Denver Summit FC just beat the defending NWSL champions 2-0. Clean sheet. First win in franchise history. And Melissa Kössler — "The Clinician" — scores for the third game in a row to make NWSL history.

But we're not skipping Orlando. Kate breaks down the 1-1 draw against the Pride, why Abby Smith's 10-save, Save of the Week performance is the only reason Denver came away with a point, and why giving up that Barbra Banda birthday goal still stings.

Then it's the Gotham recap: how Denver's formation shift from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 changed everything, what Tash Flint and Yuna McCormack did beyond the box score, and why pressing Ann-Katrin Berger into a mistake is not luck — it's a system.

And then — Saturday. The home opener. Empower Field at Mile High. 50,000 fans. Washington Spirit on CBS. Kate gives her predicted starting XI, explains why Devin Lynch keeps starting every single minute, and gets honest about the players we haven't seen as much as we thought we would — Lourdes Bosch, Ally Brazier, Nahikari García — and what that might mean.

This is Denver Summit FC women's soccer coverage at altitude.

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Devin Lynch’s road to Denver Summit FC starts here.

In this episode of The 5280 Pitch — Women’s Soccer at Altitude, host Kate Hanson sits down with Denver Summit FC rookie midfielder Devin Lynch to talk about her journey from Duke University to the NWSL.

Devin shares what it’s like entering the league as a rookie and joining Denver’s expansion team during its historic inaugural season.

In this episode we talk about:

• Devin’s soccer roots growing up in Illinois
• Her development at Duke and the breakthrough season that changed everything
• The jump from college soccer to the NWSL
• Competing in Denver’s talented midfield group
• Building culture on an expansion team
• Preparing for the Denver Summit FC home opener in front of 50,000 fans

Plus, Devin shares a few off-field details fans might not know — including her pregame sourdough ritual and why Denver might be the perfect city for a dog lover.

Denver Summit FC blew up their roster one week into the inaugural NWSL season...

In 24 hours, the Summit acquired USWNT forward Yazmeen Ryan and midfielder Delanie Sheehan from the Houston Dash in a blockbuster trade, then announced the signing of Japanese international Yuzuki Yamamoto from WE League champions Tokyo Verdy Beleza. Three proven players. One week in. Before a single home game has been played.

Kate breaks down what each signing actually means — Ryan's versatility and why two NWSL championships matter, Sheehan's ironwoman midfield presence and the connective tissue Denver has been missing, and Yamamoto's WE League MVP season and why a 23-year-old Japanese international is the long-game piece that tells you everything about how this front office is thinking.

She also gets into why the fact that both players chose Denver over other interested clubs matters for an expansion team still building its identity, what this does to the forward line alongside Kössler and Brazier, and why expansion teams that wait to compete usually never do.

Denver's home opener against the Washington Spirit is nine days away. Fifty thousand tickets are sold. The roster just got a whole lot more interesting.