Jonathan Bornstein

Jonathan Bornstein

Personal information
Full name	Jonathan Rey Bornstein
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s)	Left Back/Midfielder
Team information
Current team	UANL
Number	8
Youth career
1998-2002	Irvine Strikers
2002–2003	Cal Poly Pomona Broncos
2004–2005	UCLA Bruins
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2010	Chivas USA	123	(9)
2011–	UANL	0	(0)
International career‡
2007–	United States	36	(2)
Medal record Representing United States Men's Football 2005 Maccabiah Team Competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 24, 2010 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of November 17, 2010

Jonathan Bornstein (born November 7, 1984, in Torrance, California) is an American soccer player who currently plays for UANL of the Primera División de México and for the United States national team.

Club career

Youth and College

Bornstein attended Los Alamitos High School, where he played soccer for all four years, and played club soccer for Irvine Strikers coached by Don Ebert. He was a teammate of fellow world cup player; Benny Feilhaber. He started his college soccer career at Cal Poly Pomona and played there for two years before transferring to UCLA for the 2004 season.

Professional

He was taken by Chivas in the fourth round at the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. A forward in college, he was converted to a left back by Chivas coach Bob Bradley, and was his team's surprising starter at the position when the season opened. Injuries and suspensions forced Bornstein back into an attacking role for Chivas USA's June 3 match against FC Dallas, where the rookie scored his first MLS goal. He continued his fine play in the back and also contributed to the attack during the rest of the season, finishing the year with four assists and six goals, leading all rookies. He was rewarded for his fine form by winning the 2006 MLS Rookie of the Year Award.

In 2008, he suffered a knee injury throughout the spring. When he came back, Chivas coach Preki began to employ him in an attacking capacity, which Bornstein trained for in his youth.

In summer 2008, Israeli club Maccabi Tel-Aviv was reportedly interested in Bornstein. News stories claimed that the offer involved a transfer fee of $750,000, and would increase the player's salary fivefold, to around $500,000 a season. Bornstein was apparently unenthusiastic, fearing that such a move could cost him his place in the U.S. national team.

In July 2010, it was announced by Chivas USA that Bornstein would be joining Tigres de la UANL in the Primera División de México in 2011, following the conclusion of the 2010 Major League Soccer season.

Bornstein was selected by Portland Timbers in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft. Should he return to MLS within two years of his spell with Tigres de la UANL, then Portland would retain his rights.

International career

Bornstein got his first cap, and first goal on an assist from Justin Mapp, for the U.S. national team on January 20, 2007 against Denmark. As 2007 continued, Bornstein became the first choice left back for Bob Bradley, now at the helm of the national team. He played for the U.S.A. in Copa América 2007. He received his first World Cup Qualifying appearance in a start against Guatemala in the semifinal round of World Cup Qualifying.

In 2008, Bornstein lost his starting place to Heath Pearce and also struggled with injuries. He started the group stage matches at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup but was relegated back to the bench when Carlos Bocanegra returned from injury.

After the Confederations Cup, Bornstein eventually replaced Pearce as first-choice again and remained so for the rest of the qualifiers. He scored the equalising goal in the United States' final World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica in the fifth minute of injury time. The goal meant that Honduras, when combined with their win over El Salvador, qualified automatically for the 2010 World Cup. Incidentally, Hondurans chanted Bornstein's name in the streets during nationwide celebrations following the game.

After sitting out the first two group-stage games for the United States in the 2010 World Cup, Bornstein started at left back against Algeria in the final group play game and against Ghana in the round of 16.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
01.	January 20, 2007	Home Depot Center, Carson, USA	Denmark	2 – 1	3 – 1	Friendly
02.	October 14, 2009	RFK Stadium, Washington, USA	Costa Rica	2 – 2	2 – 2	World Cup Qualifier

Personal life

Bornstein is Jewish on his father's side, whose Jewish ancestors came from Romania, and his mother is Mexican. He told ESPN, "Just experiencing both cultures, sometimes I felt like I didn't know where I belonged. It's still a soul-searching kind of thing, trying to figure out exactly where you come from or which heritage you relate to. I still kind of feel lost even to this day, but it's something that I just deal with, and it makes me a stronger person having both of those heritages." Bornstein played in the 2005 Maccabiah Games, in Israel, representing the U.S. in football, which won silver.

Honors

United States

• CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions (1): 2007

Individual

• MLS Best XI: 2007
• MLS Rookie of the Year: 2006

See also

• List of current MLS players
• List of select Jewish football (association; soccer) players

External links

• MLS player profile
• Jonathan Bornstein – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Jonathan Bornstein Stats and biography