Player Details
Name
Nat BorchersHeight
6' 2"Weight
174 lbsDate of Birth
4.13.1981 (43)Birthplace
Tucson, AZ USAPosition
Defender
Latest
Latest
Career Summary
Borchers put in another solid year in the middle of Real Salt Lake’s back line in 2013, assuming an even larger leadership role following the trade of center back Jamison Olave to New York at the end of 2012. The 32-year-old appeared in – and started - 28 league games, placing him second on RSL in minutes played in the 2013 season. The RSL veteran brought organizational and tactical awareness to a defense that saw nine different center back pairings last year. Real Salt Lake went 12-8-7 with Borchers on the field and 3-2-1 in his absence. The defensive veteran played every minute of RSL’s postseason run to the MLS Cup Final.<br>
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Borchers notched one goal last year, the first in the Claret-and-Cobalt’s thrilling 3-3 draw with Portland Timbers on Aug. 21, 2013. Look for the Colorado-native continue to be the club’s vital defensive leader throughout Real Salt Lake’s 2014 season.<br>
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<strong><u>Acquired</u></strong><br />
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<strong>RSL:</strong> Acquired by Real Salt Lake via an MLS Player Allocation Lottery on Feb. 14, 2008<br>
<strong>Odd Grenland (Norweigan 1<sup>st</sup> Division): </strong>Transferred to Odd Grenland from Colorado in January 2006<br>
<strong>COL:</strong> Signed to Developmental Roster on March 18, 2003<br>
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<strong><u>Professional Career</u></strong><br>
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<strong>2013</strong>: In his sixth season with the Claret-and-Cobalt, Borchers was as dependable as ever, playing and starting in 28 games in the regular season … His 2,520 logged minutes placed him second on the team in minutes played … Finished the regular season with one goal and two assists … Registered two assists in RSL’s 4-2 loss to LA Galaxy on Aug. 17 … Scored his only goal in a 3-3 draw with Portland Timbers on Aug. 21 ... Registered one yellow card and zero red cards in the regular season … Real Salt Lake was 12-8-7 with Borchers on the field and 3-2-1 in his absence … Defensive veteran played every minute of RSL’s playoff run, which saw the Claret-and-Cobalt reach the MLS Cup Final<br>
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<strong>2012:</strong> Started all 26 games he appeared in for RSL, finishing sixth on the team in that category and sixth in minutes played with 2,340 … Was not shown a card in MLS play for the first time in his eight years in the league … Scored two goals for RSL, tied for the second-highest total of his career and tied for sixth on the Claret-and-Cobalt … Missed the first three games of the 2012 season while recovering from a right quadriceps strain suffered in the 2011 MLS Cup playoffs … Made his season debut in RSL’s dramatic 3-2 win at Portland on March 31… Scored the game-winning goal in the 93<sup>rd</sup> minute of RSL’s 3-2 home win over FC Dallas on May 26, smashing a loose ball into the top-right corner from 10 yards out to give RSL all three points and send the Rio Tinto Stadium crowd into delirium … Scored his second goal of the season in RSL’s 1-2 loss at Vancouver on Aug. 11, nodding home a consolation goal in the final minutes of the Claret-and-Cobalt’s road defeat … Was shown a questionable red card in Real Salt Lake’s CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage opener 0-1 loss at Costa Rican club C.S. Herediano on July 31, a result that the Claret-and-Cobalt was unable to overcome as it failed to advance to the tournament’s Knockout Stage … Started 19 of 20 league matches from RSL’s May 12 match at Seattle to its Oct. 17 match at Seattle … Played all 180 minutes of RSL’s Western Conference Semifinal series loss to Seattle Sounders FC<br>
