Denver Summit FC has its first head coach.
The club named Nick Cushing to the position on Wednesday for its inaugural season next spring. Cushing, a coaching veteran who has head coaching experience with Manchester City Women’s FC as well as New York City FC in MLS, signed a three-year contract with the club.
Cushing had notable success with Manchester City Women’s FC, leading the team to two Women’s Super League titles as well as two Women’s FA Cups. He also won the MLS Cup with New York City FC in ’21 as an assistant.
“I’ve had amazing opportunities to win trophies, and experiences like Wembley Stadium (for FA Cup finals), Champions League semifinals, an undefeated season in the (Super) League,” Cushing said. “But I have also had some really difficult moments — losing the (Women’s Super League) finals in 2018, going to New York and not making the playoffs.
“It’s part of a coaching journey of embracing the good times but learning from the difficult moments, and I think all of those moments have gotten me to this point now where I have full belief in my process and ideas.”
Most recently, Cushing served as the New York City FC head coach for two years. He led the club to sixth place in MLS’s Eastern Conference last season, but the two sides parted ways after losing in the conference semifinals.
Cushing says he plans on a collaborative relationship with Denver FC general manager Curt Johnson to build the club’s roster over the next six months.
“I have a vision of how I like to play the game and what sort of playing style I want, and the players that fit that,” Cushing said. “There’s a possession element to the way I see the game. I want to have the ball, I want my team to control the game with the ball, but I also want my team to be an attacking team. I want my team to play fast, attacking soccer, create chances and score lots of goals.”
Cushing, who is married with three kids, is in the process of moving to Denver. He says being the club’s first head coach is an “important responsibility” as Denver FC looks to meet owner Rob Cohen’s goal of being immediately competitive in 2026.
“When I took over the Manchester City women’s team, that was a new team and it was very similar in many ways to this project because you have to build a roster, hire staff, go and get good people who share the same vision as you,” Cushing said. “But Manchester City was an established brand, an established organization with values and cultures already embedded. So even though you’re building a new team, you’re becoming part of an existing culture and environment.
“This is a little bit different… but (ownership), Curt and I all share the same vision, the same ambition.”
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