But didn’t it feel like something shifted after FIFA’s eyebrow-raising decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension? Like, there was a disruption in the good karma and momentum the U.S. Men’s National Team had accumulated in its first four World Cup matches?

As news broke Sunday that Balogun was cleared to play in the Round of 16 despite being sent off in the previous game, I texted a few friends my gut reaction: It was an awesome surprise that also smelled like you-know-what. After all, this was FIFA, that seems to function not based on its rulebook but on the whims of a few guys in a room.

I felt a little queasy about it, but I pushed it down in my stomach. Maybe we had earned this. An opportunity to benefit from FIFA’s litigious inconsistencies, which usually feel reserved for the A-list stars. (How exactly the entire group stage, again?)

Then FIFA Peace Prize winner Donald Trump rushed to the first microphone he could find on Monday to brag about making the call that got Balogun reinstated, and I knew it was over. This was all starting to feel a little too much like Game 3 of the NBA Finals — when Midtown Manhattan transformed into a massive security operation to accommodate . His appearance eclipsed the game itself, which ended with the Knicks’ only loss of the Finals. In fact, it was their only interruption in the entire last month of a magical championship run.

This is not to politicize our national team’s 4-1 loss to Belgium, I promise. But come on, man. The head of state for the World Cup’s host country calls in a favor, and suddenly the USMNT looks like a shell of its former self? I can’t help that I’m a superstitious being: that was karma we just watched on Monday night. You felt it before kickoff, and you knew it was over even before Belgium scored in the ninth minute.

There was no connectivity, no creativity, no sustained possession, no urgency or poise on the back line. One of the most humiliating performances from any team in this World Cup.

Certainly, the talent gap between European and American soccer was yet again laid bare, a once-every-four-years tradition like no other.

But the final score in Seattle was not an accurate referendum on either team’s ability. I’m not convinced the Belgians are meaningfully better than the USMNT. I watched their tournament opener in person last month, a 1-1 group-stage draw with Egypt, and walked away fairly confident that Belgium’s fading golden generation wouldn’t muster another deep run. When they scored two greasy goals to oust Senegal with a miracle comeback in the Round of 32, I celebrated what I thought was a stroke of luck for the Americans. Belgium looked like the more favorable matchup of the two.

The stars and stripes were aligning for a quarterfinal run on home soil. Then Balogun was shown a red card against Bosnia, some 20 minutes after he scored his third goal of the tournament.

It was a questionable call, sure. We were right to be outraged from our biased vantage point. Heck, we might’ve even been unified by it. Balogun was suddenly a household name at Fourth of July barbecues.

But the rules are the rules. Subjective real-time officiating is a part of sports. Red cards are binding one-game suspensions. I had made peace with the reality of the situation by Sunday (which was four days after the win over Bosnia, by the way — FIFA couldn’t have decided Balogun’s fate any sooner?). Honestly, I believed the USMNT still had a good chance to beat Belgium, even without him. I was prepared to celebrate 250 with a defying-the-odds victory.

Instead, the president’s insistence on making these major sporting events about himself loomed over match day. It became a national story. Then the game became our national headache.

For all the talk about Balogun, it was like the rest of the lineup felt saved by his presence. Christian Pulisic was sloppy and listless (and perhaps injured), defenders Sergiño Dest and Tim Ream were vulnerable, and goalie Matt Freese was reckless in a decision that will haunt U.S. soccer fans for years. Balogun barely had any chances to make an impact.

Belgium would call that poetic justice. Americans can only look at it as cruel irony.

Maybe we’d be celebrating a 5-4 classic and preparing for Spain right now if the president had called in four more favors.

That is the simple answer. In the most anticipated game in U.S. soccer history, the Americans failed to match the moment, falling flat on their faces, spoiling a magical run with an embarrassing splat.

Belgium 4, USA 1.

This is a team that united the country. A team that played soccer with purpose, focus and offense, finally taking off the emergency brake so all of us on the fence had a reason to watch.

This is a team that finished with 10 men in a victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina and began Monday with 12 men, counting the red, white and blue draped fanatics at Lumen Field in Seattle.

And this was a team, for all of its progress, that was not ready for prime time.

It was a brutal reminder of the ground the U.S. still has to cover after falling to 1-5 all-time in the Round of 16.

Goalie Matt Freese had a brain freeze.

Defender Tim Ream got creamed.

And Christian Pulisic, Captain America, lost his shield, limping off with a right knee injury early in the second half, failing to live up to the generational hype.

Too bad for all those who defended FIFA’s decision to reinstate Folarin Balogun could not help USMNT’s defense. It was a mess.

Think of the Nuggets in Game 3 against the Timberwolves, and you are getting warm. The Americans could not apply pressure in the center of the field. They could not defend the crossers, long ball, or on the ball, and were fortunate to trail only 2-1 at halftime.

