Battered by injuries that will require knee and hip replacements and that have left him unable to keep up with his children, Birnbaum on Tuesday announced his retirement from soccer. He last played June 1.
United will honor him at Saturday’s home friendly against Scottish champion Celtic.
The captain since 2017, Birnbaum will step away with 275 appearances, trailing only Jaime Moreno (386) and Bill Hamid (297) in United history. He played in eight playoff games and the 2016 MLS All-Star Game.
His U.S. national team career from 2015 to 2017 featured 11 appearances, including starts in two World Cup qualifiers and a place on the 2016 Copa América squad.
“There were options to keep getting more shots, but the knee kept swelling and the hip was flaring up again,” Birnbaum said. “There were times I couldn’t walk after games and practices.”
About six weeks ago, he knew he had reached the end. Making his sixth appearance of the year following preseason knee surgery, Birnbaum started against Toronto FC but did not return for the second half.
“It was hard to walk down the stairs [from field level] to the locker room,” he said. “Right there, it kind of hit me. … I took some time with the family and was sitting in the MRI machine again, thinking I didn’t want to keep getting more needles stuck in me to just kind of patch things up. It just wasn’t worth it to me anymore.”
The ailments were affecting his ability not just to play soccer but to go about daily life with wife Jeanne, daughter Colette, 4, and son Brooks, 3.
“She wants me to be happy. She wants me to be healthy,” Birnbaum said of his wife. “And that was the biggest thing. I didn’t want to be in pain every day. Just doing normal stuff around the house, I couldn’t really do. There would be days after a game I didn’t really want to get out of bed because I was in too much pain. And so it came to that time where it made the most sense for my family. Yeah, now we’re here.”
The second pick of the 2014 draft, the former California standout was a starting fixture (when healthy) since the fourth month of his MLS rookie season. With Jeff Parke sidelined by vertigo, Birnbaum made his debut not at RFK Stadium or Audi Field but FedEx Field, where United and the Columbus Crew were the undercard of a doubleheader headlined by the Spanish national team preparing for the World Cup in Brazil.
He played every minute of the 2018 campaign and all but 28 in 2019.
“It has been rewarding to watch him grow over the last 11 years as a player and person,” United chief executive Jason Levien said in a statement. “He has been a pillar in our back line and more importantly he has been an exceptional leader and human being in our community.”
Injuries, though, took their toll. Left ankle surgery sidelined Birnbaum for six months in 2021, his left hip began giving him problems, and the left knee was a persistent issue.
This preseason, Birnbaum said he was physically fit and excited to begin work under new coach Troy Lesesne. When camp opened, though, he reinjured his knee. Surgery figured to sideline him for four to six matches, but complications kept him out several additional weeks.
After two appearances as a sub, Birnbaum started four consecutive matches, the last three in an eight-day span. His knee had nothing left to give.
“There’s no cartilage, no meniscus. It’s bone on bone,” he said. “It was to the point where I couldn’t put two training sessions together.”
Reflecting on his career, Birnbaum listed some of his favorite memories:
His U.S. debut in a friendly in Chile.
His U.S. goal against Iceland.
Facing Lionel Messi and Argentina in the 2016 Copa América semifinals in Houston.
Being part of Audi Field’s groundbreaking and inaugural match in 2018 alongside Wayne Rooney, United’s star striker who later served as coach. (The pair became close friends and golfing buddies.)
Seeing his kids in the stands, wearing United jerseys, and walking his daughter onto the field before one match.
“This obviously came sooner than what I expected,” he said. “I thought I’d be playing for a little bit longer and have some more years to figure it out. As of now, I’m just trying to enjoy this time with my family and get my bearings straight and my head right to prepare for the next phase or whatever that may be.”