Colorado kid Ally Watt becomes first Denver Summit FC player

Colorado’s newest team, Denver Summit FC, is making its first roster move by acquiring forward Ally Watt from the Orlando Pride, a source tells DenverSports, as confirmed by multiple other media outlets.

Watt will not depart Orlando immediately since her new club loaned her back to the Pride after the deal was cut. That deal? Colorado sent Orlando $75,000 in expansion allocation money, $37,500 in transfer funds and salary cap relief in return.

Watt, 28, is from Colorado Springs and went to Pine Creek High School, where she was a four-year varsity track and field star and won multiple state titles. All the while on the pitch, she was twice named Most Valuable Player at the Colorado State Cup and played for Pride Soccer Club Predators 97.

A standout player at Texas A&M, Watt is one of the better forwards in all of NWSL.

Watt was drafted sixth overall by the North Carolina Courage in 2020 but never played in an NWSL regular-season game with the club after a knee injury during a Challenge Cup match. The GM of that club was Curt Johnson, who is now the lead executive of the Summit.

Watt had a solid stint for Seattle Reign FC and has been with Orlando since 2022. There she was key in helping the Pride to the 2024 NWSL Shield and Championship. She has one goal and one assist in 13 games this season.

Watt matches the mission that has been shared by the Summit so far. They want to build a club with ties to Colorado that can compete on the global stage. The signing of Watt is a great first step toward their goal.

The Summit will debut in 2026 as the 16th NWSL franchise, playing out of a temporary home in Centennial before a permanent stadium on I-25 and Broadway can be built in time for the 2028 season. The team announced its name and branding late last month.

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