Published for Denver Summit FC fans — October 2026
By Toxlay Sports Editorial Team · Last updated October 23, 2026
🏔️ Denver Summit FC Fans — Your Climb Is Just Getting Started!
A record crowd, a hometown superstar homecoming and a playoff race still alive in the final fortnight. Evergreen shirts, full voice, all the way to Decision Day.
The Club
Denver Summit FC is Colorado’s National Women’s Soccer League club, playing in the top tier of US women’s soccer. The story started with For Denver FC, a grassroots group founded in 2022 that ran outreach events and USWNT watch parties during the 2023 Women’s World Cup. The NWSL named Denver a finalist for its 16th team in November 2024, and on January 30, 2025, Denver was officially awarded the franchise for the 2026 season, alongside fellow expansion club Boston Legacy FC. The ownership group led by Rob Cohen reportedly paid a league-record $110 million expansion fee.
Denver Summit FC was unveiled on July 22, 2025, after “Summit” received the most first-place votes in the Name The Club vote. The crest, designed by Matthew Wolff, is a shield of dark-green Rocky Mountain peaks angled at 26 degrees — a nod to the inaugural year, 2026 — in front of a red sky and a gold sun, evoking Colorado sunsets and red-rock formations. The green and white reflect Colorado’s traditional license-plate colours, and the rallying cry says it all: Together We Climb. Denver is also the first professional women’s sports team in Colorado since the Colorado Xplosion folded in 1998 — a 28-year wait that ended this spring.
The man in the dugout is Nick Cushing, appointed on August 6, 2025 as the club’s first head coach. Cushing won a WSL title and six major trophies with Manchester City Women and lifted MLS Cup as an NYCFC assistant in 2021, before two years as NYCFC head coach. His side plays its home games at Centennial Stadium in Centennial.
Searching for the Denver Summit FC roster, the Denver Summit FC schedule, or whether Lindsey Heaps is playing this week? This guide covers the biggest names, the results that shaped year one, the fixtures that will decide the playoff dream, the rivalries already forming — and the fan-inspired apparel fans are wearing in evergreen on matchday.
⭐ FAN FAVORITE
#10 Heaps — Denver Summit FC Style Jersey
$59.99
The hometown captain in the Inaugural Evergreen Kit — deep evergreen, light-blue and sage trim, HEAPS and 10 in white on the back. Fan-inspired, for the face of the club.
Last Season: There Wasn’t One — The Expansion Build
Every other club in this series has a last season to look back on. Denver does not. There was no expansion draft to lean on: the Summit built their inaugural roster by hand, using more than $1 million in allocation money, free-agent signings, trades and international transfers. The spine mixed proven NWSL experience with Colorado roots — Highlands Ranch’s own Janine Sonis as the first captain, iron-woman defender Kaleigh Kurtz, veteran goalkeeper Abby Smith, two-time NWSL Best XI full-back Carson Pickett, England forward Natasha Flint and German international Melissa Kössler, signed from TSG Hoffenheim in January 2026. Four Colorado natives made the inaugural roster.
The build also set records. Defender Ayo Oke arrived from Pachuca for a reported $450,000 — a record incoming fee for an American player in NWSL history. Then came the signing that changed everything: on January 12, 2026, Denver announced USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps from OL Lyonnes on a contract through 2029. Heaps finished the French season first, arrived in Colorado on July 1, and her number 10 shirt was already the league’s second-best-selling jersey a month into the season — before she had played a single minute. The Evergreen home kit was unveiled at Denver Union Station on February 23, 2026.
The payoff for all that building arrived on March 28, 2026. Denver’s home opener, against Washington Spirit at Empower Field at Mile High, drew 63,004 fans — the largest crowd in NWSL history, smashing the previous record of 40,091. The 0–0 draw is not what anyone remembers. Colorado women’s soccer was back, and 63,004 people proved it on day one.
Best Players Right Now
Lindsey Heaps — #10, midfielder, captain. The star of the show and the hometown hero: Golden-born, a 2019 World Cup winner, 2024 Olympic gold medallist and 2018 NWSL MVP. Since her July 18 debut she has transformed this team, scoring six goals in her first 11 Summit appearances — including a brace in the 3–3 draw at Angel City and a brace in the 3–0 win at Chicago.
