DENVER (KDVR) — Denver FINALLY signs its first player! And its a local to boot!
Denver Summit FC is in the early stages of preparing for the 2026 NWSL season, and news on Monday brought them one step closer to fielding a starting XI next year.
The club has officially acquired its first player, with her signing also doubling as a homecoming. Forward Ally Watt, who is from Colorado Springs, became the Summit’s first-ever player on Monday after the Denver club agreed to a trade deal with the Orlando Pride, ESPN reported.
Watt will not be spending her time as the lone player in Denver and is being loaned back to Orlando for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Upon her official arrival in Denver, she will immediately bring a championship pedigree as she was a key part of Orlando’s title run for the 2024 NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship. She is an impossibly fast attacking player with grit and immense vision with the ball. I am so happy about this signing!
Watt’s move to Denver was made possible by a new feature in the NSWL that came as part of the roster-building changes approved for expansion teams, including intra-league loans.
Both new teams, the Summit and Boston Legacy FC, have access to $1.065 million in allocation money, allowing them to spend outside of the salary cap and transfer threshold. The money can be spent through the end of 2027, according to ESPN.
Watt is part of a trade that sends $75,000 of Denver’s expansion money to Orlando.
Another report from ESPN suggests that the Summit is in talks with former Manchester City and New York City FC coach Nick Cushing to become the head coach for the Summit, meaning Watts would be the first player under the new gaffer and a foundational piece for the team’s roster.
Scoring: Watt’s stats
| Year | Lg | Team | GP | GS | G | A | FC | FS | Y | R | OFF | Shts | S% | SOG | SG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | NWSL | North Carolina Courage | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | NWSL | OL Reign | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | NWSL | OL Reign | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| 2022 | NWSL | Orlando Pride | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 12.5 | 4 | 25.0 |
| 2023 | NWSL | Orlando Pride | 19 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 22 | 4.5 | 12 | 8.3 |
| 2024 | NWSL | Orlando Pride | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 9.1 | 7 | 14.3 |
| 2025 | NWSL | Orlando Pride | 13 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 7.7 | 10 | 10.0 |
| Totals | 65 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 35 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 64 | 6.3 | 38 | 10.5 |
Colorado Soccer Corner 
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