Denver acquires Ally Watt as first-ever NWSL player

There are plenty of players in the National Women’s Soccer League that have ties to Denver, Colorado. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Denver Summit FC’s first players is a hometown kid.

According to Jeff Kassouf and ESPN, sources have confirmed that Ally Watt will be the first-ever player signed in Summit history. The Colorado Spring native has been traded from the Orlando Pride. In addition, the Summit have loaned Watt back to the Pride for the remainder of the 2025 NWSL season, since the Summit will not kick off until 2026.

According to ESPN, Orlando will receive $75,000 in expansion allocation money and $37,500 in transfer funds. The expansion allocation money can be spent through the end of the 2027 season. Salary cap relief was part of the trade agreement.

The 28-year-old has been with Orlando since 2022, where she has started 26 of her 60 appearances. She has scored six goals and provided three assists. Watt was on the 2024 NWSL Championship-winning team.

“One thing that makes us really unique is this talent pool of Colorado players, past players, it’s special,” Curt Johnson, Denver general manager, told ESPN and Kassouf in May. “If you start going down the list, Colorado has been fertile ground for this sport for a long time, and we’re going to dig into that, and we’re going to hire people that have made their names as a result of their upbringing in soccer in Colorado. For sure, that’s going to be a part of our DNA.”

Watt previously featured for the North Carolina Courage (2020) and OL Reign (2021-22).