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<strong>2011:</strong> Finished tops among RSL’s field players in minutes (2,547) and starts (30) and second in appearances (30) … Scored a career-high three goals in regular season play and added an assist … Teammates named him the RSL Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, his third award in the category breaking a tie with Eddie Pope … Also added a goal in five appearances during the CONCACAF Champions League Championship Stage (413 min.) … Endured rough start to the season after seeing a disputable 53<sup>rd</sup> minute red card on 2/22 @ CLB in the opening leg of the CCL Quarterfinals (0-0 T) … After missing the return leg on 3/01 v. CLB in Sandy (4-1 W), went on to log all 90 minutes in the squad’s remaining CCL Championship Stage contests … Scored an equalizing header on 4/20 @ Monterrey in Leg One of the CCL Finals, his 35’ finish of Will Johnson’s cross helping revive the squad’s chances in the epic 2-2 opener … Game-winning assist on 5/07 v. CHV snapped a 90-game stretch without a helper in regular season play (last on 4/12/08 v. DC) … Opened scoring for RSL on 6/25 v. TOR in an eventual 3-1 win (42’) … His tallies on 8/06 v. NY (13’) and 9/17 v. KC (54’) both counted as game-winners … Missed a pair of MLS contests due to red card suspensions, his first red cards in League play since 2005 … Unjust 3<sup>rd</sup> minute ejection on 7/04 v. NE broke a 109-game streak without receiving a red card [9/10/05 @ LA (w/ COL)] … Also received red card on 8/27 @ CHV (24’) … Made 200<sup>th</sup> MLS regular season appearance on 10/01 @ LA and followed with 200<sup>th</sup> regular season start in league play on 10/14 @ COL against his former Rapids side … Escaped the injury bug that plagued the team until the postseason, suffering a R quadriceps strain that forced him from Leg 1 of the Western Conf. Semifinal Series on 10/29 v. SEA (3-0 W) in the 84<sup>th</sup> minute and kept him out of consideration for the rest of the playoffs.<br>
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<strong>2010:</strong> Named to his first MLS “Best XI” team and voted Real Salt Lake’s Defender of the Year at season’s end, while finishing second in the MLS Defender of the Year race, behind only teammate Jamison Olave … Key reason Real Salt Lake smashed the MLS record for fewest goals allowed in a season, the Utah side allowing only 20 goals in its 30 contests (previous record 23 GA by 2007 Houston Dynamo) … Started and appeared in all but one of Real Salt Lake’s 40 combined MLS regular season, CONCACAF Champions League, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and MLS Cup Playoff contests, totaling three goals and an assist across 3,543 minutes of action … Donned captain’s armband when not worn by regular Kyle Beckerman, relinquishing only once on 7/02 v. NE when Nick Rimando was in line to earn his 100<sup>th</sup> victory in League play (5-0 W) … Contributed to every minute of the 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> longest shutout streaks in MLS history: a 567-minute run (5/29 v. KC – 7/17 @ DAL) and a 568-minute stretch (8/11 @ PHI – 9/25 v. COL) … RSL’s resident “Ironman” finished the season 5<sup>th</sup> in MLS with 2,673 minutes played … Was one of nine field players across the League to appear in all 30 regular season affairs (including teammate Andy Williams) and one of only four to start every match … Played the role of hero on 04/14 @ SJ in RSL’s U.S. Open Cup qualifying opener, his header in the 118’ knotting the wild match at 3-3 and sending it into penalties, where RSL was victorious by a 5-3 margin … Broke 41-game streak without a goal in regular season play on 9/25 v. COL, stunning his former side with a stoppage-time header (93+’) that tied the match at 1-1, rescued the squad’s record Rio Tinto Stadium unbeaten run (improved to 24 games), and clinched a 2010 MLS Cup Playoff berth … Made it a scoring streak a week later on 10/02 @ NE, another backwards header (68’) starting the scoring for RSL in a 2-1 road win that placed the squad alone atop MLS’ overall table for the first time in team history … Notched 2<sup>nd</sup> career postseason assist on 11/06 v. DAL (Leg Two), his helper on Robbie Findley’s 80<sup>th</sup> minute ultimately not enough to advance RSL from its Western Conference Semifinal Series (2-3 loss on aggregate).<br>
