Steve Birnbaum’s goal lifts U.S. soccer team past Iceland 3-2 in a game with a futuristic feel

The recent past wasn’t kind to the U.S. soccer team. And the present is still a work in progress.

But the future could be bright if Sunday’s 3-2 win over Iceland at a chilly and rain-soaked StubHub Center is any indication.

The winning goal came from D.C. United’s Steve Birnbaum on a header in the final minute of regulation time, getting the U.S. off to a winning start in 2016 after it stumbled to the finish line in 2015.

“It’s a new year,” shrugged midfielder Ethan Finlay.

Of more significance, though, is that the goal was Birnbaum’s first in international play and came in just his second international appearance, providing a powerful push for Coach Juergen Klinsmann’s effort to revitalize his aging national team.

“The younger guys are here to compete and they’re looking very good,” the Galaxy’s Gyasi Zardes said. “As young guys we’re trying to learn a lot of from those older guys. But at the same time we’re pushing those older guys.”

In some cases, pushing them out.

“Our intention is to transition to the next generation,” Klinsmann said . “And give them as much support and as much patience and time as we can.”

He got a good start on that Sunday, when he used seven players younger than 26. Eight of the 16 men who played against Iceland have fewer than nine appearances for the national team, including four who made their senior debuts.

Most left a good impression.

Kellyn Acosta, at 20 the youngest player on the roster, overcame some early jitters to play a solid game at left back in his first senior team debut.

“He really played liked he belonged on this team,” Klinsmann said. “You see an individual performance like [that] from Kellyn, that is really encouraging.”

Then there were Jerome Kiesewetter and Jordan Morris, who entered the game together in the 75th minute and provided an immediate spark. Kiesewetter had a pair of deft crosses that nearly led to goals — including one deep in the box that was just a half-step ahead of fast-closing Morris — before using his speed to draw the foul that set up the winning goal.

On the ensuing free kick, Michael Bradley lofted a curling pass toward the far post for Birnbaum, who nodded it home, capping a comeback that saw the U.S. twice erase one-goal deficits.

The first came in the 13th minute when Kristinn Steindorsson took advantage of a poor clearance by U.S. defender Matt Besler to open the scoring for Iceland. Aron Sigurdarson got his team’s other goal three minutes into the second half, snapping a 1-1 tie with a nifty left-footed finish.

Jozy Altidore scored the first U.S. goal in the 20th minute after Bradley took a one-touch pass from Zardes and pushed it ahead to Altidore, who finished with a soft chip shot for his 32nd international goal.

Early in the second half Birnbaum, a halftime substitution, rose above two defenders to head an Altidore pass across the goal to a wide-open Michael Orozco, who headed it in to tie the score, 2-2.

Afterward Birnbaum placed himself on the bridge between young prospects and the old veterans on Klinsmann’s roster.

“I’m a middle guy,” he said. “But it’s only my second camp, so I kind of feel like a young guy.”

Zardes too. At 24, he’s definitely young. Yet after playing in a team-high 19 games last season, he’s a veteran too.

And he’s looking forward, not back.

“I’m excited for what’s to come,” he said.