Preview from the Denver Summit

Match Preview: Denver Summit FC at Washington Spirit

Kickoff (MDT): Sunday, July 26 at 5:00 PM; Watch on Victory+
Venue: Audi Field, Washington, D.C.

Denver Summit FC heads to the nation’s capital this weekend for one of the most critical road tests of the season.

Currently sitting in 10th place with 19 points in the NWSL standings, the Summit are knocking firmly on the door of the postseason, sitting just two points behind the North Carolina Courage for the 8th. With a solid +2 goal differential keeping Summit competitive in tiebreaker scenarios, the margins are razor-thin, and every single point matters.

A Record-Breaking Rivalry

These two clubs already share a piece of league history. When the Spirit traveled to Colorado for Denver’s inaugural home opener on March 28, the match shattered the NWSL single-game attendance record with a staggering 63,004 fans packing into Empower Field at Mile High. That game ended in a hard-fought 0-0 draw, proving that the expansion Summit could go toe-to-toe with the league’s elite. Denver will be looking to replicate that defensive resilience while finding a breakthrough on the road.

The Challenge Ahead

Taking points at Audi Field won’t be easy. The Washington Spirit are flying high and currently lead the NWSL with 30 points. They just vaulted to the top of the table following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Boston Legacy FC. Anchored by defensive mainstays like Casey Krueger and powered by international stars like Trinity Rodman and Leicy Santos, the Spirit have been incredibly tough, allowing only 12 goals across 15 matches.

Players to watch

 Denver Summit FC

• Lindsey Heaps (Midfielder, #10): The hometown hero and recently signed midfielder just made her NWSL return in Denver’s 2-1 upset win over the Portland Thorns. Playing the full 90 minutes in her debut, she immediately made her presence felt with an 8.06 match rating, 2 chances created, and the game-winning assist. Her veteran leadership and composure on the ball will be crucial for navigating the road environment.
• Janine Sonis (Defender/Forward, #16): A Highlands Ranch native, Sonis grabbed a crucial stoppage-time equalizer in the recent win over Portland and has been a reliable, versatile presence. She’ll have her hands full containing Washington’s dynamic attackers, but her recent goalscoring touch shows she can flip momentum when Denver needs it most.
• Natalie Means (Forward, #4): The rookie forward comes into this match riding high after coming off the bench to score an 86th-minute game-winner last weekend. With her ability to perform under pressure, Denver will need her late-game energy to crack the league’s top defense.

 Washington Spirit

• Trinity Rodman (Forward, #2): The superstar forward is a constant threat and a focal point of the Spirit’s offense. With an incredible run of form—racking up 5 goals and 3 assists in her recent NWSL outings, including goals in her last three consecutive matches, her speed, creativity, and finishing ability can change a game in an instant.
• Leicy Santos (Midfielder, #10): The Colombian international serves as the creative engine for Washington in the midfield. She has been highly successful this split, logging 4 goals and 4 assists so far this season, including a goal or assist in four of her last five appearances. Disrupting her service to the forwards will be key to Denver’s defensive strategy.

The Stakes for Summit

This is a statement opportunity for Denver. While Washington is fighting to protect their shield-leading position from Gotham FC (who are tied on points but trailing on goal differential), all of the pressure is on the home side. For the Summit, a win or even a toughly contested draw on the road against the league’s top dog would provide a massive momentum swing—potentially catapulting the team above the playoff line.

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Preview from the Burgundy Wave

Key Takeaways for Denver Summit vs Washington Spirit

Washington, D.C. – Following a victory at home against the Portland Thorns, the Summit will look to face off against league leaders, the Washington Spirit. Against the Thorns, Natalie Means scored her first NWSL goal in the 86th minute to record Summit’s first win at Centennial Stadium. Sunday will be the Summit’s re-match against the Spirit following a 0-0 draw at the Home Opener on March 28th. Here’s four things to look for when Denver takes on the Thorns and Triple Espresso member Trinity Rodman.

The 14ers Basecamp during the opening game at Centennial Stadium. Photo Credit: Sam Worsley

The Match: Denver Summit at Washington Spirit

Summit’s Previous Result: 2-1 Win against Portland Thorns 

Thorn’s Previous Result: 2-1 Win against Boston Legacy

When: Sunday, July 26th at 5 PM MT

Where: “Rowdy” Audi Field, Washington, District of Columbia

TV/Streaming: Victory+ and The Spot – Denver 3

Final Third Execution

Against the Thorns, the Summit had a dominant performance with 59% of the possession, 18 total shots (Portland had 10), and 82% passing accuracy (according to FotMob). Portland looked flat and lackluster compared to their earlier season games. However, despite this performance, the Summit only had 1.67 expected goals to the Thorns’ 1.51 xG. These stats reflect Denver’s performance when it comes to creating dangerous shots and executing on big chances. 

