TUCSON, Ariz. - Injured Real Salt Lake defender Nat Borchers did his first on-the-ball work of the preseason on Monday, putting his cleats on for the first time and running through some simple cutting and passing drills with RSL's training staff.
Borchers, who had surgery on a tendon in his left quad this offseason, traveled with the Claret-and-Cobalt to Tucson on Feb. 11. Conservative estimates have the veteran center back returning to game action by mid-April. Chris Schuler and Kwame Watson-Siriboe have been the first choice center backs in Borchers' absence, with the pair expected to start RSL's 2013 MLS regular season opener at defending Supporters' Shield winners San Jose on March 3.
RSL next plays on Wednesday night, when it will take on the New England Revolution at 5:00 p.m. MT at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in the club's final FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup Group Stage match. The match will be streamed live on both RealSaltLake.com and MLSsoccer.com.