The Americans were passive and indecisive, reacting slowly to a Belgian squad that looked like it had used hydration breaks to keg-stand Red Bull.

The promising and talented Americans took a dive into soccer’s deep end and called for the lifeguard.

“Maybe the explanation is so easy,” USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “It wasn’t our day.”

Two things can be true. We can be proud of this team for winning a knockout game, and stung by disappointment over this performance.

On home turf as a host country — let’s be real, that was a huge reason FIFA president Gianni Infantino granted Balogun amnesty — there was no excuse.

Everything was set up for the U.S. to play its best, and save for the last 20 minutes, it was anything but, as the Americans failed to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.

If it were a basketball game, the U.S. would have had 20 turnovers in the first half. If it were a football game, the U.S. would have lost three fumbles. Forty-eight seconds in, I was counting the days to American football and the start of Broncos training camp.

Freese made a miraculous leaping save, but it was an indication that the U.S. was working on a dial-up connection in a game that required fiber optics.

Belgium broke through at the 9-minute mark.

Anyone want to clear the ball? Anyone? Chris Richards’ poor header set up a pass across the face of the goal for an easy score by Charles De Ketelaere.

If only briefly, the Americans punched back in what amounted to the highlight of the night. On a free kick, Malik Tillman booted a right-footed shot off a Belgian player’s head, causing it to knuckle and move like a backup slider as it fooled goalie Thibaut Courtois.

Two minutes later, Belgium secured a 2-1 lead as De Ketelaere outmuscled and flattened Ream on a header.

Pochettino booted a Powerade water carrier in disgust. It was one of the best kicks of the first half, as the Americans had one shot on goal.

Needing a jolt, a burst, anything to gain momentum, the Americans went the wrong direction.

In a play that captured how excruciatingly poor the U.S. played, Freese wandered out of his net to clear a long kick down the field. He inexplicably pumped-faked with his foot, and Hans Vanaken poked the ball away and whistled it past a stumbling, falling Ream.

Down 3-1 at the 57-minute mark, desperation replaced execution. The effort and energy improved, but the results did not. Beating Belgium required a flawless display on this canvas. The Americans splattered Ragu, and Belgium was exquisite.

They peppered the U.S. with shots and left the game salty.

The Belgian Red Devils posted on social media, “OVERTURN THIS.”

While the outside interference was a reprieve for the Americans, it was fuel for Belgium. Americans need not apologize for finally being good enough to benefit from FIFA’s corruption, but in the end, the decision worked against them.

First, FIFA’s handling of Balogun’s red card was shameful. But it is how this organization does business.

We all want to see them get the call right. And in this case, they did. There were breaches of protocol by the video assistant referee, using slow motion on a non-tackling play. No foul was called, and a second look led to a red card. The mistake opened a wound and exposed the flaw in the sport’s governing body.

There is no vehicle available for an appeal. That is what we were led to believe. Then, out of nowhere, Infantino declared Balogun eligible to play. His suspension was suspended.

Americans were right to feel good for the kid, but awful about how it all went down. Infantino admitted he took a call from President Trump, who requested that the matter be reviewed. Whether it was Trump, Obama, Clinton or Reagan, it is uncomfortable when politics bleed into sports.

In the end, all it did was make Belgium mad.

The U.S. picked a bad night to have a bad night. In front of a nation wanting its next Lake Placid, we were left with Lake Flaccid.

“I think he’s every bar’s MVP,” Hickey, the longtime owner texted me Tuesday.

This is a story about foot traffic. And footie traffic. See, McGregor Square, which sits adjacent to the Rockies and Coors Field and is owned by the Monfort family, had been hosting World Cup watch parties in LoDo for free.

Last week, that … changed. McGregor Square is now instituting an admission charge for patrons to check out United States and Mexico matches, including Wednesday’s Mexico-Czechia tussle and Thursday’s U.S.-Turkey showdown. It costs $23.18 per head, including $3.18 in fees.

England-Ghana? Free. Panama-Croatia? Free. Norway-France? Free.

Capitalism 1, Community nil.

I asked Hickey if he had considered adding a cover charge whenever the Yanks or El Tri happen to air on TV. He laughed.

“Not even slightly,” Hickey replied. “This isn’t about the almighty dollar.

“It’s about creating an atmosphere. It’s about creating a culture that we’ve spent a long time (cultivating). It’s not about making a couple extra grand.”

Blasphemer! FIFA, the World Cup’s notoriously shady organizers, has made every decision regarding the 2026 Cup with dollar signs in its eye sockets. Does FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the patron saint of boot-licking opportunists, I asked Hickey, know that The Celtic dares to call itself “soccer bar?” I mean, what did you say to yourself when McGregor Square tacked on a fee in order for fans to watch its sexiest matches?

“I was delighted,” Hickey quipped, chortling beneath his native Irish brogue. “More people coming our way.”

