Playing in his first MLS match in more than a month, United defender Steven Birnbaum played 90 minutes in central defense against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday night.
Before the break, Birnbaum was having a solid season, starting and playing all 90 minutes in United’s first 11 matches. D.C. allowed only 10 goals while Birnbaum was on the field, less than 1 goal per match. Despite his long absence, he still leads United in aerial duels won at 65.6%.
Birnbaum enjoyed a good spell with the U.S. national team as they advanced to the tournament semifinals before being knocked out by Argentina. The 25-year-old made his 6th and 7th international appearances as a substitute during the knockout stages. He came on late to see out a 2-1 quarterfinal win over Ecuador and played the final 30 minutes of the semifinal against Lionel Messi and Argentina. "To get some minutes during those games was great," Birnbaum said. "Hopefully, I can take away some aspects of my own game that I need to work on, but all in all, it was a great learning experience."
Before Copa America, Birnbaum had been called up to two U.S. January camps, which give promising MLS players a chance to prove themselves with European-based players unavailable. He scored the game-winning goal (and his first international goal) on January 31 in a friendly against Iceland.
Birnbaum promises to be involved in national team conversations in the near future after strong showings at Copa America and in MLS. In only his third season, the United defender has quickly developed into one of the best defenders in MLS with his strength in the air and his superb defensive awareness. With the national team in need of depth at the center back position, Birnbaum has made a strong case to be included on upcoming rosters. For now, though, United fans are glad to see him return to the backline.
"Hopefully, I can come back into the side and contribute the same that everyone else has been," he said.
