Denver, CO
Here’s the group that owns Denver’s pro women’s soccer team, from investment firm execs to sports stars
The Denver National Women’s Soccer League team has finalized its ownership group, which includes investment firms, high-profile business executives and Colorado sports icons.
Rob Cohen, the CEO of IMA Financial Group, is the club’s controlling owner. In the months since Denver landed the NWSL’s 16th franchise for a record-setting $110 million expansion fee, several other names have been added to the group, most recently Colorado-based skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin and Broncos legend Peyton Manning.
The club on Thursday announced the final five members that round out its ownership group: Cordillera Investment Partners, The Soin Family, Brooke Woody, Randi Borgen and For Denver FC Capital Partners.
Cordillera adds another sports venture to its diverse portfolio of investments, which already included the Professional Triathlon League and a list of other projects ranging from apple orchards to wireless spectrum to environmental grants.
Raj and Vishal Soin both serve as executives with investment firms – Soin LLC and Varis Holdings, respectively.
Borgen, a Colorado native who was a three-sport letterman at Middlebury College, joins her siblings, Jon-Erik Borgen and Kaia Borgen Mortiz, who were already members of the ownership group through their investment company, FirstTracks Sports Ventures.
Woody already held a minority ownership stake with the NC Courage and is, along with her husband, John, “dedicated to investing in organizations that lift up women and build up communities,” according to a bio provided by Denver NWSL.
For Denver FC is a volunteer group that was founded in 2022 and was “instrumental” in the early stages of Denver’s bid for a women’s pro soccer team, according to the club. It should be noted that, while Denver FC is among the finalists for the team’s yet-to-be-announced permanent name, “For Denver FC” is a placeholder name for the volunteer organization, according to its website. “Once the team joins a league, community input will help guide the team’s eventual name and identity,” the site reads.
“It’s an honor to be joined by such an accomplished and passionate group of individuals,” Cohen said in a Thursday press release. “Each investor brings a unique perspective and deep commitment to supporting women’s sports. Together, we’re building something that will reflect the values and spirit of Colorado and have a lasting impact in our community.”
The other members of the ownership group who had been on board prior to Thursday’s announcement are:
- Rob Cohen, CEO of IMA Financial and a Denver-based business executive for more than 35 years
- Ariel Investments, a Chicago-based asset management firm whose co-CEO is Mellody Hobson, a Denver NWSL alternate governor and minority investor in the Denver Broncos
- FirstTracks Sports Ventures, a branch of Denver-based venture capital firm FirstTracks Ventures
- Neelima Joshi & Dhiren Jhaveri, Colorado residents and pioneering minority owners of NBA and WNBA franchises. Neelima has served on the board for several Colorado nonprofits, including her current position with Food Bank of the Rockies. Dhiren is the founder of the global financial services platform Kuvare.
- Molly Coors, who spent 14 years with the investment management firm AllianceBernstein and is married to David Coors, a fifth-generation member of the Coors family and an executive with the beverage giant
- Mikaela Shiffrin, the most accomplished alpine skier of all time who is now involved in several philanthropic efforts
- Peyton Manning, the NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl 50 champion with the Broncos
Read more on the ownership group at the Denver NWSL website.
The City of Denver is moving forward with plans to invest $70 million up front to build a 14,500-seat NWSL stadium at Santa Fe Yards, an investment the city and the club say is the largest ever in a women’s pro sports team. Last month, Denver7’s Brandon Richard dug into whether that cost will be worth it to taxpayers. Read his reporting here.
Denver NWSL has gained instant traction with the city’s prospective women’s soccer fanbase, selling 10,000 season ticket deposits at a league-record pace.
Two brothers who were involved in the 2024 drive-by shooting death of a man outside the Downtown Aquarium in Denver were sentenced to serve decades in prison.
Antonio Vasquez, 21, and Jason Trujillo, Jr., 19, were sentenced on Friday to 40 years and 20 years, respectively, in state prison. Both brothers pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and a number of charges, including first-degree murder, were dropped as a result.
Vasquez, who was 19 at the time of the shooting, fired the weapon that killed 19-year-old Dacien Salazar over two years ago, according to investigators. Trujillo, who was 17 at the time, drove the car.
“Dacien Salazar’s murder was not just a tragedy for his friends and family, it was a crime that shocked countless Denver residents — a shooting in broad daylight in a busy public place,” Denver District Attorney John Walsh said in a statement on Friday. “Today’s sentences ensure that Antonio Vasquez and Jason Trujillo will pay a heavy price for their cold-blooded actions.”
The shooting occurred on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2024, outside the popular aquarium near Interstate 25 and Water Street.
