Denver Summit FC officially announced Nick Cushing as its first head coach Wednesday.
It was a hiring made thanks to aligned "commitment to wanting to create a world-class soccer organization," Cushing said.
Cushing spent nearly two decades with the City Football Group, including stints as head coach of Manchester City Women and MLS side New York City FC.
Now, he will step outside the CFG umbrella to guide Denver as a 2026 NWSL expansion team.
"I have a real obsession and ambition to create a winning team," Cushing told ESPN.
"I appreciate and accept that expansion comes with challenges but to have the opportunity to show my value and give my value to an organization from the ground up is, to me, really, really exciting."
ESPN first reported in July that Denver, whose sporting staff is led by general manager Curt Johnson, was close to hiring Cushing.
Cushing recently returned to City Women as interim manager for the spring after the firing of Gareth Taylor. Cushing was unattached at the time, having departed NYCFC after the 2024 MLS season.
Before making the move to NYCFC, Cushing spent seven years in charge of Manchester City Women, winning six major trophies. He was the head coach when the team moved into England's then newly-reformed Women's Super League in 2014.
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Cushing said he sees parallels between that experience and the task of building Denver from the ground up.
"[The expectation was] we were going to come in on day one and we were going to win the league, and that's not reality," he said, noting the expectations around Manchester City's brand, and the media attention around how City replaced the established Doncaster Rover Belles in the top flight.
"The reality is that building something from brand new is complex. For me, I still think exactly the same way as I did in 2014: We have to be competitive. And to be competitive in the league, the decisions that we make over the next six months -- that myself and Curt and David [Vaught, assistant GM] and Jen [Millet, president] and the wider leadership team -- the decisions that we make will be critical for how competitive we are."
Cushing said he likes to play attacking soccer, a style influenced by his time at CFG. He will look for players who suit that, and who can galvanize the community. ESPN reported this week that Denver has acquired forward Ally Watt from Orlando via trade, making the Colorado native Denver's first player.
Watt was immediately loaned back to Orlando for the remainder of 2025.
Like Johnson told ESPN previously, Cushing also said that the team will lean into the "real hotbed of female soccer talent" that has come from Colorado. He said they will also look for players with experience winning in the NWSL. Watt won the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship with Orlando last year.
"I see it as a jigsaw in that you are putting pieces in and as you put those pieces in, the picture becomes a lot clearer and then the more pieces that you put in, the easier it is to fit the missing pieces," Cushing told ESPN about building the roster. "Now, there's an element of I want to have players that suit my style and that will help us develop a team quickly."
Developing young players is also a priority, he said. He referenced England internationals Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp as "real success stories" in development from his time at Manchester City.
"In order to be successful right away, you need people that have experienced environments like this, have built organizations, and have had success," Johnson said in a statement.
"Nick brings world-class experience, a passion for player development, and a tactical vision that will excite Summit supporters. He's won major trophies and is the right leader to guide us into our first season and beyond."
Cushing said he has always followed the NWSL, first during his time at Manchester City to recruit players and then thanks to proximity during his time in MLS. He notes Canada coach and former San Diego Wave head coach Casey Stoney as a friend.
Cushing said his next gig after NYCFC was going to be one about alignment and timing, not about being in men's or women's soccer.
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"One thing that period at Manchester City [in the spring] gave me was almost the energy to want to get back with a team," Cushing said. "And I was really clear in the press there that I wanted to be with a team from preseason."
Denver will begin playing alongside fellow NWSL expansion team Boston Legacy FC next year. The ambitions of Summit FC's ownership, led by Rob Cohen and including a purpose-built stadium in Denver, attracted Cushing to the job.
"January is coming quickly," he said. "But also I take the responsibility really seriously that we have a solid base here. We are going to have a community right behind us from the start.
"My responsibility is to play a form of the game that, one, excites those fans; two, gives our players real energy to play but; three, makes it really difficult for people to come here to play."