Safety is the Monforts’ story here, and they’re sticking to it. McGregor Square officials on Tuesday emailed me this statement:

“The move to ticketing for this round was made in direct response to the large crowds that we saw at McGregor Square for the U.S. and Mexico games over the first weekend. Ticketing allows us to safely manage attendance and provide the best possible fan experience. We have brought in additional security personnel, Denver Police, ticketing staff, fencing, and other event operations measures, including bag screening, to help us safely and comfortably host thousands of guests in the plaza.”

Which you understand. Appreciate, even. If crowd capacity is one of McGregor Square’s primary concerns, couldn’t U.S. and Mexico matches be ticketed events at a friendlier price point? The CU Buffs, for example, It can be done.

“McGregor Square is a metaphor for what happens every World Cup cycle when corporate America and local bars in Denver realize, ‘Oh, wait, soccer is popular now, we can monetize it,'”  offered Dave Wegner, former president of the Rapids’ Centennial 38 supporters’ group. “The fact they’re charging is kind of insulting to soccer fans who’ve been there a while. And it just goes to show that they underestimated how big a deal this is.”

I posed the same questions I had for Hickey to Kevin Tuohy, , another amazing downtown watering hole for footie fans. And one that’s got McGregor Square’s crowd concerns, times a thousand.

The Bulldog’s not a hole-in-the-wall, per se. But it’s darned close. The snug soccer bar has a capacity of just 66. Tuohy got permission to expand their patio out front to accommodate another 130-ish or so outdoors, which required additional screens, chairs, tables, et cetera.

This is America, baby — land of the free, home of the brave, and inventor of “dynamic pricing.” The latter says you charge more for the Dodgers than, say, the Marlins, because ChatGPT and the invisible hand of the marketplace told you to.

Only, like Hickey, Tuohy won’t.

“We don’t think about really raising prices,” Tuohy replied. “Because part of our ethos is to be a neighborhood bar that has good prices, is a place where you can go to and get a beer or a shot or something for a reasonable price. That’s not something that enters into our thoughts, just because we want to be that bar that has the affordable pint of Guinness, the affordable shot of Jack Daniels.”

Bulldog 4, McGregor Square nil.

“I mean, honestly, (when they did it), I thought, ‘You know, it, it can only benefit us,'” Tuohy mused. “I said, ‘You know, they want to get greedy and do that. They can do that all they want.’

“It’s one thing when it’s free and they’re still charging stadium prices for beverages for beers and whatnot. Now that they’re going to charge that cover, it just makes it harder and harder for anybody to go out as a group or if you want to bring your family out to McGregor Square.

“It seemed like one of their selling points might have been, ‘You could bring the family out here.’ But who wants to bring the family out if it’s going to cost them the same amount as it is to go to a Broncos game or something like that?”

I did the math over at the Square with Mike Corbett of Highlands Ranch, who’s got two soccer-loving kids and a wife who humors all three of them.

Corbett attended Nuggets watch parties at McGregor Square in 2023 during the NBA Finals, soaking in the tribal joy with thousands of his closest friends. For the Corbett clan, the U.S.-Turkey clash is $23.18 per person, times four, so…

“That would be $92.72,” Corbett said, shaking his head. “Plus everything else.”

Hard backheel pass.

“We’d mentioned coming down (for the U.S. matches) and then my wife’s like, ‘No, they’re charging,'” Corbett continued. “So I was like, ‘I’m not (going) down here for that.’ Because you have to pay for parking somewhere, too. Total money grab, for sure.”

“Which is very FIFA,” I said.

“It seems so Rockies,” Corbett countered. “It’s so Monfort … It’s frustrating because they built (the Square) for all this (gathering) to happen. Now you’re going to charge people to come into it? It’s like, ‘Come on, man.'”

MVP = Mad, Vindictive Pricing?

“Maybe Dick Monfort,” Wegner cracked, “is running for Infantino’s job.”

Hickey plans to keep the hard line in prices, even if the crowds start drinking him dry. What the Monforts see as a line on a spreadsheet, the crew at The Celtic sees as a marketing opportunity. A chance to grow a community.

“We had about 50 Norwegians (last weekend) doing the rowing thing on the floor,” he said. “We had a bunch of Vikings in for Sweden, about 60-70, so that was a pretty good showing.”

For Mexico matches, Hickey brought in a Mariachi band. For Scotland, he hired a piper. The computers project the two countries could very well meet in the knockout round if the Tartan Army don’t get their kilts torched by Brazil on Wednesday.

“I’ll tell you, that would be a lot of fun,” Hickey chuckled. “I’d have to order extra beer.”

