When D.C. United captain Steven Birnbaum underwent knee surgery in early February — less than three weeks before the season opener — he figured to miss about four matches. Months passed, however, without the bearded center back, in the No. 15 black and red jersey he has worn since debuting 11 years ago, marshaling the back line.
Birnbaum had experienced setbacks in his recovery, none that required an additional procedure but significant enough to delay his return.
“It’s hard to explain,” the 33-year-old said Thursday. “The recovery just took a lot longer than I expected to feel like I was able to do soccer movements.”
After watching nine matches from the stands or home, Birnbaum joined the game-day squad April 27 against Seattle and made his 2024 debut last Saturday as a late substitute against Philadelphia — his 249th regular season appearance, ranking third in club history behind Jaime Moreno (340) and Bill Hamid (279).
Aside from the preseason opener in Saudi Arabia, Birnbaum had not appeared in a competitive setting since October. His lungs were not ready for it.
“Kind of gassing through the first five to 10 minutes,” he said with a smile.
Birnbaum is scheduled to travel to his first away match Saturday against Atlanta (3-4-3) and remain on call in case United (3-3-5) needs defensive reinforcement. Lucas Bartlett and Christopher McVey have started all season, and Matti Peltola joined the back line last week to create a three-man formation.
Birnbaum’s brief debut was “a good jumping-off point,” Coach Troy Lesesne said.
“But by no means should you expect he’s going to start the next match or play 45 minutes or 90 minutes,” Lesesne said. “We’re going to try to build him in the right way.”
Lesesne added that Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s artificial turf is not conducive to a player returning from a knee injury. He also noted the opportune timing of Birnbaum’s return as United enters a stretch of six games in 22 days, including a May 18 showdown in South Florida with Lionel Messi and league-leading Inter Miami.
“Anytime you go through surgery or any type of injury, it’s going to be an up-and-down recovery,” Birnbaum said. “This one was just a lot tougher on me than I think really anyone expected. You become fonder of the game when you’re away from it, and so you get more antsy to get back in with the group.”
Though United’s other center backs have performed well, Birnbaum’s daily presence was missed.
“When I see him coming back, it means soon I will have to give him back” the captain’s armband, top scorer Christian Benteke joked. In Birnbaum’s absence, the Belgian striker has captained the squad.
“I’m really happy because Steve is a good pro; he’s a leader,” Benteke added. “The good thing is he will have to push himself because [McVey and Bartlett] are doing well, and so now it’s a competition.”
Upon his hiring in January, Lesesne said he quickly appreciated Birnbaum’s importance to the locker room and hunger to get the organization back on track after missing the playoffs four consecutive years.
“He’s desperate to get this club into a winning position [and] be a part of a winner as he comes into the latter part of his career,” Lesesne said. “I say ‘desperate’ because he was desperate to get back to training; he’s a competitor. This guy wants to win, and that was the first impression for me and now we have that every day in training.”
After battling multiple injuries last year — and starting just 20 of 34 games — Birnbaum said he worked hard over the winter to “get my body right.”
His knee began to give him trouble before United’s preseason trip to Saudi Arabia. He played in one game there and realized “it was not going to be sustainable,” prompting an early return stateside for surgery.
“To have that setback happen with a new coach, a new general manager [Ally Mackay], a new look for D.C., was really tough on me because you want to make a great first impression,” Birnbaum said. “What I really wanted was to have my body healthy for the year. That was the biggest thing mentally that was frustrating: ‘Man, this has already happened? I haven’t even played a game yet.’ ”
The extended recovery, though, did allow for additional time with his wife, Jeanne, and their two young children, who, because of their father’s absence, have yet to attend a match this season.
“My wife’s been happy I’ve been home this whole time, but I’m eager to get back with the guys,” Birnbaum said. “You do a lot of bonding on these road trips. It’s my chance to kind of get to know some of the guys a little bit better … and the on-the-field stuff then comes through that.”
