Denver Summit FC’s first-ever signing lifted a massive weight off her shoulders.
Ally Brazier’s impact on the season hasn’t exactly been instant, but it was on Friday night against Racing Louisville. She scored the match’s lone goal in the 64th minute at Lynn Family Stadium, just three minutes after subbing on for Olivia Thomas, on the way to a 1-0 Summit FC win.
Japanese international winger Yuzuki Yamamoto provided the assist in her first start in a green shirt: a brilliant weighted ball which somehow squeezed between Louisville keeper Maddie Prohaska and the last defender back at the 6-yard box. Brazier was on the other side of the gap and slid for a good enough touch to beat Prohaska.
“Ally Brazier, 10 out of 10 season in the sense of attitude, behavior, commitment and investment to the team. Her work is exceptional,” Summit FC coach Nick Cushing said. “The most difficult part of my job is picking the team. … She’s worked incredibly hard, came off the bench and helped us in multiple games. I really felt tonight, especially with (Olivia Thomas) making her (first start), I really felt Ally would play a really important part in the game. Not only the goal, but just the work rate, her hold-up play and link-up play was top.”
Brazier’s path to her first Summit FC goal hasn’t been linear. After being touted by general manager Kurt Johnson as a player the club wanted to build around at the time of her signing, she hasn’t started since the franchise’s inaugural match in a loss to Bay FC.
Two weeks later, she subbed into the home opener and came inches from scoring a winner against the Washington Spirit. Appearances with low minutes and even a few DNPs followed.
And finally, nine months after signing, a goal for her hometown team to her name.
Every minute, every second with this team is worth every minute, and I think it’s just playing a role. My role today was going in and making a difference, and I did,” Brazier said. “My role is to be a good support teammate whenever I can, and that’s what I’ll do. Whatever role I need to be is what I’ll do, and thatap what everyone knows here on this team. I think we’re just all going to win, no matter what.”
Abby Smith came off her line and came up with two clutch saves in the 85th and 87th minutes to keep Summit FC from dropping more points from winning positions — Denver co-leads the league with eight points dropped after leading this season. The second save stopped what would have been a wonderful goal by U.S. Women’s National Team forward Emma Sears, where, before shooting, she cut back inside and sent both Eva Gaetino and Kaleigh Kurtz sliding the wrong way.
Pending the rest of the weekend’s games, Summit FC stands in eighth place in the NWSL ahead of a 35-day break. Despite playing eight of its first 11 games on the road, Denver has shown sparks of really good soccer and has a clear idea of where to improve — holding leads as it did on Friday is step one.
More home games under the belt after the men’s World Cup break offer a chance to better learn how to do so in a more comfortable environment. The club announced Thursday that it will have to wait for its real (temporary) home for another couple of weeks.
Originally, Summit FC’s Centennial Stadium was set to open at the conclusion of the break for a home match against the Kansas City Current, but that match and a July 11 clash against the Houston Dash will be played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Centennial Stadium’s construction was halted due to a couple of weeks’ worth of rain, the timing of which Summit FC owner Rob Cohen called “less than ideal” for this “specific phase of construction.”
Centennial Stadium is now set to open on July 18 for a home match against the Portland Thorns. That has marquee potential with Coloradan star Sophia Wilson making her first club appearance in Denver. That could also mark Lindsey Heaps’ debut with Summit FC.