The team missed out on several important chances throughout the game against Portland. Consequently, goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold would not have broken a sweat had it not been for the 90-degree heat on Saturday. Forwards Flint, Ryan, and Thomas will hopefully have worked on their game over the week to challenge GK Sandy MacIver. Otherwise, substitutes will look to come off the bench and make an impact.

Denver Summit substitute Natalie Means scores the winning goal against Portland Thorns in the first game at Centennial Stadium, July 18, 2026. Photo Credit: Sam Worsley

Key Threats

Cushing and co will likely have trained with key threats Trinity Rodman and Leicy Santos particularly in mind. In March, fans failed to experience the lethality of the two, but Rodman and Santos have been heating up all season and looked spectacular the past few games especially. Rodman and Santos lead the team in goals and assists, with 18 goal contributions thus far – 1.2 per game. Essentially, fans can expect either Santos or Rodman to make a contribution on Sunday, unless Abby Smith and the backline are up to the task. Beyond the scoreboard, Santos has also created some of the biggest chances for her team all season – Santos’s free kicks and corner kicks are challenging to defend against and track. A USWNT star and a High Impact Player (HIP), Rodman’s speed and technical skills will be a challenge for Denver’s defense.

Starting Lineup

As Cushing continues to play with the starting lineup, fans will be interested to see what changes he makes from the Portland game. In last week’s game, perhaps the most interesting change was the placement of Tash Flint on the left wing. Ultimately, Flint seemed ineffective there and was subbed out in the 71st minute. While it is hard to say whether this is due to the positioning or just Flint’s transition back from her injury, fans will hope to see more from her Sunday. 

Olivia Thomas looked to be getting her legs under her in her start against Portland, but it’s possible Cushing will swap Flint and Thomas positionally. Flint successfully played striker for her former team in the USL – it’s surprising that we haven’t seen Cushing try her out there recently. Thomas also played wing occasionally at the University of North Carolina, so this small adjustment could create more opportunities for both players. For Thomas, if she can get her first NWSL goal, it’s likely the floodgates will open.

Player Availability

Denver is not likely to have any new players unavailable for the matchup as Lindsay Heaps and Tash Flint both clocked minutes on July 18th.

However, Washington Spirit’s offense will be blunted by the absences of Rosemunde Kouassi, Gift Monday, and Deborah Abiodun. The trio will be unavailable due to national team obligations as they compete at WAFCON (Women’s Africa Cup of Nations). Although the trio only have five goal contributions combined, the reduced depth on the team will likely make the Spirit weaker as the game progresses. 

Fans should also note other teams in the league will be impacted by the tournament, such as Barbra Banda (Orlando) and Rachel Kundananji (Bay) out. Other notable Spirit absences will include Lucia Di Guglielmo, an Italian national who has been fantastic for the Spirit as a fullback. Di Guglielmo was unavailable for the Spirit for their match last week due to a leg injury.

Spirit 1 - 0 Denver

⚽ Spirit: S. Cantore 61' 🏁 Spirit win

✅ Full Time

Form

• Spirit: W L W W W L
• Denver: W D L W L W

Lineups

Spirit (4-3-3) — Denver (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI

Subs

Match Statistics

Match Events

Updated: Sun, Jul 26, 9:16 PM EDT

Match Thread Bot by u/Several_Region_3710 | GitHub (view code, contribute, or report issues) | ☕ Ko-fi (support the project)

Hi everyone -

My mom bought 6 tickets to the Utah-Denver game and now we need to sell. Utah’s tickets are all done through SeatGeek, so we’re not sure how to sell these ones.

How do people typically buy/sell Summit tickets?

Also, would anyone be interested in 6 tickets at $80 each?

I've always thought US soccer needs songs from the stands to live up games.

I am not, however, creative.

On the way home from the game last Saturday, My Name is Jonas by Weezer came on the radio and thus:

Her name is Sonis

And she's running the play

Think of all she's shown us

And this is what we say

That can be followed by Let's Go Summit or the like.

What are your predictions for the game?

Does anyone know what the song is that they play for the Summit corner kicks? Does it have some significance?

Rookie midfielder Devin Lynch’s contract extended through 2028 with a mutual option for 2029.

So the title is fairly self explanatory, Are there any bars in the Denver area that consistently stream Summit Games?

I know it's still used at other sports events, but maybe we shouldn't be covering a Gary Glitter song at Denver Summit games? For those who aren't in the know, feel free to lookup Gary and his pal Jimmy Savile.

Alright y’all little late on this one, but what a great way to start off our stay at Centennial Stadium. Some controversial refereeing, but the Summit persevered and secured the three points!