Sean Keeler: Your humble colleague is a footie fan, full-stop, no apologies. Got bitten by the bug during USA ’94. Partied with Nigerian fans in Athens, Ga., as we watched the Super Eagles upset Argentina to win the men’s soccer gold in ’96. Denver is an amazing, fun, vibrant soccer town. FIFA? FIFA is as crooked as the Serpents Trail, my friend. When Colorado whiffed on its penalty kick with footie bigwigs during the bid process a few years back, I raged. “What does Kansas City have that Denver doesn’t?” I asked. Rooms that FIFA had booked in blocks — only to cancel at the last minute. Oh, and without any cancellation fees on the back end for KC to recoup. Because Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s fawning, making-up-trophies-to-give-world-leaders president? That’s how he rolls, baby.

World Cup 2026: Matches, scores, brackets, results and more

Renck: The running joke is if you want to watch a good shakedown, skip the mob movies and watch documentaries on how the IOC and FIFA choose host cities. The demands are outrageous and, in some cases, criminal. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted 14 football executives for racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering. When Denver submitted its bid, it made a final offer. FIFA wanted assurances the city would cover all cost overruns, and make everything whole. So, I am not going to crush Denver for drawing a line in the sand. The reality is the timing stunk. Everyone knows how much Denver loves soccer (See Denver Summit FC and Lionel Messi appearance). But the city needed a savior in the Broncos owners, and the bid was submitted before the Walton-Penner group took over. Who knows if they would have stepped up to fill in the gaps like soccer AFLAC. History says they would have. In the absence of that help, Denver showed proper restraint, even if watching right now hurts.

Keeler: The Denver chapter might have had a different ending if Carrie Walton-Penner and Greg Penner were in the picture to soak up cost overruns. I don't blame the city for balking, though, given what's come out over the last 8-12 months. be built over Soldier Field -- and that the locals were on the hook to pay for it. The state of Missouri reportedly forked over $78 million and the state of Kansas $28 million for infrastructure, security, etc. No wonder Colorado took a pass.

Renck: It is OK to not get everything you want. We have become spoiled because of Final Fours, high-profile soccer exhibitions and having four major sports teams that we believe Denver should host anything of merit out of default. If it were just on private donations, it would be easier to have a problem with missing out. But at the time of the bid, the city did not have its Clark Hunt or Robert Kraft to push it through. Given the financial issues facing Denver, it would be impossible to rationalize the city increasing taxes to cover the open-ended costs. There is no doubt Denver deserves to host the World Cup. But there is also no shame in showing common sense, if not cents, and waiting to go all out to host the Women's World Cup in 2031.

Keeler: And it will. Or at least, it should. Summit FC got on a roll after May 9, and the powers behind the club want to keep those good vibes going. Did you see the way Can you imagine the juice those kind of travelers would give Coors Field during another sad Rockies summer? Denver deserves to walk on world soccer's biggest catwalks. But not by having to sell its shirt first.

DIA officials “have not been notified directly by the Department of Homeland Security or Customs and Border Protection of any changes,” airport spokesperson Courtney Law said Thursday afternoon. “We remain focused on working with our federal partners to ensure a secure and efficient inspection process at our airport.”

President Donald Trump’s said on the “Fox and Friends” show Tuesday night that international flight processing could stop in sanctuary cities unless local police cooperate more in the .

Trump administration officials have been drawing up plans for the shutdown at U.S. aviation hubs in the cities where local authorities have limited their cooperation with federal agents, Mullin said. If processing of international flights stops, he said, “then those individuals when the airlines land won’t be permitted into the United States.”

In Denver, the impact would be “gigantic,” Colorado-based aviation Mike Boyd said Thursday.

“Denver is a connecting hub,” and planes carrying cargo and international travelers “won’t clear,” Boyd said. “It’s not just people coming to metro Denver. It’s people going through Denver who would be affected. It would be absolutely devastating, a real hit. We’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. “If there’s cargo coming from places like Taiwan, it would not come in.”

Sanctuary laws prohibit local police from notifying federal immigration agents about undocumented immigrants and detaining them beyond release dates for transfer to immigration detention facilities or deportation. A U.S. Department of Justice of so-called “sanctuary cities” and states included aviation hubs: Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, ‌Seattle⁠, and San Francisco.

In March, a federal judge dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit to overturn Denver and Colorado “sanctuary” laws that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. U.S. District Court Judge that federal authorities could not compel city and state officials to implement federal regulatory programs.

Mullin made the threat in April, and this week made it again — two weeks before millions of international travelers begin arriving in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the , hosted in 16 cities from June 11 to July 19.

“Businesses need stability and predictability. Denver International Airport is a critical economic driver for Colorado, generating tens of billions in impact, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs, and connecting the Rocky Mountain West to the world,” said J.J. Ament, president of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

“Disruption at DEN would create real uncertainty for travelers, airlines, and the businesses that rely on global access. It����ap detrimental for local and federal officials to play politics with the essential services that keep our economy strong and our communities connected.”

