Steve Birnbaum
 Steve Birnbaum playing for D.C. United (Photo: Simon Heseltine) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven Mitchell Birnbaum | ||
| Date of birth | January 23, 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Newport, California, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | D.C. United | ||
| Number | 15 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Patedores | |||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2013 | California Golden Bears | 72 | (12) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Orange County Blue Star | 7 | (0) |
| 2014– | D.C. United | 79 | (5) |
| 2014 | → Richmond Kickers (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2008–2009 | United States U18 | ||
| 2008 | United States U20 | ||
| 2015– | United States | 11 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of May 31, 2017. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of February 3, 2017 | |||
Steven Mitchell "Steve" Birnbaum[1] (born January 23, 1991) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for D.C. United and the United States men's national soccer team.
Early life
Birnbaum was born in Newport, California.[2][3] His mother is Peggy (Schmidt) Birnbaum.[4] He completed high school early at Northwood High School at age 17.[5]
Career
Youth and college
Birnbaum played in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy for Southern California club Pateadores. He played five years of college soccer at the University of California, Berkeley between 2009 and 2013, though redshirted the 2012 season.[6] While at college, Birnbaum also appeared for USL PDL club Orange County Blue Star in 2010 and 2011.[7]
In 2012, he won a silver medal with the U.S. team in the 2012 Pan American Maccabi Games in Brazil.[3][5]
Professional
Birnbaum was selected in the first round (2nd overall) of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft on January 14, 2014 by D.C. United.[8] He was loaned out to their USL Pro affiliate Richmond Kickers in March 2014, making his professional debut on April 5, 2014 in a 3–1 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.[9]
Following an injury to Jeff Parke, Birnbaum became United's starting center back alongside Bobby Boswell. Birnbaum was named a finalist for the 2014 MLS Rookie of the Year, but lost to Tesho Akindele.[10] Birnbaum scored his first goal for United on February 26, 2015, in a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal leg against Alajuelense. In 2016, Birnbaum was the subject of several rumors regarding a possible tranfser to Europe, with Maccabi Tel Aviv mentioned as one possible destination.[11]
International
Birnbaum played for the United States U18 and United States U20 national teams in 2008.[12]
Birnbaum debuted for the United States men's national soccer team on January 28, 2015.[13] His first goal for the USMNT was a 90th-minute winner versus Iceland on January 31, 2016, a game in which he had already provided an equalizing assist to Michael Orozco to make it 2-2.[14]
Statistics
College
| School | Season | NCAA Regular Season | NCAA Tournament | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| California | 2009 | Div. I | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| 2010 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| 2011 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | ||
| 2012 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2013 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 10 | ||
| NCAA Total | 69 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 12 | ||
Club
- As of April 24, 2017.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| D.C. United | 2014 | MLS | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Richmond Kickers (loan) | 2014 | USL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| D.C. United | 2015 | MLS | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 31 | 3 |
| 2016 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 3 | ||
| 2017 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 10 | 0 | |||
| Career totals | 80 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 96 | 5 | ||
International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | January 31, 2016 | StubHub Center, Carson, California |  Iceland | | 3–2 | Friendly |
International
| United States men's national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 8 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 1 |
References
- ↑ "NOMADS Soccer Club". nomadssoccer.org.
- ↑ "Sports Shorts," Jewish Sports Review, Volume 9, Number 11, Issue 107, Page 19, January/February 2015.
- 1 2 "Steve Birnbaum Biography". calbears.com.
- ↑ http://www.irvinestrikers.com/news_article/show/368737?referrer_id=952813
- 1 2 "Steven Birnbaum". seniorclassaward.com.
- ↑ "Steve Birnbaum Biography". calbears.com.
- ↑ http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/780895.html
- ↑ "D.C. United selects Steven Birnbaum with 2nd overall pick in 2014 MLS SuperDraft". DC United.
- ↑ http://www.uslsoccer.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2:gp::72013+Elements/Display+E+47107+Stats/+4428813
- ↑ "Head Coach Ben Olsen, three D.C. United players named finalists for 2014 MLS awards". DC United.
- ↑ "Steve Birnbaum reportedly wants Maccabi Tel Aviv move", July 10, 2016.
- ↑
- ↑ "DCU's Birnbaum debuts for USMNT".
- ↑ Wire, SI. "USA defeats Iceland 3–2 on Birnbaum header".
External links
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