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Jeff Kassouf
Denver’s 2026 NWSL expansion team is close to finalizing the hire of Nick Cushing as the club’s first head coach, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.
Cushing is the former head coach of Manchester City Women and MLS side New York City FC.
He has spent the past two decades with the City Football Group, initially joining the organization in 2006 as an academy coach.
Most recently, Cushing returned to Manchester City Women as interim manager in March after Gareth Taylor was fired. Cushing had previously coached Manchester City Women for seven years from 2013-2020, guiding the team to a league title in 2016 and an FA Women’s Cup title the following year.
Cushing stayed within the City Football Group when he became an assistant coach of New York City FC in 2020. He was on the team’s staff for its MLS Cup triumph in 2021.
Cushing took over as interim head coach of NYCFC midway through the 2022 MLS season before being promoted to full-time head coach later that year.
He was NYCFC’s full-time head coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2023 and finished sixth in the Eastern Conference in 2024.
Denver general manager Curt Johnson previously told ESPN that he was prioritizing “getting the right person,” but that the right coach also needed to be available.
Denver, which is yet to unveil its branding, will begin play in the NWSL next season alongside Boston Legacy FC to bring the league to 16 teams. Boston previously announced Portuguese coach Filipa Patão as the team’s first head coach.