Janine Sonis — #6, defender, co-captain. Highlands Ranch’s own, a Canada international and Olympic gold medallist from Tokyo 2020. Sonis captained the club from day one, handed the armband to Heaps in July, and the two Colorado natives have been billed as co-captains since. Listed as a defender, she plays as an attacking left-back — and she is Denver’s top scorer with 12 league goals, including a 90+4′ free-kick winner against Utah and the equaliser in the Centennial Stadium opener.
Melissa Kössler — #25, forward. The German international owns the club’s firsts. Kössler scored the first goal in club history at Bay FC on March 14, scored in each of Denver’s first three regular-season games — only the second player in NWSL history to do that for a new club — and struck the 58th-minute opener in the first-ever win at Gotham. On October 17 she scored again after just two minutes against Angel City, the fastest goal in club history.
Yazmeen Ryan — #9, forward. An ever-present starter with six league goals, and a particular menace for Utah: Ryan found the net in both Rocky Mountain meetings this season, in Sandy in May and again at Centennial in August.
Natasha “Tash” Flint — #26, forward. The England forward has six league goals — the most famous the 73rd-minute strike at Gotham, robbing goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger to complete a 2–0 win over the defending champions and give Denver its first-ever victory.
Kaleigh Kurtz — #3, defender. The iron woman: club match notes credit Kurtz with the league’s longest active consecutive-starts streak, at 129 games, and she is Denver’s most-used player in 2026. Behind her, Abby Smith kept the first clean sheet in club history at Gotham.
Star Spotlight
The first goal, and a wild first night. March 14, 2026, at Bay FC. Captain Janine Sonis set up Melissa Kössler, who scored the first goal in club history in the 20th minute to level it at 1–1. Minutes later Sonis herself was sent off after a VAR review, and ten-player Denver eventually lost 2–1. Defeat, yes — but the history book’s first page was written by the two players who have defined this team ever since.
The first win, over the champions. March 25, 2026: Denver travelled to Harrison, New Jersey, and beat defending champions NJ/NY Gotham FC 2–0 for the first win in club history. Kössler opened the scoring on 58 minutes, Flint finished the job on 73, and Abby Smith kept the club’s first clean sheet. First goal, first win, biggest crowd the league has ever seen — all inside the first two weeks.
Heaps comes home. July 18, 2026 was the day it all came together. Centennial Stadium opened its doors, Lindsey Heaps wore the captain’s armband on her Denver debut, and the Summit beat Portland Thorns 2–1 in front of a sellout crowd of 12,372. Sonis equalised late in the first half, and on 86 minutes Heaps provided the assist for Natalie Means’ winner. The Golden girl was home, and Denver’s season turned on that night.
🔥 More Fan Favorites
More Summit stars, same evergreen.
This Season (2026): Still Alive, Just
Denver’s inaugural season, by the numbers: 10th of 16 teams after 28 matches, with 10 wins, 8 draws and 10 defeats, 47 goals scored and 40 conceded for 38 points. The home record tells its own story — six wins and 27 goals at home across a three-stadium journey: Empower Field, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, then Centennial Stadium from July 18.
The 6–1 rout of Chicago Stars on August 29 was a club-record win, and the 2–1 win over Seattle in September and 3–0 victory at Chicago in October pushed Denver up the table. But the latest result hurt more than any other: on October 17, at a sold-out Centennial Stadium, Denver led Angel City 2–0 inside 18 minutes — Kössler with the fastest goal in club history after two minutes, Heaps doubling the lead — and still lost 3–2.
So here is the playoff math, honestly. The top eight qualify, and Denver sit five points behind eighth-place Seattle Reign FC. Denver are still alive, but the path is extremely slim: they must win both remaining games, which would take them to 44 points, while two of Seattle, North Carolina and Portland each lose their last two. A tie with Portland would come down to goal difference, where Denver’s plus-seven is currently an asset. No spin, no false comfort — win twice, and hope. Whatever happens, a year-one race lasting to Decision Day is already a statement — and our fan-inspired apparel is made for the fans who have ridden every step.
