🔥 COLORADO SOCCER WARMING UP - BSFN

The Rapids are officially in the swing of their season, Summit and Switchbacks are looking mighty well ahead of their own, and Colorado soccer players are tearing it up across various teams. A jam-packed newsletter for your T̶u̶e̶s̶d̶a̶y̶ Wednesday! morning!

ICYMI - Last Week's Newsletter:

🎞️ MLS SEASON KICKOFF - BSFN

Box State Footy Newsletter - January 17th, 2026

Box State FootyJuan Fernandez

Topics:

🏔️ Denver's Dominant Display

⚽ Switchbacks' Strong Showing

📰 Sam Vines Waived and Bought Out

🪵 Cole Bassett Impresses in Timbers Debut

🌊 Rapids Road Woes

Summit's Impressive Preseason Win Highlights Likely Playing Style

Preseason streams do still exist! And thanks to the Coachella Valley Invitational, many fans were able to see Denver Summit FC for the first time. Real tangible game play to break down and analyze! The Summit beat the San Diego Wave 5-2 racking up another preseason dubya.

Nick Cushing's 4-2-3-1 shifted variously throughout the match. What stood out to me was their defending out of a 4-2-4 shape in the first half. The Summit pressed very well and the most remarkable of those presses came from their first goal which came in early in the 5' minute of play. Janine Sonis' press won the ball in a dangerous area for the Summit and they were quick to capitalize. Amazing what a willing runner can do in the attacking phase of the game.

Pauline Peyraud-Magnin subbed in and was able to get about thirty minutes of game time. She was tested some times by the Wave but what stood out more was just how strong the defense was. When called upon though, specifically while on the ball, Payraud-Magnin's presence made it all the much more difficult to score on a Summit team strong against the ball.

To add to their defensive credit, the long change of plays and direct passing from the back always allowed them some pressure in on goal. Noticeably in the first half, their direct style combined with a strong press out of the afforementioned 4-2-4 shape makes for an aggressive style of play. I would have thought the team would primarily target Ayo Oke high up the pitch but it was Natalie Means at left back who provided very positive moments on the ball as a wide outlet; She was also the goal scorer that followed up Sonis' press for the opening goal.

Sharon had this to say about their jersey release party this past Monday:

The event was really well done, the symphony was a nice touch, it went so well with the venue! I really liked how they had pictures with the players wearing the kit, but also the fact that the kit was everywhere!

So far, the Summit have been absolutely crushing the vibes. Expansion sides have a history of stumbling out the gate, but the Summit could very well be serious threats in their first NWSL season. Outside of the immediate play on the field, they've recently announced their first ever kits, they've surpassed 45,000 tickets sold at Mile High(‼️), and six of their players have been called up to the national team.

Plenty to be excited about with the NWSL opener now less than three weeks away.

Switchbacks Start Strong; The Elephant in the Room Remains.

Payton Berman was on site for Box State Footy getting some amazing shots of the Switchbacks' preseason environment. They beat Union Omaha 4-0.

Here's what Berman had to say about the match:

The venue as a whole is a beautiful place to be. It was cold for their first match of the season. They could move the ball anytime they wanted against Omaha. Standout moments were the free kick goals in the first half from wayyyyyyyyy out by #10 Adrien Perez.

There's a lot to like about this Switchbacks team who could be eyeing a transition to a more direct style of play themselves. With Kyle Vassell and Khori Bennett set to make up the core striker group up top, talented ball playing ability from Talen Maples, and a solid safety net in Chicago Fire loanee Sam Williams, there's a lot to like about this approach.

Still, the elephant in the room remains and it grew in size ahead of the 2026 USL Season.

South Georgia Tormenta FC ceased operations leaving their entire squad of players, who had signed new leases and relocated families to the area, out to dry. The USLPA released a statement:

With the season set to kickoff next Saturday, there's no real indication of how this will play out. Will players take to the field and play without a CBA agreed to? Will there be a lockout and pause of play? I think with the way things are going, there's part of me that thinks the league will proceed regardless; they could be calling their bluff. With more preseason games set to happen this upcoming weekend, it will be interesting to see how many developments happen between now and the season's kick off on March 7th.