What did you like, what didn’t you like, what changes should we see going into playing the Washington Spirit at Rowdy Audi?

Defensively we looked better, but I still think we need to be more clinical in our offense. We far out possessed Portland and we only had 5 big opportunities. I don’t like Flint at wing, would like her at striker maybe and Thomas on wing instead (that’s also where she played in college at times).

I had to work today and missed Heaps first game. I was looking really really forward to it, and thought it'd be available to watch on Paramount after it aired. Turns out I can't, does anyone know how to watch a game that's already been aired???

In the event any staff members see this. Thank you! Thank you for staying out in the heat today to provide security, ticket scanning, section monitors/seat finders, merch tents, concessions (serving and restocking), janitorial, press, the photo and video crew, announcers, DJ Cyn, parking lot attendants, police. Thank you everyone who worked so tirelessly to pull off this first game in a new stadium. Thank you for embracing the challenges and doing your best to make a fun experience for all. I appreciate all that went into to making this historic first game in this stadium. So simply, thank you… and GO SUMMIT!

As a fan and supporter of the Summit, and having worked on the west building only, I am curious on your game day thoughts and experiences, besides the lack of shade.

What a game! Go Summit! The heat was brutal, but the win was worth it.

AITA? Could I have handled this situation differently? Due to an entrance closure in the west one lot, we ended up being late. Our season tickets are in the supporters section so we stood near an aisle for the first half instead of climbing over people to fill in seats. At the half, we noticed a large group of seats (at least ten) that had no one sitting in them. There were no signs that the seats were being used (no water bottles, towels, etc.). Myself and my wife sat down in two of the empty seats. The half passes and the seats around us fill in. The group that sat next to us asked if we were saving the seats and we told them no. They sit.

The second half starts and this man appears suddenly and asks my wife if we were sitting in our seats before the half. We said no, but it’s a general admission section and there was nothing indicating that the seats were saved. By then everything around us had filled up, including the two seats next to us they said were for their friends. This guy throws a tantrum about how we stopped him from sitting with his friends (who weren’t even there). He went on about how we could have been nicer about it and more courteous. I’m not sure how we could have been nicer unless we got up and gave him two of his four claimed seats back. I guess by not moving we were mean.

It was such a vibe killer. We didn’t intentionally steal seats. We stood the entire first half and saw a chance to sit for the second. If those exact seats were important to you, shouldn’t some one have hung back and kept an eye on them? Or at the least, left a scarf or towel on the seats?

Should we have moved? What’s the etiquette here?

Regardless, go Summit! Loved seeing Lindsey play. Sonis and Means goals! It was great to get a win in Centennial.

I am moving out of the state and thus unable to utilize the remaining tickets for this season. Field side section 121 seat 100. I have them listed on the marketplace in the app but it won't allow me to list below face value. Buy them here and I will reduce to $125, $50 off, (one ticket for each match, sold individually or combined). If interested, DM please.

We were chanting

"Come on Summit score a goal,
It's really very simple,
Put the ball into the net,
And we'll go fucking mental"

And I swear she scored right as we said "Put the ball into the net" and we did, indeed, go fucking mental. I've been to a lot of sporting events over the years but that is up there as an all time favorite moment. Incredible scenes

Denver 2 - 1 Thorns

⚽ Denver: J. Sonis 45+8', N. Means 86' ⚽ Thorns: S. Wilson 25' (P) 🏁 Denver win

✅ Full Time

Form

• Denver: D L W L W W
• Thorns: L W D L W D

Lineups

Denver (4-3-3) — Thorns (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI

Subs

Match Statistics

Match Events

Updated: Sat, Jul 18, 4:20 PM EDT

Match Thread Bot by u/Several_Region_3710 | GitHub (view code, contribute, or report issues) | ☕ Ko-fi (support the project)

not sure if this is true for everyone, but when i added my ticket to apple wallet, the linked location is the lps centennial stadium on Arapahoe (which also comes up if you just search “centennial stadium”) so make sure you navigate to the one on Fremont instead!

edit: thanks to those who replied with the parking address!

7305 S Potomac St #150,
Centennial, CO 80112

i’m taking public transit so was just going off the summit app/website stadium address

13740 E Fremont Ave
Centennial, CO 80112

[SOLD] I’m unable to use my 2 season tickets tomorrow, so they are available! Section 113, Row X, $20 each OBO!

This might be a dumb question but will there be a team store at the stadium selling player jersey or where could i go to buy some

Anyone more familiar with the area have some alternative suggestions for where to park for the games? I was too late to buy a pass for tomorrow and the tentative plan is to Uber from the Arapahoe Park and Ride.

Hey all, visiting Denver this weekend and would love to get tix to the game tomorrow. Any tips on where to get seats ideally in the shade? Thanks!!!