The United States Women’s National Soccer Team returned to Colorado this week — getting the same result: a victory.
Over 18,500 fans turned out to watch Coach Emma Hayes lead her team to a 4-0 win over Ireland at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City on Thursday night — mirroring their 4-0 victory over South Korea at the stadium last year.
Their last trip to Colorado in June 2024 was the beginning of a road to redemption, with the team winning a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
But for all the excitement about the national team, plenty of fans on Thursday were also thinking about the city’s soccer future — Denver’s National Women’s Soccer League club is scheduled to take the pitch in 2026.
“Definitely a new team in Denver would be really cool for a lot of people and it'll definitely draw a lot of attention,” said Trinity Bulger, a nine-year-old soccer player who was celebrating her birthday at the match with her family.
Her father, Jesse, said it meant a lot to bring his daughters out to the match. The family lives in Golden, the hometown of national team captain Lindsey Heaps. He believes Colorado's strong soccer community will support the new women’s club.
“I think there's enough momentum here among women's sports and soccer specifically,” Bulger said. “There's a massive following, so I don't think it's going to be any problem filling that out on a regular basis.”
In January, the NWSL announced that it awarded Denver the league’s 16th franchise after the new ownership group paid a record $110 million expansion fee. It didn’t take long for the Mile High City to buy in. More than 10,000 people have placed non-refundable deposits for season tickets.
The Cherry Creek School District Board of Education unanimously approved a deal to build the team’s headquarters and training facility in Centennial in March. The club broke ground on the facility earlier this month.
The Denver City Council plans to spend up to $70 million to provide land for the permanent stadium and fund surrounding improvements at Sante Fe Yards, with the team kicking in tens of millions more.
Denver NWSL Club president Jen Millet attended the match on Thursday, chatting with fans about the club. During a media scrum at halftime, she said the club met with South Denver residents to present renderings of the new stadium and talk about the club. “We have a great partnership with the city,” Millet said. “We broke ground at our training facility in Centennial a few weeks ago. So, we're really excited about the investment this ownership group is making to support these female athletes, give them a purpose-built training facility stadium that really is going to meet their needs as professional athletes.”
While the club says the project is on track, some fans say they’re worried about the location of the stadium, ticket prices, and development around the stadium.
Megan Tate and her husband Will took their daughters, Ava and Olivia, to Thursday’s match after missing out on the USWNT last year. The girls were decked out in American flag colors and tutus for the match. They live near DICK’s Sporting Goods Park and attend lots of Colorado Rapids matches, but they’re hoping the new club will be more family-friendly.
“We would love to see games earlier so kids can go. I think, at 7 p.m., we go to a lot of Rapids games, but it's hard because the games are so late,” Tate said. “Prices for games are expensive and we want to see it more available and accessible to all people.”
The family’s also worried about getting downtown, but Tate believes that the owners have planned for the logistics and development around the stadium.
“At Dick's Sporting Goods Park, we have the stadium, but there's nothing around it. And that's been kind of a frustration with people living in this community,” Tate said. “I really do hope that with that stadium over on Santa Fe, they build up that area a little bit more. And I'm sure it's going to make it so much more accessible to so many other people in the community.”
Colorado players notably absent from match, but the influence remains strong
Many fans showed up to the USWNT match wearing the jerseys of Colorado natives Heaps, Sophie Wilson, and Mallory Swanson. The three weren’t on the roster for this summer series of friendlies
Heaps attended as a spectator. She was one of several European-based players who were given a rest for the summer by Hayes. She currently plays for OL Lyonness of the Premier Ligue in France.
“We talked a little bit about even if she finds it really difficult to rest, that there's seven types of rest. And for her the mental rest is important,” Hayes said. “Just she's relentless all the time. She'll play soccer in her sleep.”
The Colorado trio played important roles on the pitch in winning Olympic gold. But, off the pitch, the trio have gone through some important life events over the last year.
Last December, Heaps tied the knot with Tyler Heaps at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Heaps is currently the sporting director of the San Diego FC and the youngest in Major League Soccer at the position.
“I said to her, ‘This is important to be somebody's wife and someone's daughter and someone's sibling,’” Hayes said. “And then, we both started laughing because I said, 'You're also someone's dog owner, so embrace this time because it won't come again.’”
Wilson also walked down the aisle with Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson in January. The two met while attending Stanford. Last March, the Windsor native became the highest-paid player in the National Women’s Soccer League when she signed a two-year contract extension with the Portland Thorns. The Wilsons also announced they’re expecting their first child in March.
Wilson’s Triple Espresso mate Mallory Swanson is also expecting her first child with her husband, Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. The couple married in 2022. The Littleton native has scored 23 goals in 60 appearances since being traded to the Chicago Stars in 2020.
Despite their absences, Kyla Wallace proudly wore the jersey of her favorite player Wilson. A soccer player herself, she says it’s an inspiration seeing three USWNT stars come from Colorado.
“It's inspiring because people, even from not a huge soccer place, can still become stars,” said Wallace, who was with her mother Ashley, father Jonathan, and sister Aspen. “It's nice to hear that it's not impossible to become great at soccer yourself.”
US women’s soccer milestones in Colorado
The beginning of the Emma Hayes era of the USWNT began in Colorado last summer. But, there were several more.
The coach held her first training camp with the team on the campus of CU-Boulder since being hired away from Chelsea F.C. Women in November 2023. The team didn’t disappoint in front of a sellout crowd in defeating South Korea.
That match featured a Colorado connection when Wilson set Swanson up for the opening goal in the 34th minute. Swanson finished with two goals and an assist.
During Thursday's postgame press conference, Hayes said she was nervous during her first trip to Colorado. Being an outsider, she said she didn’t know how she would be received. But the Colorado crowd accepted her as their own, she said, and she was more relaxed this time around.
“I got my attitude strategies right. I remember being really parched last year. This year I felt really hydrated, which was good,” Hayes joked. “I think the atmosphere in this stadium is incredible. You really feel the fans are on top of the field and the players I think respond to that.”
Hayes said the Mile High City is a brilliant market for the NWSL.
“I think it will be a fabulous place to come and play, especially with this crowd. It's a great sports town, so I know it'd be a great market,” Hayes said.
The USWNT faced Ireland again at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday. Now they head to Washington, D.C., to play Canada at Audi Field on July 2.
