Episode Details

Denver Summit FC head coach Nick Cushing grades our inaugural NWSL season, and he won’t go higher than a C-plus. Before Sunday’s season finale at North Carolina, I sat down with the man who built this team from scratch to find out where he came from and where this club goes next.

Most of you don’t know Nick’s road to Denver. He grew up in Chester, England, and his dad got him an Everton season ticket at three years old. He knew early he wasn’t good enough to play, so he started coaching kids instead. He talks about the coaches who shaped him and about later working alongside Guardiola at Manchester City. He also explains how leading City Women and then coaching in MLS prepared him for a league where, in his words, everybody attacks.

Then we get into Denver. Nick describes the empty grass field he toured before taking the job, and the three-bucket recruiting plan behind this roster. He explains why landing Colorado players mattered so much. He tells me why he thinks Janine’s best years at left back are still ahead of her, and what Tash has to do next season to become the difference-maker he thinks she can be. He also shares the goal number he set for Lindsey Heaps the day she arrived.

And yes, he gives the inaugural season a grade. He names the three things he says have to get fixed before 2027, tells me what he wants you to remember about year one, and describes his very Denver night at Red Rocks.

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