Jan. 12, 2012

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BERKELEY - California junior defender Steve Birnbaum earned the second Jewish Sports Review All-America first-team honor of his career after a strong performance in the 2011 season, the publication announced this month.

A talented center back, Birnbaum garnered All-Pac-12 first-team honors after the fall campaign. More recently, he played every minutes of the U.S. team's run to the championship game of the Pan American Maccabi Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Birnbaum scored in a 4-1 semifinal win over Venezuela before the United States ultimately lost to host Brazil, 2-1, in the Jan. 2 final.

The Cal co-captain - who likewise was a Jewish Sports Review First-Team All-American in 2010 - also earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention in 2011.