Defender Steven Birnbaum became the Black-and-Red's 15th player to reach 10,000 regular season minutes played during Saturday's 1-1 draw at Montreal. A regular in United's back line since coming to the District in 2014, last weekend's milestone was Birnbaum's second of the year, as he also reached 100 regular season games played when he started on March 31 at Sporting Kansas City.
Since beginning his professional career, Birnbaum has flourished in the District, growing in to one of the league's most aerially-deft center backs. The defender's physicality and vision have made him a mainstay in United's starting lineup, as Birnbaum has now featured in 120 MLS matches, all for the Black-and-Red. This season, Birnbaum has started every match for the club, earning an 80% successful tackle rate and tallying 106 clearances and 57 headed clearances.
Plenty of accolades have followed for the Californian over the years, from being named an MLS Rookie of the Year finalist in 2014, to making his international debut with the U.S. Men's National Team in 2015, to being named an MLS All-Star in 2016.
Now Birnbaum joins an elite mix of current and former Black-and-Red players who have also surpassed 10,000 regular season minutes for the District. Head coach Ben Olsen (17,098 minutes), fellow defender Nick DeLeon (13,118 minutes), Homegrown goalkeeper Bill Hamid (16,359 minutes), and legends Jaime Moreno and Marco Etcheverry (25,276 minutes and 16,304 minutes, respectively) are a sampling of the club icons Birnbaum joins in the 10,000 minutes club.
With the 10,000 minute mark behind him, Birnbaum continues to press forward, more concerned with the team's success than any personal accomplishments. And as the Black-and-Red look ahead to the final three months of the regular season loaded with home matches at Audi Field, Birnbaum and his teammates are hungry to make a late run in the standings through their fiery attack and a surge in defensive fortitude at home.