🟢 Love the Summit? Wear it. Shop Fan Sportswear →
Mark Your Calendar
Saturday, October 24, 2026 — vs Racing Louisville FC, Centennial Stadium. The regular-season home finale, and a must-win — anything less ends the playoff dream.
Sunday, November 1, 2026 — at North Carolina Courage, First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC. Decision Day, and a direct six-pointer against the team immediately above Denver in ninth.
November 6–8, 2026 — NWSL quarterfinals. The top eight qualify, the higher seed hosts — Denver would travel.
November 13–15, 2026 — NWSL semifinals. Four teams left, one win from the final.
Saturday, November 21, 2026 — the 2026 NWSL Championship, Audi Field, Washington, D.C. The final, at the Washington Spirit’s home. A long shot for Denver — but still possible.
Biggest Rivalries — The Wars
1. Utah Royals — the Rocky Mountain rivalry. The nearest neighbours, and already the fiercest. Utah won the first league meeting 2–1 in Sandy on May 23, with Yazmeen Ryan on target for Denver. The return at Centennial Stadium on August 8 was mayhem: Ryan scored again, Utah equalised in the 89th minute, and Sonis curled home a free kick at 90+4′ to win it 2–1. One win each, 3–3 on aggregate — this is the fixture Colorado circles first.
2. Kansas City Current — the I-70 measuring stick. The league’s powerhouse has been Denver’s reality check. Kansas City won 3–0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on July 3 in front of a 16,833 sellout, then 4–1 at CPKC Stadium on September 26, where Heaps gave Denver an early lead before a Haley Hopkins hat trick completed the sweep.
3. Portland Thorns — the former club. Heaps played for Portland from 2016 to 2021 and Sonis from 2022 to 2024. Denver won the emotional first meeting, the Centennial Stadium opener, 2–1 on July 18; Portland took the return 1–0 at Providence Park on August 22. One win each, and every meeting feels like a homecoming and a grudge match at once.
4. Boston Legacy FC — the expansion-class rivalry. Boston struck first, winning 3–2 at Gillette Stadium on May 3, and the return at Centennial finished 1–1 on August 2, leaving Boston unbeaten in the series so far.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do Denver Summit FC play next?
Next up is Saturday, October 24, 2026, at home to Racing Louisville FC at Centennial Stadium, followed by Decision Day on Sunday, November 1, 2026, away at North Carolina Courage in Cary. If Denver qualify, the NWSL quarterfinals run November 6–8, the semifinals November 13–15, and the Championship is on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
Can Denver Summit FC still make the 2026 NWSL playoffs?
Yes, but the margin is extremely slim. Denver sit 10th on 38 points, five points behind eighth-place Seattle Reign FC on 43, with North Carolina ninth on 42. Denver must win both remaining games to reach 44 points and need two of Seattle, North Carolina and Portland to lose their last two games, with goal difference potentially deciding a tie with Portland.
Where do Denver Summit FC play their home games?
Denver’s listed home for 2026 is Centennial Stadium in Centennial, a temporary 12,000-seat stadium that opened on July 18, 2026. The home opener was played at Empower Field at Mile High before a record 63,004 fans, and early home games were played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. A permanent 14,500-seat stadium is planned at Santa Fe Yards in Denver.
Who scored Denver Summit FC’s first goal, and who is the club’s top scorer?
Melissa Kössler scored the first goal in club history on March 14, 2026, at Bay FC, set up by Janine Sonis. Sonis is Denver’s top scorer in 2026 with 12 league goals, while captain Lindsey Heaps has transformed the team since her July debut and Melissa Kössler also scored the fastest goal in club history, after two minutes against Angel City on October 17, 2026.
⚽ Denver Summit FC Fan Shop
The full Summit trio — Heaps, Sonis and Kössler in evergreen fan-inspired apparel.
Sources & official links: Denver Summit FC official site · NWSL official site
Evergreen shirts, full voice, two games to believe — together we climb, Denver.
