At no point in Steven Birnbaum’s pregame routine did the retiring defender let on that D.C. United’s 4-0 loss to Scottish power Celtic on Saturday night at Audi Field would be the final appearance of a decorated 11-year career in the nation’s capital.
Birnbaum led United out of the tunnel, walking hand in hand with his 4-year-old daughter, Colette, and his 3-year-old son, Brooks. He stayed on his toes during the national anthem, bobbing and swaying to loosen his legs. The 33-year-old greeted Celtic captain Matt O’Riley for the coin toss, then stripped off the white No. 15 T-shirt that every D.C. player was donning in Birnbaum’s honor. Taking his customary spot at the heart of United’s back line, Birnbaum zigzagged as if bracing for a game full of quick cuts, then crouched and hopped as if preparing for a long night of contested headers.
“I wanted to go through everything that I would have done before a normal game,” said Birnbaum, who announced his early retirement this past week. “I’m extremely superstitious when I play.”
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Goalkeeper Alex Bono added: “I was like: ‘Damn, Steve might go out there and play 90 minutes today. He looks like he’s in the mood for it.’”
But as United played the kickoff backward and promptly fired the ball out of bounds, the happy pretense evaporated and reality reigned. For as much as Birnbaum would have loved to roam Audi Field for a final 90 minutes — or 45 or 10 or two — his troublesome hip and knee wouldn’t have it. So Birnbaum made his planned exit seconds into the exhibition, exchanging hearty hugs with his teammates and applauding the fans who propped up a “Thanks Captain” banner in his honor.
The No. 2 draft pick out of California in 2014, Birnbaum made 275 appearances for D.C. — good for third in club history — over a career that included a 2016 all-star nod and 11 U.S. national team caps. Having missed the start of the season following February knee surgery, Birnbaum logged just six matches before deciding to hang up his cleats. Irreparable cracks, it turned out, had appeared in the longtime iron man’s armor. In three weeks, he will undergo hip replacement surgery.
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After removing the captain’s armband and handing it to his replacement, Lucas Bartlett, Birnbaum embraced Coach Troy Lesesne, hoisted his daughter as she rushed into his arms and disappeared into the D.C. bench. He already was in street clothes by the time he resurfaced to address the fans during a halftime ceremony. “I gave everything I had on the field,” he told the announced 18,590 in attendance. Signing off for good, he exclaimed, “¡Vamos United!”
“Someone that does this much and has done this much for the club, we have to honor them in the right way,” Lesesne said. “He has always given everything he has, even whenever he’s in pain.”
One of us 🖤❤️ pic.twitter.com/qNOYBJ0Jab
— D.C. United (@dcunited) July 21, 2024
The friendly arrived three days after United (6-11-8) entered a month-long hiatus from regular season action with a last-gasp 3-2 win at Minnesota. On Wednesday, defender Aaron Herrera and striker Christian Benteke will participate in the MLS All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio. United then will open the Leagues Cup — a tournament featuring every team from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX — with a game at Atlanta on Friday.
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Despite a slew of lunging saves by third-string goalkeeper Luis Zamudio, a makeshift D.C. squad couldn’t keep up with Celtic. O’Riley opened the scoring with a point-blank strike in the 25th minute. Seven minutes later, he doubled his tally by slotting a Zamudio rebound into an empty net. Mikey Johnston converted a 65th-minute tap-in before James Forrest capped the scoring with a counterattack goal four minutes later.
Yet the evening still belonged to a player on the losing team who never touched the ball.
“I was ready for tonight to happen to have that kind of closure and a send-off where I feel good about everything I’ve done for the club and just happy with my career and to honor my family,” said Birnbaum, who was joined at halftime by his wife, Jeanne, and mother, Peggy Schmidt. “Tonight was really about them and them enjoying the experience. It’s been overwhelming.”
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Here’s what else to know about United’s loss:
Debuts and injuries
Midseason signings David Schnegg, an Austrian left back, and Dominique Badji, a Senegalese forward, logged 58 minutes apiece in their first appearances after the MLS transfer window opened Thursday. Lesesne’s lineup also included academy player Graham Jones, a University of Virginia commit who spent the preseason with United.
But a thin D.C. squad also suffered injury setbacks. Kristian Fletcher, an attacker playing for the first time in more than a month because of an ankle issue, exited in the fifth minute after suffering an apparent right hamstring injury. And Zamudio gave way to rookie Nathan Crockford — who denied Johnston’s 78th-minute penalty kick — after going down with an apparent leg injury early in the second half.
Celtic kicks off tour
The friendly marked the start of the preseason for a Celtic team that won its 54th Scottish league title this past season (and 12th in the past 13 campaigns). Celtic will continue its U.S. tour against Manchester City on Tuesday in Chapel Hill, N.C., and Chelsea next Saturday in South Bend, Ind.
Celtic, which played a mix of starters and reserves, held out newly signed Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and American defender Cameron Carter-Vickers after they played at the European Championship and Copa América.
“Physically we put the work in, and mentally we had a notion to really attack the game,” Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers said. “It was a really nice step for us tonight.”
