Denver Summit: Nick Cushing Embarks on a Proven Path to Long-Lasting Triumph!
The light streams through the windows of Nick Cushing’s glass-enclosed office in Denver, Colorado — one of the sunniest cities in the United States. The 41-year-old’s enthusiasm pours through the laptop screen, his hands moving constantly as he speaks during our video call. The first ever head coach of Denver Summit FC — one of the two National Women’s Soccer League expansion teams for the 2026 season, which kicks off this weekend — animatedly explains to The Athletic the challenge of building a roster from scratch in just six months.
Recruitment, playing style, fanbase, culture, identity… where do you even begin? What do you even say on that first day to a group of players and staff who have never worked together before? (Spoiler: two former England internationals gave him some tips.
) A blank page may intimidate some, but not Cushing. The opportunity with Denver — awarded a place in the 2026 NWSL in January last year — reminds him of a similar project back home in England just over 12 years ago . In late 2013, Cushing became manager of a relaunched Manchester City women’s team, guiding them to what is so far their only Women’s Super League (WSL) title three years later.
“We built this train that was just moving,” says Cushing, who also managed City-affiliated MLS side New York City FC from 2022-24. “I feel like that fearless 29-year-old (from 2013). I’m hugely ambitious.
I’m here to win a championship. ” Cushing, born in Chester, near Manchester in the northwest of England, became an Everton season-ticket holder at age three — his father is a diehard fan of that club — and has been obsessed with football all his life. Apart from his family and music, little else matters.
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