Denver Summit (home)
- Denver Summit have a good, solid home record (W3, D3, L3 from nine games) that provides a decent base for this contest.
- The Summit are 11th in the NWSL 2026 standings with 24 points from 20 games while the Stars have just 13 points from 20.
- Denver's home record is solid rather than dominant, with one win, one draw and one loss in their last three.
- The Summit's two most recent results have been a 1-1 away draw at San Diego Wave FC and a 1-0 defeat away to Portland Thorns, so they come into this game lacking a little bite but with enough form to suggest they can win on Sunday.
Chicago Red Stars (away)
- Chicago Red Stars have a horrific away record, with just one win and ten defeats from 11 NWSL 2026 away fixtures, scoring just two goals on their travels.
- Chicago Red Stars have played three NWSL 2026 games since the World Cup break - a 0-0 home draw with Bay FC, a 1-0 away defeat to Seattle Reign FC and a 5-0 road loss to Houston Dash.
- Martin Sjoegren's side is structured in a flexible pressing system that can be both high or low and they try to play with the ball when possible, but the Stars' pressing isn't good enough to break up opponents and they lack the quality to sustain enough dangerous attacks.
Janine Sonis
Denver are not a side with an abundance of quality or creativity, but Janine Sonis has provided a spark to them lately, scoring two of their four goals in the last five and providing the only finishing touch.
Betting Insights
- Denver Summit FC (W) are the overwhelming favorites at 1.18 for Sunday's game against 16th-placed Chicago Red Stars (W) and it's hard to oppose them given the respective home and away records of these two clubs.
- We're not afraid to take Denver at 1.18 as the favorite because there is a gap in form between these two teams that the odds don't really reflect.
- We do, however, think this will remain cagey and that Under 2.5 goals at 2.66 is the alternative bet to take here as it fits Denver's game plan and what the hosts need to do to win it.
- Denver's NWSL 2026 home games have averaged 1.33 goals scored and 1.56 goals conceded, which tells us that they aren't a side that locks down home games.
Prediction
Denver should do enough
