Birnbaum's Late Winner

On This Day in 2016, the Center-Back Heads Home Late Winner in a Friendly Victory over Iceland

The call came suddenly for Steve Birnbaum. After just one national team appearance in January 2015, the D.C. United defender had spent nearly a year away from the U.S. setup before Jurgen Klinsmann found himself short on defenders ahead of the 2016 January camp.

"I got the call Friday morning, and they said, can you be in on Monday," Birnbaum recalled. "I said, 'Yeah. I'm in Irvine. I'll just drive up.'"

The timing was critical. After a difficult 2015 that saw the U.S. fail to reach the Gold Cup final for the first time in 12 years and lose a Confederations Cup playoff to Mexico, Klinsmann entered 2016 facing mounting pressure. With World Cup qualifying, Olympic qualifying against Colombia, and the Copa America ahead, the German coach needed fresh energy in his aging squad.

That short drive to Carson would prove momentous. When Brad Evans departed at halftime with a hamstring injury during the January 31 friendly against Iceland, Birnbaum seized his opportunity. Early in the second half, he rose above two defenders to head Jozy Altidore's cross to Michael Orozco, who nodded home to make it 2-2.

But Birnbaum wasn't finished. In the final minute of regulation, after substitute Jerome Kiesewetter's pace drew a free kick in a dangerous position, Michael Bradley delivered a curling ball toward the far post. Birnbaum met it perfectly, powering home a header for his first international goal to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory.

The win helped kickstart Klinsmann's youth movement, as seven players under 26 featured that day. "Our intention is to transition to the next generation," Klinsmann said after the match. "And give them as much support and as much patience and time as we can."

For the 25-year-old Birnbaum, who considered himself "a middle guy" despite just his second cap, the winner offered hope of a permanent place in the squad. Yet the path forward remained challenging. When World Cup qualifying resumed in March, Klinsmann would have four World Cup veterans and two Premier League center-backs available. His versatility on the wing could prove crucial.

"I wanted to improve and to be in the mix for the national team constantly. I wanted to prove something to them, that I should be here," Birnbaum said. "And hopefully, I'm going to keep doing that."

That determination earned him another chance days later against Canada, as Birnbaum started the match and went the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 win. Birnbaum had made his case, turning an emergency call-up into a moment of magic that would help earn him a spot on the 2016 Copa America Centenario roster and in World Cup qualifying matches later that year before earning his final US caps in the January camp in 2017.