GLENDALE — The wait is almost over for Denver Summit FC.

The club’s inaugural season in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) kicks off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on the road at Bay FC in San Jose, Calif. Denver might be an expansion team in its fledgling season. But there is no lack of confidence from the newly assembled roster.

“Our expectation is to win a championship,” said defender Janine Sonis, who grew up in Colorado and played high school soccer at Valor Christian. “We want to win, and we want to win doing what we do well. We have a very clear identity. We want to be good on the ball, but we’re going to be incredibly hard to beat. Put a lot of pressure on teams. Really physical and fast.

“So, we might be an expansion team. The expectation may be that we just kind of float in our first year. But for us, the expectation is to definitely win.”

Denver Summit FC is nearing the end of a lengthy training camp and preseason. The team is practicing at Infinity Park while their new training facility is being constructed in Centennial. Denver Summit FC coach Nick Cushing spoke with reporters Thursday before the team heads west for the season opener.

“We’re definitely prepared for this game. We feel like the preseason has gone well,” Cushing said. “We’ve had a really good week of preparation leading into this game. We’re aware that we’re expansion, right? So, it’s probably not going to be perfect, but the mentality of the group is really good, and the excitement for the game is there. … We’re well aware that everything we do is history, right? And we want that to be positive history. The first game, the first goal and the first win.

“We’re really, really hungry for those moments.”

Their first opponent is a test case in NWSL expansion.

In 2024, Bay FC clinched an NWSL playoff berth in the final game of its inaugural season. But maintaining that success proved difficult. Bay FC went 4-8-14 last season and its head coach, Albertin Montoya, stepped down. The team hired Emma Coates as his replacement this season.

“I said to the girls earlier today: ‘There is no easy game in this league,’” Sonis said. “It’s tough from top to bottom. The team in last place can beat the team in first place on any given week. We just want to make a really good first impression for ourselves and focus on us. But we know the threats that they’re going to have. They’re not going to make it easy for us.”

Sonis understands what it takes to become an NWSL champion. She won the title in 2022 while playing for the Portland Thorns. Sonis brings veteran leadership with more than 100 NWSL games played to Denver Summit FC ahead of their much-anticipated debut.

“It’s been a long wait,” Sonis said. “Preseason always feels long, but I think this one felt the longest for me in my career, just because there is so much excitement around the group, around the club and around the community. So, we’re definitely excited to get out there and play a meaningful game.”