LOS ANGELES (AP) — For the players on the rosters of the two newest teams in the National Women's Soccer League, getting to this point was much like joining a startup company.
“We’ve created an environment already in where everyone has a say, everyone just feels comfortable, we’re able to be ourselves, and it’s up to us to really dictate that culture,” said centerback Kaleigh Kurtz, who joined the newcomer Denver Summit after eight years with the North Carolina Courage. “So that was just something I really liked, was starting from scratch. It’s a blank canvas. You get to see what you want to create."
The Summit and fellow expansion franchise the Boston Legacy will launch their inaugural seasons this weekend, bringing the league to 16 teams.
Denver was awarded the 16th NWSL franchise in January 2025 for a reported expansion fee of $110 million. The majority owner of the team is IMA Financial Group CEO Robert Cohen.
The club has been quick to assemble a roster, bringing in Ally (Watt) Brazier and Carson Pickett, both formerly with the Orlando Pride, Kurtz from the Courage and defender Ayo Oke from the Mexican club Pachuca. Former Manchester City women’s coach Nick Cushing is the head coach.
The Summit's big splash was the signing of U.S. national team captain Lindsey Heaps, a Colorado native who has been playing in France for Lyon since 2022. She is set to join the Summit after Lyon's season is over.
“It was an ongoing thing for years that, 'Oh, Denver should get a team,' and I'm just like, I've been waiting for so long I don't know if it's going to happen, and I don't want to just keep putting that in my head,” Heaps said. "And then it finally came about and I'm like 'Oh my gosh, at some point I have to play for this club.'"
Brazier is also a Colorado native. Like Kurtz, Brazier likened joining an expansion team to starting from scratch.
“Our coach at our first meeting just showed us like a blank canvas, essentially like a blank Power Point,” Brazier said. “He was like, right now we are starting from nothing, we are starting from no culture, no identity, no tactical anything. We’re gonna be creating a culture, a team identity, a whole type franchise from the ground up. We’re going to be the stepping stones of it."
Boston was awarded a franchise in 2023. The league’s 15th team was founded by a group of women led by Jennifer Epstein, Stephanie Connaughton, Ami Danoff and Anna Palmer. Among the team's investors are USC star JuJu Watkins and actress Elizabeth Banks.
The city was home to a previous NWSL team, the Boston Breakers — one of the league’s founding teams that dissolved in 2018. Before the NWSL, there were Boston teams that played in the WUSA (2001-03) and Women’s Professional Soccer (2009-12).
The Legacy hired coach Filipa Patão from the Portuguese club Benfica. Among the players on the roster are Canadian international Nichelle Prince and Mexican international Nicki Hernandez.
One of Boston's biggest moves in the offseason was signing goalkeeper Casey Murphy, who had spent the previous five seasons with the Courage, making 108 appearances in goal. Murphy has also played in 20 matches for the United States and was Alyssa Naeher’s backup at the Paris Olympics.
"Going into free agency, I just really wanted to be a part of a team that valued me, and not only what I brought on the field, but off the field as well," Murphy said. "And I feel like this was a great step for me in regard to my leadership and how it could help the team with my voice in the locker room."
The Summit open the season on Saturday on the road against Bay FC. NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said the club has sold over 50,000 tickets to its home opener on March 28 at Empower Field at Mile High, home of the NFL's Denver Broncos. That would break the league record of 40,091 set in August when Bay played the Spirit at Oracle Park.
The Summit will then play home games at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, home of the Colorado Rapids of the MLS, through the first half of the season before moving to a stadium in Centennial.
The Legacy host defending NWSL champions Gotham at Gillette Stadium on Saturday to open the season. Appropriately, New Kids On The Block are scheduled to perform at halftime.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
