Since late March, when he shared news of his wife’s pregnancy by tucking a soccer ball under his shirt after scoring a goal, D.C. United defender Steven Birnbaum has had his eye on this weekend for the arrival of their first child.
Had United earned a home match — which the club would have done by beating a Cincinnati team that was down to nine men in the regular season finale — the anxiety level about the major work-family dynamic would have been minimized.
But United drew Cincinnati on Oct. 6 and now must play Saturday at Toronto.