A Colorado native becomes the Denver Summit’s first player via trade: ESPN

The Denver Summit, the newly-named National Women’s Soccer League team set to begin play next year, has acquired its first player: Colorado native Ally Watt.

That’s according to an ESPN report published Monday.

Watt, who was born in Colorado Springs, is a forward for the Orlando Pride, with whom she's played for the last three years. She will be loaned back to Orlando for the remainder of the 2025 season as part of the NWSL’s new intra-league loan program – one of a few new roster building options the league is rolling out this year.

Watt has appeared in 13 games for the Pride this season, scoring 1 goal and logging 1 assist. The Pride, last year's NWSL champion, sits tied for second in the league table this year with 8 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws on the year.

According to the ESPN report, Denver is sending $75,000 in expansion funds and $37,500 in transfer funds to Orlando in the deal.

The Summit – along with the Boston Legacy, the NWSL’s other upstart franchise – was allotted just over $1 million in expansion money it can spend between now and the end of 2027. The Summit can spend up to $605,000 in transfer fees this season and, as an expansion team, will have another $968,000 for transfers to spend by the end of next year’s secondary transfer window.

The NWSL’s free agency period began July 1. The Summit, and every other team, can sign players with contracts expiring at the end of this year to new deals.

As the Summit unveiled its name and brand last month, team president Jen Millet hinted that the club would bring in players with Colorado roots.

“[General Manager Curt Johnson is] really excited to build a roster. And so that's a primary focus for us on the sporting side,” Millet said, “and we on the business side are super excited to work through a plan of how to welcome these players either to Colorado or back to Colorado.”

Denver7 Sports' Lionel Bienvenu pointed out that Sophia Wilson (formerly Smith) – a Windsor, Colorado native, 2024 Olympic gold medalist, two-time NWSL champion and 2022 NWSL MVP – is on a contract that ends this year with a player option for next season.