up by veteran savvy by Kaleigh Kurtz, Chawinga would have given the Current a 1-0 lead. Instead, the score remained deadlocked at zeroes.
And we'd head to a Hydration Break. No word of a lie. Seems like everybody has World Cup fever these days.
Clearly KC re-fueled with some of Michael's Secret Stuff, because Michelle Cooper found herself in on goal shortly after play resumed and she struck home for the first goal of the match.
Mere moments later, Eva Gaetino pulled down Temwa Chawinga on a run in Denver's box, earning a yellow card and setting Kansas City up with a penalty kick. Things were going bad to worse, but Lo'eau LaBonta drove her spot kick up and over the frame of Smith's net, eliciting, at that point, the loudest cheer from the crowd at DSGP we'd heard all night.
Cushing went to his bench to start the second half, bringing on Sheehan and Yamamoto in place of Regan and Pickett, allowing the captain Sonis to move back to her more natural defensive position.
As it so often does at DSGP, the weather became a factor in the second half. The heavens opened up in the 56th minute and rain began to pummel a pitch that already looked patchier than Carl's Enchanted Anarchist's Battle Rattle vest.
The deluge was short-lived, but the Summit found no purchase in the freshly watered lawn.
Denver will have another extended break before their next match, when they host the Houston Dash at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park on July 12. Heaps is expected to train with the club but will not play until she's eligible, after the NWSL transfer window opens on July 14.
July 2026
August 2026
September 2026
October 2026
November 2026
** game played at DICK's Sporting Goods Park
other home matches scheduled to be played at Centennial Stadium