DIA handles approximately 4.6 million international travelers per year, an average of about 383,333 a month, according to airport records. That����ap roughly 6% of DIA’s total passenger traffic, around 82.4 million a year. International travel has emerged as the fastest-growing segment at DIA, increasing by about 15% a year and 46% since 2019, the records show, and airport officials in recent years have added multiple nonstop international flights, including a 12-hour flight to Istanbul, Turkey.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis weighed in. “Colorado is not a sanctuary state, so this should have no impact on Denver International Airport,” a statement from gubernatorial spokesman Eric Maruyama said. “It����ap hard to understand why the Trump administration would damage international tourism and hurt our country’s economy, especially at a time when Americans are grappling with high gas prices and rising costs for everyday goods.”

DIA’s international flights typically increase during summer months and, with the World Cup, international travel into the United States is expected to surge through July.  Denver isn’t one of the 16 host cities (11 in the United States) but serves as a crucial aviation hub for connections and as a gateway to popular destinations in the Rocky Mountain West.

Starting next month, 363 international flights a week are scheduled to arrive at DIA, airport officials said. Of those, 137 are “pre-cleared,” meaning that immigration and customs processing occurs abroad.

Halting international flights “would have devastating consequences for the travel industry and communities that depend on international visitation,” said Spencer Dobkin, spokesman for the , which represents hotels, airlines, and the tourism industry.

In a recent meeting, Mullin confirmed plans to withdraw Customs and Border Protection officers from international airports in sanctuary cities, Dobkin said, noting that the administration had also proposed imposing a $250-per-person visa fee and reviewing visitors’ social media before they could enter the United States. Such actions, he said, “directly threaten America’s ability to compete for international visitors.”

Tell us what you think about this story

The Denver Post is proud to announce the creation of the April Heinrichs Award, which will be presented annually to the top high school senior girls soccer player, scholar and citizen in Colorado. The inaugural honor will be awarded this June, following the conclusion of the high school soccer season in late May.

Like the newspaper’s Gold Helmet Award in football and Roy Halladay Award in baseball, the April Heinrichs Award will factor in achievements and impact outside the field of play. In addition to skills on the pitch, candidates for the award will also be evaluated by their GPA and their community service.

“It’s great for girls soccer to be on par with the boys sports (The Denver Post) is recognizing at the highest level,” said longtime Broomfield soccer coach Jim Davidson. “And while it’s great from a gender standpoint, it’s also awesome that we’re recognizing a player from a state that has had great success on the girls side of the game at the college, national, international and professional level.”

An explosion of soccer talent

While Heinrichs set the bar for Colorado high school girls soccer players — the 1982 Heritage High School graduate was the captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team that won the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991 — many other notable players have followed in her footsteps.

As of late, the state has produced USWNT players such as captain Lindsey Heaps (née Horan), Mallory Swanson (née Pugh), Sophia Wilson (née Smith), Jaelin Howell and Ryan Williams. Plus, the state has churned out other stars such as Canadian national team pillar Janine Sonis (née Beckie) and three-time National Women’s Soccer League champion Jaelene Daniels (née Hinkle).

That Colorado talent pipeline of world-class players is why, when The Denver Post evaluated which girls sport to honor with an annual award, girls soccer was the clear decision.

“The state’s talent has really exploded in the last 15 years,” said Davidson, who coached the Broomfield girls for 25 years, with 385 wins, two state titles and six state runner-ups. “When we saw Lindsey Horan and Mallory Pugh rise to stardom, Colorado girls soccer was really making breakthroughs at the youth national team level and the national team level.

“We’ve since maintained that, and it’s incredible to see these Colorado women on television, representing our country, playing in the NWSL, playing major Division I and having such great success.”

The April Heinrichs Award is backed by a nonprofit, the Colorado High School Girls Soccer Player Award Corporation. The award is made possible by donations, including a sizable donation from Arvada resident Adam Stevinson. Additionally, new NWSL franchise has committed to an annual donation to support the award.

The winner of the award will be profiled in The Denver Post, receive a trophy and have a celebratory banquet in her honor. Plus, Summit FC will recognize the player during a Denver home game this summer.

Heinrichs gave her blessing for the award to take her name. The first female player inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame embodies the talent and lasting impact of a local player that the award seeks to honor.

After starring at Heritage, where led the Eagles to two state titles in 1979 and ’81 and was an All-American, she was a three-time first-team All-American , where the Tar Heels made four Division I championship games and won three of them.

After playing for the USWNT and professionally in Italy, she was the head coach at Maryland and Virginia. She was an assistant coach on the 1996 Olympic gold medal team in Atlanta, and was the head coach for the USWNT that claimed silver at the 2000 Sydney Games and gold at the 2004 Athens Games. After that, she oversaw the USWNT’s youth program.

“As a new women’s professional soccer franchise launches in Colorado, it feels fitting to launch an award that recognizes one of the state’s best female prep players and carries on the legacy of a trailblazer in the sport,” Denver Post sports editor Nate Peterson said. “Colorado has such a rich history of great players, coaches and teams in the women’s game, and April Heinrichs embodies that tradition. We couldn’t be more proud to partner with her to give out this award each year to a deserving player.”

