DC Power FC is gearing up to start back up with the spring portion of the 2025-26 season, and they’ve been incredibly busy during the winter break. The number of roster moves they’ve made with additions, contract extensions, and saying goodbye to a couple of players has the club feeling confident they have the pieces in place to make a run for the playoffs. in the second half of the season.

Now with a year on the job, sporting director Steven Birnbaum has his feet underneath him and used the winter break to improve the team in the way he knows how, with an eye on making the playoffs where anything can happen. He took some time to speak with The District Press on the busy winter break, some of the challenges the team has overcome to prepare for the spring schedule, and what he’s learned in his year on the job. He also gave his thoughts on the recent news that DC Power would partner with Loudoun United to field a developmental team this year in the USL W League.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

District Press: You’ve made several roster moves, signing 4 players and saying goodbye to 2, while agreeing to contract extensions with a few players. What was the impetus behind the flurry of activity during this winter break?

Steven Birnbaum: Yeah, we’re always trying to improve the roster right now and [there’s] always going to be constant tweaking here and there, and where we can add in positions where we think we need additional support, we’re going to do it. I’m not afraid to make those changes. And we’ve added a number of players. We also said goodbye to a few, so it was maneuvering that in a way where we could create roster flexibility with those leaving and then being able to add some [others]. Some of those were contingent on those [departures].  So that’s really how we were able to do that.

And then in terms of re-signing, we’ve re-signed multiple players, I think we re-signed four, maybe five.  And so we’re really looking to build on the core of this group going forward. In this league there’s a lot of flexibility and [ability] to move if you’re six months out of your contract. It’s a little different than other leagues that have been around. So people can start talking [with other teams] and keep it going. But we really wanted to lock down some of our core players early on and make sure that we’re building around our foundational pieces. 

DP: What were the main points of emphasis in the moves that you made? Where did you want to get better?

SB: I think that we weren’t dynamic enough in the attack, and I think that’s really what drove a lot of these moves. And there’s potentially more to come, but right now I think we’re in a good place. We did solidify another player from [Lexington SC] that I think can help in the back line where we need. And [Justina Gaynor] is a versatile player that can play as a 6, as a center back, one of those players that we feel that you can really bring a value add to the group on the defensive line. 

We’ve made a few additions up front with Alyssa Walker, we signed Lexi Fraley and Hannah Richardson [also] coming over from Lexington. The two wingers [Lexi Fraley and Hannah Richardson] are fast, and we were missing a lot of pace and so we really wanted to add pace to the group. And then Alyssa just brings quality in front of the goal and a strong mentality. With Justina, she’s the one that can play multiple positions, and so having her kind of come in is a big value add to the group.  

How do the roster moves change how you play from what we saw in the fall? Are you worried about continuity in the first couple of matches with so many new players?

SB: Definitely. I mean, unfortunately, we had a really tough time training last week [due to the weather] and I think that was really difficult for the group, especially while we’re trying to integrate a lot of these new players. And so that’s part of it. We’re working through it. The team actually went down to Jacksonville early today so that they can actually train on a large field where the other teams have been training for a while and had games last week. So we’re a little bit behind the eight ball in terms of that just because of the weather. But, you know me, [the team’s] got a good grasp on it. There could be changes to the way we play, but I think we’re confident with the group that we have moving forward.  

DP: With the weather, is this something that adds to what you think about for next year with regards to ensuring you have training alternatives should the weather not cooperate?

SB: Yeah, I think we play it by ear. That’s how we’re going to do it. We obviously thought about that a lot this past week. I came [to DC Power] back in January [2025] and this somewhat happened last year, not as bad as it’s been right now. But yeah, we’re gonna have to work through this stuff, and it’s just part of being in this challenge. 

DP: Are there any moves left before the window closes? Currently, you’re at 22 players by my count.

SB: No, like I said, we’re willing to do whatever it takes right now. And we believe in this group. Omid [Namazi] believes in the group that we have. If there’s a few additions that can put us over the line, we’re not opposed to doing that as well. So, I don’t think [the group’s] ever solidified, especially in this league where you can tweak and do things here and there. So, no, we’re gonna see how it goes the first two games and we have a little bit of a break and then we’ll assess from there. 

