Just because Greg Garza isn’t practicing or playing games with teammates doesn’t mean he’s any less busy. If anything, he might event have less free time then he did during a regularly-scheduled season.
Garza had his third child two weeks ago. At a time when medical and political leaders urge us to stay home and spend time with loved ones, that’s meant Garza has been able to spend more time with his family than normal – and he appreciates every second.
“The most important thing right now is to spend the most time with loved ones,” the left back said last week during a conference call. “I just had a newborn, so that’s been the positive with this whole thing. Spending more time with the newborn as much as possible and being there for moments that maybe, in other times with my children, I wasn’t there for because of being in season.”
It’s pretty common for FC Cincinnati players, coaches and staff to have babies, but it’s difficult for players who travel virtually every other weekend.
Earlier this offseason, strength and conditioning coach Austin Berry was with the team in Tucson, Arizona, when flew home early to witness the birth of his first child, Lilly Newton Berry.
Head of goalkeeping Jack Stern and his wife Beth are expecting the birth of their first child – a son – any day now.
In December 2018, former FCC player Victor Ulloa was traded from FC Dallas to Cincinnati, and his wife had baby Luca the next day. During 2019 preseason training, Ulloa and Roland Lamah were given time to visit their families in Dallas, where their wives raised their children while they were gone.
And there’s no doubt that Garza wouldn’t be busier if the MLS regular season was still underway.
While FCC was scheduled to be off this past weekend, they were expected to play three road matches – at the New England Revolution, Orlando City SC and the Philadelphia Union – between now and when the season is set to resume May 16 at Toronto FC.
But with the season on hold, Garza and his teammates are adjusting to their new normals that don’t include matchdays and training sessions at the Mercy Health Training Center.
“I was able to spend a few days with my newborn,” he said. “Now, I'm trying to get myself into a daily routine to where I feel that I can wake up and still do trainings. I still go out for runs and with the help Austin and (director of sports performance Gary Walker), they give us examples and things to do with our time.”