Rapids Move on from Left Back Sam Vines

In a rather stunning move, on the eve of the season opener, The Rapids waived Sam Vines and then bought out the contract. They Shkelzen Gashi'd him!

Sam Vines resuming the left back role this year depended on a lot to go his way. He showed some grit at the position, but his dynamic and energetic play as a wing back had never manifested itself. As I pointed in my Season Preview, his poor play could be a result of last year's coaching as Vines within a five back was much more versatile than in a back-four. After finally seeing Matt Wells first game in action, it seems he's committed to the back four and there's enough reasons on the table ( financially, stylistically, and from a regression standpoint) to justify this waive and buy out.

Still, the cultural significance of the move is not lost on me. Within one year, three home grown players were let go from this team. They had been paid for one, let one go, and now are paying for one to leave. I know there was an initial profit from the Antwerp move, but it has since hit a wash if not already in the red following this waive and buy out. There are still plenty of homegrown players on the roster as it is, but the youth initiative is no longer entirely dependent on just homegrowns alone. If there's anyone who's going to establish an animal kingdom of a locker room environment, where you have to consistently earn your keep, Matt Wells is the one to instill it. Safe to say though, in this version of the Colorado Rapids, the Rapkids are not alright.

Cole Bassett among other Box State Ballers in MLS Week One

Cole Bassett, no longer a Rapkid, had a very impressive game in his Portland Timbers debut. Jeremy Peterman of Cascadia FC (and Outside the Box!) now has the honors of opining over Cole Bassett and I implore you to read his piece over at his website.

An Exercise in Bricklaying

Two years ago, the Portland Timbers defeated the Colorado Rapids 4-1 in their season opener at Providence Park. Last year, the Portland Timbers lost to the Vancouver Whitecaps by the same scoreline in their season opener at Providence Park. Like both of their previous season openers at Phil Neville, tonight’

Cascadia FCJeremy Peterman

Cole Bassett's recorded an assist in his debut to Antony for the opening goal. This follows some rather interesting opening quotes from his first presser as a Timber.

And, my favorite:

Besides Cole Bassett, Denver native Brendan Hines-Ike scored an incredible header to open the scoring in Austin FC's home opener.

And finally, Ethan Horvath earned the starting goalkeeper position in Michael Bradley's new look New York Red Bulls featuring a very youthful Starting XI.

Colorado ballers are getting it done across the league!

Rapids Lose Season Opener

Finally, Seattle Sounders made the most of Colorado's instability and first game nerves after a rather strong press forced the Rapids into some very shaky situations. The implementation of their very patient-building out of the back lacked the polish needed to compete meaningfully with Seattle.

While I could appreciate the style change and have been clamoring for it, given the current state of the team, and their larger ambitions for an MLS Cup: I understand why many are frustrated with the way the team played. I don't hate it, though. And am willing to see what this looks like after game six. I need more sample sizes!

Besides the game, I had a blast in Seattle. I am very thankful for those of you who I met and said how much they enjoyed the work on the site and on the pod with Outside the Box. That support, to receive it in person, genuinely means everything and with hopefully a more continued presence at games this season, I hope to meet many more Box State Footy readers and supporters across the various different teams and corners of the footy sphere here.

The Away Day Bar Crawl hosted by Logan Brown was also a very fun host of supporters with a lot of love the team; willing to follow them to see the most cursed of results and matches on a consistent basis. It's a sicko kind of love.

Cheers to the next away day, and to some more Matt Wells sample sizes (IYKYI).

Thank you for reading this week's newsletter!. I apologize for how late it was dropped. Just had a bit more of a taxing travel day from Seattle than initially believed. We'll be back to crushing these out again on Tuesday!