Denver Post sportswriter Kyle Newman is the chairman of the award’s nonprofit, and he is joined on the board by Stevinson and Davidson as well as other longtime Colorado girls high school soccer coaches in , and .

A 17-person selection committee to decide the winner will consist of community members with an extensive range of girls soccer insight and influence, as well as Heinrichs herself and Denver Post staffers.

• Theresa Echtermeyer, longtime Mountain Vista coach
• Reagan Kotschau, CU player/All-American at Broomfield
• Dave Cope, retired Battle Mountain coach
• Nikki Marshall, ex-Mead/CU star and retired pro
• April Heinrichs, former USWNT player/coach
• Gary Gustafson, Heinrichs’ coach at Heritage
• Kia Gudewicz, longtime Heritage coach
• Jim Davidson, retired Broomfield coach
• Dan Watkins, longtime Jeffco girls coach
• Adam Stevinson, award’s first donor
• Lori Punko, Denver Post deputy sports editor
• Matt Schubert, The Athletic digital managing editor
• Kyle Newman, Denver Post sportswriter
• Jen Millet, Denver Summit FC president
• Nate Peterson, Denver Post sports editor
• Patrick Saunders, Denver Post sportswriter
• Joe Nguyen, Denver Post sports digital strategist

Nominations for the award and will be accepted through May 24, following the CHSAA state championships earlier that week. Ideally, players with a strong case for the award would be nominated by their head coach or athletic director.

The Post encourages any individuals or businesses who want to get involved in sponsoring the award with tax-deductible donations to reach out to board chairman Newman at knewman@denverpost.com.

2026 April Heinrichs Award nomination form

Nominations are open from March 1 through May 24 for the honor recognizing the state’s top senior girls soccer player.

The returns to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park this spring, taking on Japan on April 17 in Commerce City during the FIFA window.

One of three consecutive USWNT matches against their longtime rival in that time frame, it will be the 10th national team game at Dick’s. The USWNT is 8-0-1 at Dick’s, having first played there in 2008 and most recently a 4-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland last summer.

The April 17 match will kick off at 7 p.m., and will be broadcast on TNT/truTV/HBO Max. Ticketing presale will begin Monday, Jan. 26, and general sales for the game open on Thursday, Jan. 29.

The match at Dick’s could feature two Denver Summit FC players in midfielder Lindsey Heaps, the USWNT captain, as well as Ayo Oke. The defender was recently for matches against Paraguay and Chile.

Summit FC will open its season on March 14 at Bay FC, with its home opener on March 28 at Empower Field. The club will play two matches at Dick’s in its inaugural season on April 25 against San Diego Wave FC and on May 16 against the Orlando Pride.

And when she gets here, the global soccer superstar from Golden will be the crowd-drawing headliner for Colorado’s inaugural professional women’s soccer team.

Lindsey Heaps — U.S. women’s national team captain, Olympic and World Cup champion, NWSL champion and MVP, and one of the best players in the world — signed with Denver Summit FC through the 2029 season, the club announced Monday.

The seismic signing, the possibility of which had been floated since the moment Denver was officially awarded a team by the NWSL on Jan. 30 of last year, came to fruition after a months-long process between the midfielder and Summit FC.

“Going back to when Denver won the expansion bid, and before I even was GM, I remember thinking, ‘The perfect player for this team, if you’re going to pick one in the whole world, is Lindsey,'” Summit FC general manager Curt Johnson said. “She was one of the key players to build this roster around that we’ve been targeting all along.”

Heaps (née Horan), who has played with Lyon in France since 2021, is expected to make her Denver debut following the conclusion of the current Première Ligue season. With Lyon, Heaps has been part of a dominant side as a pillar in winning numerous titles, including three in Première Ligue and a UEFA Women’s Champions League crown.

Her acquisition by Denver is the biggest roster splash yet for an expansion franchise that has made waves from the moment owner Rob Cohen and his ownership group plopped down a record $110 million expansion fee to land the club.

In the year since, Summit FC has broken ground on a training facility and temporary stadium in Centennial and also achieved Denver City Council approval for an initial $50 million subsidy to clear the way for soon-to-start construction on its permanent home, a 14,500-seat stadium at Santa Fe Yards at Broadway and I-25.

All of those moves, in addition to the hiring of the accomplished Nick Cushing as head coach, were considered in Heaps’ decision to return to the NWSL.

“In listening to the ownership group, listening to Curt, seeing (ownership’s) details on this project and their view on everything they wanted to do, I was very excited about the opportunity,” Heaps said. “It’s a special project that I wanted to be a part of, especially being my hometown.

“And I looked at the next few years and I looked at my goals, and I wanted to make sure that it was the right opportunity for me to put myself in the best place possible to hopefully make a World Cup roster (in 2027) as well. I knew that I needed a good coach, I needed a good environment. And so hearing (Cushing) announced as coach obviously made me very excited.”

