“Atlanta means family,” – Josef Martinez

For Nick DiLuzio, he added another member to his family on that magical night of MLS Cup.

DiLuzio and his wife, Lexie, were expecting a little girl on December 26th. So the thought of her arriving as early as December 8th was far from his mind.

“It never crossed my mind she could potentially go into labor,” DiLuzio said.

Lexie told her husband to attend the match despite herself not feeling up to par. So DiLuzio went with his father instead, and as they entered the stadium ahead of kickoff, a nervous but excited Lexie called saying that she believed she was going into labor. His immediate reaction was to run right back out the Mercedes-Benz Stadium doors he had just walked into, but Lexie knew how much this night meant to her husband – she calmly told him to stay. Fifteen minutes into the first half, the doctor advised her to head to the hospital.

Again, Nick asked if he should leave. Again, Lexie told him to stay.

Lexie rushed to the hospital as Nick and his father cheered on the Five Stripes. Because of Lexie’s composure on the phone, Nick remained calm, certain his newborn wouldn’t arrive that night, while his father continued to press him the whole game.

“I hate to admit it, but it was our second child,” Nick laughs. “I think I would’ve have been more anxious and nervous if it was my first. I didn’t think she would show up that night. I wanted to be there for the Cup.”

Nick and his dad stayed until the end of the match. They soaked in the final moments of becoming MLS Champions, and enjoyed a hefty beer shower from fellow 17’s. After taking in the memories, Nick and his father packed up to head home.

Still in the car on the way back, Nick and his dad received THE phone call. Lexie was going into the labor that night. They turned around and sped straight to the hospital.

“At this point, it was 11 p.m,” Nick said. “I was texting my mother-in-law and making sure she didn’t go back into surgery. I’m telling my father to run red lights.”

Finally, they arrived to the hospital. Nick ran in, and the nurses – with faces of relief – told him they’d been waiting on him. Still drenched from the rain, a nurse found some scrubs for him to swap out his wardrobe.

After changing, while they prepared Lexie for the moment, Nick talked to the OB surgeon in the hallway about MLS Cup. He was an avid Atlanta United fan who had kept up with the match while at the hospital that night.

“He goes ‘we have to make sure she’s born on the 8th!’” Nick said. “It got to 11:50 p.m. He started kinda yelling at nurses and techs ‘we have to get this baby out!’”

Daniel Simms

Riley Macdonald

Dikembe Mutombo