Given the location of the shooting, and before police knew if it was random or targeted, a large police presence was seen at the aquarium soon after the 911 calls came in.
Salazar was taken to the hospital but later died of his injuries, according to Denver police. After the shooting, the brothers took off southwest, toward the REI store, and investigators worked to develop information about the suspects.
Salazar was at the aquarium with two other people. The three left Pueblo earlier in the day and got to the aquarium around 2 p.m. that day, a witness told investigators. They left about an hour later, and as they were walking back to the car they came in, a black Chevrolet sedan pulled up and a person, later identified as Vasquez, was in the back seat with a black ski mask on and started shooting.
Salazar was the only person struck by gunfire that afternoon.
One of Salazar’s friends told police that Salazar “had a lot of people that were after him.” That person’s name was redacted in a 10-page arrest report, as was the rest of the paragraph after that claim.
One person interviewed by police told a detective that they saw threats against him on Facebook, made by Trujillo and three other people, whose names were redacted. Screenshots of the threats were also fully redacted in the arrest report.
Forensic investigators say they matched the ammunition used in a shooting in Pueblo, allegedly involving at least one of the suspects, to the one used to kill Salazar. Many details surrounding the Pueblo shooting were redacted, but the report says that .223-caliber rifle ammo was recovered from both scenes.
Court records don’t show any criminal cases out of Pueblo for either brother, aside from a 2022 traffic ticket for Vasquez.
Investigators went through traffic camera footage near the shooting and found the car that matched wintesses’ description and saw it had a temporary license plate. Detectives traced the ownership of the car back to a Pueblo address and then honed in on a cellphone that pinged cell towers in Pueblo, Littleton, and Denver during the time before, during, and after the shooting.
They traced the movement of the car and phone to a hotel — although the exact hotel’s name is redacted from the arrest report — and got security camera footage, which detectives say showed Vasquez and Trujillo leaving and returning to the hotel before and after the shooting.
They were arrested in early May, formally charged on May 8 — both as adults — and held on a $1 million cash-only bond.
During the NFL Combine, we learned the Denver Broncos plan to tender exclusive rights free- agent running back Tyler Badie. Fast forward to Friday, and the Broncos are taking care of business with two other exclusive rights free agents.
9NEWS‘ Mike Klis broke the news that Denver will tender safety Devon Key and rush linebacker Dondrea Tillman. The ERFA tender is priced at $1.075 million for 2026.
“Per source, [the] Broncos have agreements to bring back exclusive rights free agent safety/All-Pro special teamer Devon Key and fellow ERFA OLB Dondrea Tillman, who had 4.0 sacks and 2 INTs (with impressive returns) last year,” Klis posted on X.
Most ERFA decisions are a matter of course, but not always. In the case of Key and Tillman, it’s a no-brainer.
Key’s Resume
Key set a new franchise record last season with 26 special-teams tackles, leading the league and garnering first-team All-Pro honors. It was the first All-Pro recognition of his young career. He became the first player in Broncos history to make the A.P. All-Pro Team as a special teamer.
Key also forced a fumble and appeared in all 17 regular-season games. Key’s new franchise record eclipsed Keith Burns’ long-held mark of 24 special-teams tackles (2000, 03). Key was snubbed in the Pro Bowl vote, but the A.P. helped offset that.
With P.J. Locke’s pending departure into unrestricted free agency, the Broncos could view Key as the natural safety to step into the No. 3 role behind Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones. Key is a very talented player, and he’s developed nicely since arriving on Denver’s practice squad back in 2022.
Tillman’s Path to Denver
Tillman arrived in Denver as a college free agent in 2024, technically, even though he’d been playing professional ball in the UFL. As a ‘rookie,’ he notched five sacks as a backup.
Last season, Tillman co-led the team with two interceptions, making a name for himself as a runner after the catch, picking up 59 return yards, including a long of 36. He finished his second NFL season with 41 tackles (13) solo, four sacks, three tackles for a loss, and three passes defensed.
Not bad for the No. 4 rush linebacker on the depth chart. Tillman and Jonah Elliss have served as the primary backups to Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, and they’ve done well to ensure that when the starters leave the field, the pass-rushing show goes on.
Tillman is only 27 years old and he has a bright NFL future ahead of him. After this season, he’ll be a restricted free agent. If he continues on his current trajectory, the Broncos might opt to re-sign him instead of tendering him, but that decision won’t be made for another year.
Tillman might become to expensive to keep, if he keeps it up.
About Jordan Jackson
Besides Badie, whom, again, the Broncos reportedly plan on tendering, defensive lineman Jordan Jackson is also an ERFA. Considering the price tag, Jordan might be the relatively rare exception and go un-tendered.
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