Jeff Kassouf May 1, 2026, 06:51 AM ET

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Jeff Kassouf covers women's soccer for ESPN, focusing on the USWNT and NWSL. In 2009, he founded The Equalizer, a women's soccer news outlet, and he previously won a Sports Emmy at NBC Sports and Olympics.

Shortly after Jen Millet was hired as Denver Summit FC 's president last summer, franchise owner Rob Cohen paused for what Millet now calls a "defining moment" for the 2026 NWSL expansion team. Cohen wondered: Were they going to be ready, or should they push back the team's launch?

"We kind of looked at each other and said, 'This market is so excited about this club, there is so much momentum, that we can get through this because we have such strong tailwinds,'" Millet told ESPN in the tunnel of Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.…