Nick Cushing, New Head Coach of Denver Summit FC: Experience and Ambition in the NWSL

Nick Cushing has been officially announced as the first coach of the Denver Summit FC. The appointment was finalized thanks to the shared commitment to create a world-class football organization, according to Cushing. Cushing has nearly two decades of experience at City Football Group, including his time as coach of Manchester City Women’s and New York City FC of MLS. Now, Cushing moves away from CFG’s umbrella to lead the Denver team, an NWSL expansion franchise for 2026. I have a real obsession and ambition to create a winning team. Denver’s sports staff, led by General Manager Curt Johnson, was close to hiring Cushing since July. Recently, Cushing returned to City Women as interim coach in the spring after the dismissal of Gareth Taylor. At that time, Cushing had no team, after leaving NYCFC after the 2024 MLS season. Before his time at NYCFC, Cushing spent seven years at the helm of Manchester City Women’s, where he won six major trophies. He was the coach when the team joined the newly reformed Women’s Super League in England in 2014.

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Cushing sees parallels between that experience and the task of building Denver from scratch.

The expectation was that we were going to arrive on the first day and win the league, and that is not the reality.

Nick Cushing

Cushing stated that he likes offensive football, a style influenced by his time at CFG. He will look for players who fit that style and can galvanize the community. Denver has acquired forward Ally Watt from Orlando via trade, making the Colorado native the first Denver player. Watt was immediately loaned back to Orlando for the remainder of 2025. As Johnson stated earlier, Cushing also said the team will rely on the “true hotbed of women’s soccer talent” that has emerged from Colorado. They will also look for players with experience in winning in the NWSL. Watt won the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship with Orlando last year.

I see it as a puzzle where you put pieces and, as you put them, the picture becomes much clearer and, the more pieces you put, the easier it is to fit the missing pieces.

Nick Cushing

Developing young players is also a priority, she said. She mentioned England internationals Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp as “true success stories” in their development at Manchester City.

To succeed immediately, you need people who have experienced environments like this, who have built organizations, and who have been successful.

Curt Johnson

Cushing said he has always followed the NWSL, first during his time at Manchester City to recruit players and then thanks to the proximity during his time in the MLS. He points to Canada coach and former San Diego Wave coach Casey Stoney as a friend. Cushing said his next job after NYCFC was going to be about alignment and time, not about being in men’s or women’s football.

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One thing that period at Manchester City [in the spring] gave me was almost the energy to want to come back with a team.

Nick Cushing

Denver will begin playing alongside the NWSL expansion team, Boston Legacy FC, next year. The ambitions of the Summit FC ownership, led by Rob Cohen and including a purpose-built stadium in Denver, attracted Cushing to the job.

January arrives quickly. But I also take very seriously the responsibility of having a solid base here. We are going to have a community right behind us from the beginning.

Nick Cushing

Cushing’s responsibility is to play a form of game that, one, excites those fans; two, gives our players real energy to play; and three, makes it really difficult for people to come here to play.