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<strong>2009:</strong> Rock solid performance as anchor of backline earned the veteran Real Salt Lake’s Most Valuable Player honor … Only player to start in all 30 of RSL’s matches (one goal) and one of two to appear in every game (w/ Wingert) … One of only five field players and eight players overall to start every game for his squad in MLS and ranked 6<sup>th</sup> in minutes played with 2,679 (3<sup>rd</sup> among field players), missing only the final 21 minutes on 5/06 v. LA (R ankle sprain) … Followed suit in the postseason, notching all 420 playoff minutes en route to his and Real Salt Lake’s first championship … Ended season ranked 6<sup>th</sup> on RSL’s career charts with 59 starts and 5,289 minutes played … Played second 45 minutes on 4/28 @ SEA in a 1-4 defeat in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying play … Went the full 90 on 7/11 v. Club America (MEX), helping RSL register a 1-0 win in XanGo Cup 2009 … Snapped a 76-game goalless streak in MLS play with his 51’ insurance goal on 6/13 @ LA in a 2-0 road triumph, marking his first tally since 9/04/04 v. DAL as a member of the Rapids … Served as RSL’s captain during month of July (3 MLS matches & XanGo Cup friendly) in the absence of Kyle Beckerman and also captained the squad for League matches on 6/06 v. COL and 9/12 v. CHI … Entered at the halftime break on 10/07 v. CD Guadalajara (Chivas) (MEX) and played the final 45 minutes in the 1-1 friendly draw at Rio Tinto Stadium … MLS Cup 2009 appearance on 11/22 v. LA at Seattle’s Qwest Field marked his first MLS Cup appearance after making playoffs on four previous occasions (’03-‘05 with COL, ’08 with RSL) … Logged all 120 minutes in the MLS Cup triumph, helping RSL to dominate from the halftime whistle onward and notch a 1-1 comeback draw that led to a 5-4 victory in penalties.<br>
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<strong>2008</strong>: Started 29 of 30 contests in his first season in Salt Lake, contributing one assist along the way … Partnered with Jamison Olave to make up RSL’s center-back tandem in 22 of RSL’s final 26 regular season contests and all three postseason matches … Acquired by RSL on 2/14/08 via a Player Allocation Lottery, this after spending two seasons in the Norwegian Tippeligaen (First Division) with Odd Grenland from 2006-2007 … Made his RSL debut – and first MLS appearance since the end of the 2005 season – with a 90-minute performance on 3/29 v. CHI in a 1-1 draw … Borchers’ prior MLS appearance came on 10/12/05 @ RSL … Recorded first MLS assist in more than 3 years on 4/12/08 v. DC, his header helping Beckerman notch RSL’s 3<sup>rd</sup> goal in a 4-0 triumph … Played the final 28 minutes of RSL’s 1-4 defeat to Santos Laguna (MEX) on 7/09 in XanGo Cup 2008 … Played in 100<sup>th</sup> MLS regular season match on 7/12 v. CLB and made his 100<sup>th</sup> regular season start on 7/19 @ CHI … Played the second half of RSL’s 1-2 L on 7/23 v. Deportivo Saprissa (CRC) in international friendly action … Missed first minutes of 2008 season on 10/18 v. FCD (cervical strain) … Prior to that match, was only RSL field player to log all 2,520 minutes through its first 28 contests … Capped the season by playing all 270 minutes across RSL’s first-ever postseason appearance, a three-game run that ended in the Western Conference Final v. NY on 10/15.<br>
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<strong>2006-07: Odd Grenland – Norwegian Tippeligaen (First Division):</strong> Made over 50 appearances in his two seasons with Odd Grenland after joining the Norwegian squad following the 2005 MLS season … Scored three goals out of the back in his two seasons of play in Norway’s top-flight league … Returned to MLS after Odd Grenland was relegated to the second-tier Adeccoligaen in the fall of 2007.<br>
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<strong>2005:</strong> Started in all 31 appearances for the Colorado Rapids and notched one assist … Lone helper of the season came in season opener on 4/02 @ KC … For second year in a row, only missed game of the season was due to a red card suspension.<br>