Heaps, 31, has played in Denver as a pro only when the national team has come to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for friendlies. The previously starred in the NWSL for the Portland Thorns from 2016-21, after spending the first part of her career with Paris Saint-Germain when the 2012 Golden graduate became the first American woman to sign a pro contract straight out of high school.

Financial terms of Heaps’ deal were not disclosed, but Johnson said “her compensation package is in line with the level of player that she is, her accomplishments in terms of her resume and the fact that she’s got many more good years ahead of her.”

At the time of the last World Cup, in 2023, Heaps’ salary with Lyon was $900,000. Johnson said the club is planning to designate Heaps as a High Impact Player, a new compensation mechanism that was but has since been the subject of a rebuttal by the

the NWSLPA said the mechanism should’ve been “a mandatory subject of bargaining — not a matter of unilateral discretion.” As it stands, the new rule says each club can exceed the league’s $3.5 million salary cap in 2026 by up to $1 million for High Impact Players, an additional allotment that can be used on one or multiple players who meet certain commercial or sporting criteria.

Johnson noted the club intended to sign the midfielder regardless of that provision. If it’s enacted as currently written, the cap charge of a High Impact Player must be a minimum of 12% of the base salary cap, meaning Heaps would make $420,000 that would count against Denver’s cap and the rest of her salary would be pulled from the $1 million allotment pool. Johnson said it’s possible Summit FC could sign another High Impact Player in the coming months.

All that aside, Heaps said her focus before she dons a Summit kit is to “win everything possible with Lyon, which there’s four trophies to win.”

“And then furthermore, I just want to come into Denver and … raise the standard in my own way,” Heaps said. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t going to be emotional (when I step on the pitch for) the first time.”

Cohen is counting on both of those things to be true to get the club closer to its lofty goal of competing for a league championship in its first season.

“You couple Lindsey’s skill and leadership with some of our younger women that are just coming right out of college, to have that opportunity to sit in a locker room with a player of her stature, it just it raises the level of our team in addition to being a marquee player who can get the fanbase excited,” Cohen said.

Summit FC now has 14 players , and has commitments from 21 total. The team expects to sign a couple more players beyond that, Johnson said. The GM added that another signing of a Coloradan will be announced this week; the club is currently at four locals with Heaps, midfielder Jordan Baggett, defender Janine Sonis and forward Ally Watt.

Denver Summit FC signed , the club announced on Friday. The Highlands Ranch native and Valor Christian alum is the third Coloradan to join the local side, in addition to forward Ally Watt (a Pine Creek alum from Colorado Springs) and midfielder Jordan Baggett (a Chatfield alum from Littleton).

“Returning home to Colorado and joining Denver Summit FC is really special for me,” Sonis said in a statement. “I’m excited to contribute on the field and help build a team that the fans can be proud of. I can’t wait to play in front of a home crowd and be part of the growth of professional soccer in Denver.”

Summit FC acquired Sonis via a trade with Racing Louisville FC. Sonis has also played for the Houston Dash and the Portland Thorns in the National Women’s Soccer League, helping the latter win the league title in 2022, and for Manchester City for four seasons in the Women’s Super League in England.

In exchange for Sonis, Summit FC sent $120,000 to Louisville, a sum that could rise to $160,000 if Sonis hits certain performance conditions. Sonis is now signed to a three-year deal with Summit FC through 2028.

Sonis is an accomplished international player as well. She has over 100 caps for the Canadian Women’s National Team (Sonis’ parents are Canadian), with 36 goals and 17 assists. She was a member of Canada’s gold medal team in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was on the country’s bronze medal team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and has played in two FIFA Women’s World Cups.

“Off the field, she’s going to be outstanding with her leadership and because she has that Colorado DNA,” Summit FC general manager Curt Johnson told The Post. “And then when you look at her on the field, she can play a number of different positions from an outside back to a winger-type of role.”

Summit FC’s roster is now at 12, and the 2026 NWSL roster limit is 26.

“In my mind, they already had a preconceived document they wanted you to sign if you were willing to do it and willing to be considered,” Shotts, CEO of the Colorado Soccer Association, told me recently. “There was a time where I thought there was more that we could’ve done. But when FIFA gives you that paper, it blows everything out the door.”

The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team was in town to take on Australia in a friendly Tuesday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park — a match the Americans won 2-1. Sadly, that will likely be the last time Denverites see the Stars & Stripes up close for a while.

The 2026 World Cup is coming to 11 U.S. cities next summer. But Denver, which bid for the event, won’t be one of them.

When Empower Field hosted the CONCACAF Nations League final between the United States and Mexico in 2021, the building stomped and shook like a Saturday at College Station, Texas, or Madison, Wis. Concacaf officials repeatedly praised the atmosphere and the venue. Where did it all go wrong?

