NWSL newcomers Denver hires Johnson as GM

Denver's 2026 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) enlargement franchise has hired erstwhile North Carolina Courage enforcement Curt Johnson arsenic the team's archetypal wide manager.

"It's exciting," Johnson told ESPN. "Most of the clip arsenic wide manager, astatine slightest successful my experiences, you travel into a caller occupation and determination are large challenges. There are big, large problems, really. And this is coming successful with a cleanable slate, an accidental to physique from scratch."

Denver volition articulation the NWSL adjacent play alongside chap enlargement broadside Boston Legacy FC, bringing the league to 16 teams. Denver has not yet unveiled its sanction and branding.

Johnson near the North Carolina FC and North Carolina Courage enactment successful December aft 14 years combined with the men's and women's teams. He oversaw the emergence of the Courage's NWSL dynasty that included back-to-back NWSL Shields and NWSL Championships successful 2018 and 2019.

He said the Denver accidental archetypal came his mode successful March.

Now, Johnson is tasked with gathering a roster of players and hiring staff. He said helium sees 5 large "verticals" arsenic indispensable hires: a caput coach, a method director, an adjunct wide manager, caput of aesculapian and performance, and the caput of operations and subordinate experience.

"In presumption of timeline, I privation to beryllium cautious connected that, due to the fact that it's much astir getting the close person," Johnson said. "But obviously, the close idiosyncratic needs to person immoderate availability arsenic soon arsenic possible. So, I deliberation we're successful the earlier stages of that. My anticipation is that we volition beryllium capable to get idiosyncratic connected committee soon, but it's much astir getting the close person."

Colorado is known for producing international-level players and coaches. United States forwards Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson some grew up successful the greater Denver country earlier becoming stars astatine the nonrecreational and planetary level.

Both players are presently connected maternity leave. Swanson is successful the mediate of a semipermanent declaration with the Chicago Stars. Wilson is successful the last months of her declaration with Portland Thorns FC and is slated to beryllium a escaped agent.

Each subordinate developed done the aforesaid younker club, Real Colorado, that was coached by Lorne Donaldson -- the manager who was precocious fired from his station astatine the Chicago Stars. Donaldson antecedently led Jamaica to the circular of 16 astatine the 2023 World Cup.

"One happening that makes america truly unsocial is this endowment excavation of Colorado players, past players, it's special," Johnson told ESPN. "If you commencement going down the list, Colorado has been fertile crushed for this athletics for a agelong time, and we're going to excavation into that, and we're going to prosecute radical that person made their names arsenic a effect of their upbringing successful shot successful Colorado. For sure, that's going to beryllium a portion of our DNA."

Denver has had a shorter pb clip to hole for the 2026 NWSL play than Boston. Denver was awarded an NWSL enlargement squad successful December, giving the squad astir a twelvemonth to prepare.

Boston was green-lit by the NWSL committee successful aboriginal 2023, though that franchise has faced respective setbacks since, including a rebrand aft a botched archetypal unveiling and a hold successful operation astatine its projected venue that volition unit the squad to play each of its inaugural play astatine the cavernous Gillette Stadium, astir 30 miles southbound of Boston.

Johnson said helium is not disquieted astir comparing timelines. He is focused connected "the affirmative momentum" that Denver has, including 10,000-plus play summons deposits.

Denver plans to person a modular stadium acceptable for the 2026 NWSL season. It volition beryllium placed connected the aforesaid suburban grounds arsenic the team's imperishable grooming facility. A imperishable stadium is slated to unfastened successful Denver successful 2028 with 14,500 seats.

"It conscionable grabbed the attraction of players, of coaches, of fans, of radical similar maine that are starting successful the organization," Johnson said of the investments.

"I conscionable deliberation that we're successful a large presumption to physique thing truly peculiar that tin beryllium palmy successful 2026."