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<strong>2004:</strong> Started 29 of the Rapids 30 contests, his only missed action of the season coming due to a red card suspension … Added two goals and an assist out of the back … Notched first career MLS goal and assist on 6/30 @ MET, his 78’ score evening the match and his assist in the 89’ lifting the Rapids to a 3-2 win … Registered first career GWG on 9/04 v. DAL, his 85’ tally making the difference in a 2-1 triumph … Played all 180 minutes in the Rapids’ Western Conference Semifinal Series against Los Angeles … For the second year in a row was involved in the lone goal for the Rapids in postseason play, this time garnering his first-ever postseason assist in COL’s 1-0 victory in Game One.<br>
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<strong>2003:</strong> Went from undrafted preseason camp invitee to developmental player to full-time starter in his rookie season, contributing almost immediately by starting in 22 of his 23 League appearances … Made MLS debut on 5/23 @ CHI as a member of the starting XI … Played the full 90 minutes in both of the Rapids’ Western Conference Semifinal Series contests against KC … Figured in COL’s lone playoff tally in Game One in Denver, his first career postseason goal helping the Rapids earn a 1-1 draw.<br>
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<strong><u>International Career</u></strong><br>
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<strong>U.S. Senior MNT: </strong>Made his third cap for the full U.S. Men’s National Team on 11/17/10 @ South Africa, entering in the 67<sup>th</sup>minute for Tim Ream and playing the final 23 minutes of the USA’s 1-0 win in the Nelson Mandela Challenge friendly in Cape Town … Previous two U.S. MNT appearances came in 2005, beginning with his debut on 3/09/05 v. Colombia, playing the final 4 min. in place of then-Rapids teammate Pablo Mastroeni in the USA’s 3-0 friendly victory in Fullerton, Calif. … Made his first starting appearance for the Stars-and-Stripes 10 days later against Honduras in Albuquerque, helping the USA to a 1-0 shutout win …<br>
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<strong>U.S. Youth National Teams: U.S. Under 23's: </strong>Represented the U.S. Under-23 MNT on six occasions, including four starting nods in CONCACAF Region Qualifying in Guadalajara, Mexico, for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.<br>
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<strong><u>College</u></strong><br>
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<strong>1999-2002: </strong>Was a stalwart for the University of Denver, notching nine goals and eight assists while not missing a single one of the Pioneers’ 72 games from 1999-2002 … Was a three-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) All-League selection, including first-team nods as a junior and senior … Also named to the Academic All-MPSF Team on two occasions … Named the MPSF Player of the Year in 2002 following a standout senior campaign, during which he scored six goals and made six assists while starting in each of the Pioneers’ 21 contests.<br>
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<strong><u>Club/High School</u></strong><br>
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Was a member of the Colorado Rapids’ USL Premier Development League’s affiliate, the Boulder Rapids Reserves … In 2002, was a key component of the Rapids Reserves side that won the PDL’s Central Conference title and appeared in the PDL National Championship Game, in which it fell 2-1 to the Cape Cod Crusaders … At East High School in Pueblo, CO, was a member of the Club Colorado Select team and was a First-Team All-State honoree and the 1998 South Central Conference MVP as a senior … Was also a three-time All-South Central Conference selection and was named the East High team captain as a junior and senior … An all-around athlete, also played basketball and ran track at East High.<br>
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<strong><u>Personal</u></strong><br>
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Earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting while at the University of Denver … An all-around athlete, also played basketball and ran track while at East High, and still enjoys playing a game of hoops in his spare time … As a Colorado native, is an avid follower of the Denver Broncos and Colorado Avalanche.<br>