D.C. United announced today that they have re-signed starting center back and 2016 MVP Steve Birnbaum to a multi-year contract, rumored to be four years. As we said earlier this week, retaining Birnbaum was an absolutely part of the team’s offseason plans, with Bobby Boswell getting older and Kofi Opare and Jalen Robinson battling for the third spot.
The USMNT center back has also been the source of rumors from abroad, with teams in Israel apparently pursuing him and rumors (later shot down by Bob Bradley himself) of interest from Swansea.
United general manager Dave Kasper had this to say about the deal:
Through his work ethic and unwavering competitiveness, Steve has developed into a top central defender in MLS.