Bornstein makes strides with US national team
Chivas USA defender making case for full-time gig with U.S. at left back
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The lanky 24-year-old had not scored for the Yanks since his national team debut in a friendly against Denmark more than two years ago, and his inclusion in the first XI has been far from assured in 2009 as the U.S. has fielded a variety of players at left back, one of the squad's habitual problem spots.
Bornstein's positional duties rarely allow him to linger in the opposition's penalty box and at 5-foot-9, he's hardly regarded as an aerial threat on set pieces. Yet both tendencies were undone in the fifth minute of stoppage time on Wednesday, when he was left all alone to nod a Robbie Rogers corner kick into the net and notch a 2-2 draw that brought great joy to the U.S. and their fans.
The goal capped a strong end-to-end performance from the Chivas USA standout -- perhaps his best in a U.S. uniform -- and later Bornstein could not keep a straight face when asked where the last-second finish ranked among his personal highlights.
"Oh yeah," he laughed, "by far the biggest goal I've ever scored."
Only time will tell whether his stunning tally will prove sufficient to deliver Bornstein the starting job, or even a place on U.S. coach Bob Bradley's roster for South Africa 2010. But it nonetheless represents a massive boost for his international prospects, the latest step forward in a steady career that has flown under the radar in much the same fashion as his late run into the Costa Rican box.
"Guys like that work their tail off all qualifying and defend and do the dirty stuff," said goalkeeper Tim Howard on Wednesday night. "So it's good that he gets the glory."
Bornstein owes much of his progress to Bradley's tutelage. Taking over Chivas USA's coaching duties after the club's disastrous inaugural season, Bradley made him one of his first acquisitions with a fourth-round pick in the 2006 SuperDraft and promptly challenged him with a new position, left back, after playing an attacking role during college. Bornstein duly won MLS Rookie of the Year honors and has since gone on to rack up 8,697 minutes of regular-season action for the Red-and-White.
Many strikers would have found such a move distasteful but even back then, the UCLA graduate suspected it might lead to bigger and better things.
"[Chivas teammate] Jesse Marsch told me three months into my career that left fullback is the spot that the national team has never been able to get a guy for," recalled Bornstein on Wednesday.
"When Bob drafted me he turned me into a left fullback. So I always had that in the back of my head, that left fullback is that spot that I might be able to get onto the national team with. So that said, lately I've had the opportunity to play and I want to make the most of that -- play well, play hard for Chivas and for the U.S."
Continuity between club and country has certainly worked in Bornstein's favor. Bradley left Chivas USA to take the U.S. job after just one season, but he was replaced by assistant coach Preki and the MLS legend has persevered with his mentor's tactics and mentality. Both Chivas and the USA pride themselves on defensive rigidity, dogged midfield work rate and intense competitiveness.
"[Preki] adopted a lot of the same principles, so you get a lot of the same things in training," said Bornstein. "Trainings are very intense, very disciplined on the field, and they always constantly talk about that same 'block of eight' [midfielders and backs].
"So there's a lot of the same concepts when you go from the club level to the international level, which helps for guys like myself and Sacha [Kljestan], who go in between all the time. I think it shows also at Chivas -- we're doing well and we've got the most shutouts in the league."
Bornstein seems to have earned the trust of both bosses. Only two teammates have seen more of the field for Chivas this season and Preki has even used him at center back of late. Bradley, who gave him his initial opportunities at both pro and international level, has started Bornstein in the USA's last four qualifiers after auditioning Heath Pearce and DaMarcus Beasley at left back earlier this year.
Bornstein showed some nerves in his early national team appearances and some have questioned whether his size and physicality are sufficient for the international level. But a few more clutch performances like Wednesday's would surely give U.S. fans hope that one of the team's traditional weak points has finally been fortified.
"I feel comfortable out on the field and I feel like I'm doing well," he said at the end of his memorable evening, "so hopefully I can stay on the pitch."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