DP: The team went down to Jacksonville today. Are they going to remain there through next weekend, or is that a play it by ear situation?

SB: Play it by ear, it’s unclear. We’re supposed to get more snow here, and depending on the [practice] fields up here, we’re going to have to assess that when that happens. But right now, the plan is for them to come back [between matches]. 

DP: With the team in Florida early ahead of their spring opener on Saturday against Sporting Jacksonville and the following weekend against Tampa Bay Sun, what do you think the team needs to do to get out to a fast start?

SB: We’ve got to win. If you’ve watched our games the first half of the season, I felt we were one of the better teams in the league. I really did. When we watched our games, we played some of the best teams in the league and we were right there and it was one costing mistake that either tied the game or lost it and we just couldn’t quite get over that finish line of winning these games. I think that we really performed well and were the better side on that day and just did not come out with the result. And that’s on the group to get over that hump and make that change moving forward. So yeah, getting wins under our belt alleviates a lot of pressure on us. We have a few games in hand on some of the people above us, but you got to put those points together.  

DP: I want to shift to the club at large. DC Power partnered with Loudoun United to have a developmental team that’s supposed to start this year in the USL W League. First of all, talk about how that partnership came about.

SB: Well, we train out of VA Revolution’s facility. And so we’re very tightly knit with them. We see them every day. They had the idea when they came in when VA Revolution took over Loudoun United that they wanted to have a W League team. And then we came into their facility a little bit after that and so it was like, “Hey, do you guys want to team up on this?” And we thought it would be a great idea for them and us to see some of the talent around the area and maybe cultivate that into the first team. And so that’s really where it came from. It’s mostly the proximity that was there and we have a great working relationship with them and enjoy being around them. And it just made the most sense for the announcement that the team was coming around.  

DP: The announcement listed that the team would be Loudoun United instead of DC Power. Can you tell us what went behind that decision given that Loudoun United is known as a men’s team and the women’s team brand might be viewed to be stronger with DC Power?

SB: Yeah, they’d already had this plan for a while. I think it was right when they got the team. And so we were going to start one [and asked], “Should we just have two?” That didn’t really make sense. They had already been much further down the road, and so us joining them and teaming up in force made sense.

DP: This time last year, you were juggling two jobs. Now you’re focused on this. What have you learned about yourself in this role over the past year?

SB: I’ve been excited about it, really. I’m so invested in this group. I feel like once you get yourself embedded in it, you’re really invested in it. You’re driving this thing and you want to make sure it succeeds. I care for this team and the club and I want to make it move forward in the right direction. That’s really what I’m trying to do. I’ve put a lot of effort into it and not just on the roster side, but also the things that people don’t see. I really care about this group and the club, and I’m enjoying being a part of this and seeing the women’s game grow.  

DP: What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had in this role so far?

SB: I think the challenges with [DC Power] has just been understanding the women’s game a little bit more. For myself, coming from MLS and knowing the different dynamics of player movement and how to sign players or what players are looking for, that whole aspect…I’m just getting up to speed with the women’s game. There’s just slight differences that you don’t realize until you’re in it to see how it works. Now that I got my footing, people know that I’m in this. I’m being contacted more by agents, by other teams, that type of thing. It just becomes a little bit easier once you’ve been in it a little bit longer and you get a better feel of the landscape.  

DP: My final question: What do you think are some of the things the club needs to do from the sporting side to continue to become sustainable and develop talent locally to feed that pipeline?

SB: Yeah, we’ve made a concerted effort to sign players who went to school around here. I think you see it with some of our UVA graduates and some of our Georgetown graduates and people who have grown up here. So, we are always targeting those types of players. Alyssa Walker’s family is from Maryland, so she wanted to come back here. And there’s people that want to be here, and so we want those players here. We’re looking for players that want to be here now. They have to be…quality players. But for us, we’re looking to tap into that market where they want to come back here and they want to be a part of this group.  

DC Power FC’s season resumes on the road this Saturday at 5:00pm ET when they face Sporting Jacksonville. Their first home match of the spring will be on March 12th against Dallas Trinity.