“I think at the end of the day, it just became a financial situation,” , one of the big swingers on the Denver World Cup bid committee, told me by phone Tuesday. “We were between owners on the Broncos, and obviously, Empower Field was a huge part of the bid. So, not having clarity on where we were and where we weren’t just made the economic hurdle a little bit too much. It was just, unfortunately, timing.”

If it takes a community to host a World Cup, it takes a village, in retrospect, to lose one. The Broncos were at the listless, rudderless end of The Bowlen Trust Years. The Kroenkes, who own the Rapids, were stretched between hosting bids in Colorado and Los Angeles. Denver was the right town at the wrong time.

I reached out to four individuals who were part of that Denver 2026 bid committee. Three got back. The one thing they all independently circled back on, to a man, was money.

Long story short, FIFA kept demanding more and more of it. World soccer’s largest organizing body wanted the city and county to agree in writing, up front, that they would take on whatever future additional costs piled up.

“FIFA’s demands became very outside the lines,” Shotts said. “Essentially, they wanted you to sign an open document that says you’ll do it, but at whatever cost.

“And our folks were smart enough to realize to go and say, ‘Here is what our offer is. Here is what we can put into it. Accept it or don’t accept it.’ And as you know, they didn’t accept it. Because they wanted more.”

Reports said Denver’s bid was budgeted at $45 million and privately funded. Cohen said the committee went to the state to see if they “could try and fill the gap … and it was something they decided they were uncomfortable with at that time.”

‘I think we did a good job’

In July 2019, Gov. Jared Polis and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock stood in front of Empower Field and announced their charge to land the World Cup.

Three years later, that dream was denied.

Confetti cannons stood ready at a watch party for the World Cup announcement in LoDo in June 2022. They were never fired.

FIFA announced 11 host cities in the United States for 2026. Denver didn’t make the cut. Kansas City did. As did Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles.

Let’s cut to the chase, here. Why is Kansas City getting the World Cup next summer, and we’re not?

“The Hunt family stepped up big-time,” Bob Contiguglia, former president of U.S. Soccer and the Denver’s bid committee co-chairman, told The Post.

Clark Hunt, CEO of the Chiefs, is part of a family whose soccer ties run almost as deep as their football ones. The Lamar Hunt Cup, this country’s equivalent of the FA Cup, is named in his father’s honor.

“Kansas City, which was our main competitor, had (their) ownership in place with the Chiefs, who could step up,” Cohen said. “I think it was more leadership than it (was) our dollars, per se.

“… You need somebody up front who obviously has an economic interest in the game leading the (charge) and getting other people to come to the table. It’s a community lift, at the end of the day. But without that leadership piece in place, and clarity as to what the commitment (was), it just made it a bit rough.”

Which is a shame, as Denver had veteran hands on-side. Contiguglia was one of the pillars behind the women’s World Cups in 1999 and 2003 — two major drivers of the sport’s popularity in the U.S. He’s called the Front Range home since 1972. When I asked if he had any regrets about the 2026 bid, in hindsight, he stood firm.

“Not at all,” Contiguglia said. “And with all the news that’s coming out — there are a lot of stories about the host cities struggling to raise money. And so maybe it was the right thing that we did not get it.”

Remember that agreement about open-ended costs? Kansas City’s Wyandotte County, where Sporting KC plays, is now . Houston and Dallas have had to go back and ask for millions from state funds. Add-on expenses for infrastructure, entertainment and logistics are tacking on up to an additional $150 million for each host city, the report stated.

Contiguglia said the Broncos, even with interim ownership, were amenable to making Empower Field more World Cup-friendly. But their ownership transition didn’t ease any doubts about who would foot the bill for any potential makeovers. The Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group finalized its purchase of the team from the Bowlen Family Trust in August 2022 — not long after the 2026 World Cup cities were announced.

“I think,” Contiguglia said, “we did a good job.”

‘It was mostly a timing thing’

Fortunately, Denver gets a second chance to make a first impression. The United States and Mexico are sharing the Women’s World Cup in 2031, and Cohen, Shotts and Contiguglia also expect Denver to bid for one of the hosting slots.

Summit FC will be up and running by then, giving FIFA another example of what a fantastic soccer town Denver really is. Summit’s Santa Fe Yards home is slated to open in 2028. The Broncos’ new stadium at Burnham Yard is targeted to open by 2031.

“The men’s teams in town have been incredibly supportive of the Denver Summit,” Cohen said. “And we’ve got great working relationships across the board. I think that bodes well for the future.”

Next summer, though?

Next summer’s going to be hard.

“Sometimes, you get an offer from somebody to go do something, but it doesn’t align with your calendar,” Cohen said. “Even though it’s something you really want to do, but you can’t make it work. I think that’s the best analogy I can come up with on this. It was mostly a timing thing with us …

“We had a proverbial gun to our head to make our decision and didn’t have the financial support in place in order to (secure) a bid.”