Since childhood, D.C. United‘s Ulises Segura has hungered to broaden his horizons.

While advancing his pro soccer career, one that carried him from one national capital to another this winter, the defensive midfielder has been pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

“Growing up, I would open my PlayStation controllers,” he said through an interpreter this week, “and see what was inside.”

This spring, Segura is honing in on an additional side venture: the Costa Rican World Cup squad in Russia. He has received regular call-ups — and occasional starting assignments — since making his senior debut 15 months ago and carries a strong case for inclusion on Coach Oscar Ramirez’s 23-man final list next month.

Segura, 24, is the only United player in contention for World Cup duty and is among seven MLS-based Costa Ricans in the program’s player pool. Only Panama boasts as many league players in the mix to go to Russia.

Asked whether he has been thinking about the World Cup, Segura smiled and said, “Since the start of the year.”

In anticipation of Ramirez’s decision, he added, “The list comes out soon, so the next couple [MLS] games, I want to play as well as I can to be considered.”

Segura made an impression in his most recent United match, scoring on a one-time blast 43 seconds into a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Crew on April 14 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. It was the third-quickest goal in D.C. history and helped end a nine-game winless streak, dating from last season. He likely will make his sixth start for United (1-3-2) on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union (1-3-2) in Chester, Pa.

D.C. Coach Ben Olsen will make the most of Segura’s offerings until the possible World Cup trip, which would pull him away beginning sometime in late May and cost him at least three MLS matches. (The league will go dark during the group stage but scheduled games in the buildup to the tournament and during the knockout rounds.)

Segura has yet to find his full stride since his transfer from Costa Rican power Saprissa in December. Olsen described him as a “work in progress but with a huge upside. There is a lot more to him once he figures out this league and the consistency and the high level he needs to be at each play and each week.”

The demands of the respective leagues, Olsen added, are playing a part.

“Sometimes in Costa Rica, there are big moments, a few [league] games a year that are very, very important,” Olsen said. “At times, you get away with some things over there because you don’t have to sustain the highest level.”

Said Segura: “Defending in this league is much different than how I did with my former team. I have had to change my mentality and learn some new things, adapt my play.”

A native of Costa Rica’s Central Valley, Segura rose through Saprissa’s academy in San Jose. He won three league championships with the first team and started regularly between August 2015 and December 2017.

Along the way, Segura caught the eye of the national team and debuted in the 2017 Copa Centroamericana. In all, he has been in uniform for 16 matches, starting three and entering as a sub four times. Last month, in the final friendlies before rosters are selected, Segura did not play against Scotland and logged the last 33 minutes against Tunisia.

“There have been games in the past year where I think I have shown pretty well,” he said. “I have faith I am going to be on the [roster] list, but there’s also that little bit of doubt that I won’t make it.”

Back home, his family values both soccer and education. Segura’s stepfather is a gynecologist and his mother is a pharmacist. His brother is a cardiologist and his sister is a physiotherapist.

Segura said he is less than a year from earning his degree in electrical engineering from San Jose’s Fidelitas University. After juggling soccer and studies during his Saprissa tenure, he looked into taking exams at the Costa Rican embassy in Washington. But that would’ve required transferring credits to another school. So for now, he’ll focus on athletic pursuits.

“Mom always supported me playing soccer and knew it was my priority but never let me stop or forget about studying,” he said. “She would say, ‘If you don’t do this, you’re not going to play football.’ I wanted to play football, so I always studied.”

Soccer notes: The Washington Spirit (1-2-1) returns to action at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Chicago Red Stars (2-1-2) for an NWSL match at Maryland SoccerPlex. Washington’s Yanara Aedo returns from helping Chile earn its first Women’s World Cup berth, while Spirit teammate Estefania Banini is back from Argentine duty. Chicago’s Sam Kerr, the 2017 NWSL leading scorer and MVP while with New Jersey-based Sky Blue, guided Australia to its seventh consecutive slot.

D.C. United at Philadelphia Union

Where: Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pa.

When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

TV: UniMas.

Records: United 1-3-2, 5 points; Union 1-3-2, 5 points.

D.C. probable starters: GK Steve Clark; Ds Nick DeLeon, Steve Birnbaum, Frederic Brillant, Joseph Mora; MFs Zoltan Stieber, Chris Durkin, Ulises Segura, Luciano Acosta, Yamil Asad; F Patrick Mullins.

Philadelphia probable starters: GK Andre Blake; Ds Keegan Rosenberry, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Raymon Gaddis; MFs Haris Medunjanin, Alejandro Bedoya, Ilsinho, Borek Dockal, David Accam; F C.J. Sapong.