Should the Portland Timbers bring Jonathan Bornstein back to MLS?
by almost awesome on Jun 29, 2011 1:29 PM PDT
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PrintSo we used an it's-worth-a-shot expansion draft pick on Robbie Findley which probably isn't going to bear fruit, but we also used one on Jonathan Bornstein and there may actually be some opportunity there.
Now we're all mad at him right now because he got scorched against Mexico, but I think Bornstein is a guy who could come in and provide some (international) experience and talent in our defense and replace an underwhelming (God bless him) Rodney Wallace.
From Geoffrey Arnold:
After his shaky performance in Saturday's Gold Cup final, the Portland Timbers may want to rethink their initial desire of trying to persuade Jonathan Bornstein to return to Major League Soccer and play in Portland.While I think Arnold is absolutely wrong about rethinking Bornstein's value to the Timbers after his performance against Mexico (for a number of reasons), the information about his run in Mexico is very interesting. He isn't playing and he very likely isn't happy.
Remember, the Timbers used a pick in the MLS expansion draft to select Bornstein, even though they knew he was going to sign with the UANL Tigres of the Mexican Primera division. However, Bornstein appeared in only seven of the Tigres' 19 games, starting four, in the 2011 Clasura season and is rumored to be unhappy in Mexico.
I'd be thrilled to have him in Portland.
Strong and Sporting News writer Brian Straus had an interesting discussion about Bornstein on Talk Timbers earlier tonight as well. Straus thinks Bornstein can definitely help us.
What are your thoughts about adding Bornstein? Is anyone very familiar with his play and role (leadership?) for Chivas?
Besides, there's a Jeld-Wen fan group opportunity already built in to this move: The Bornstein Bears.
[Geoff note: Just cleaned it up a bit to make it front page worthy. Definitely a topic of conversation to explore!]
Alright guys, I don't believe I have to say this but, just in case, please do not submit anything racist, homophobic, sexist or otherwise not appropriate for even the younger Timbers fans.
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Transfer fee?
What was the deal Bornstein signed with Tigres? Would the Timbers need to buy him back or could Bornstein leave of his own will?
If the latter, then yes. Despite woeful US appearances, Bornstein proved time and again he was a quality MLS defender.
RCTID - Stumptown Footy
Moderator of /r/MLS
Great Idea
I would love to see Bornstein in a Timber’s uniform. and why wouldn’t he want to come play for us? Sadly Cooper’s new career is not off to a great start but maybe Bornstein would want to come and give leadership, work hard and get great playing time and be loved by all.
by Jillian Downing on Jun 29, 2011 2:04 PM PDT reply actions
Depending on how much of a transfer fee there is,
he could be worth it. We need at least one more guy, just to improve depth. Hopefully the young Defender now trialing with us can stick, too. I don’t think we’re at our roster limit.
I want him
Yes, Bornstein was shaky against Mexico in the Gold Cup, but he has also had some great games for our National Team. On top of it all, he is a defender and could help out the Timbers immediately. So I’d love to see him with the Timbers.
Red Hot and Rolling
Contract
Bornstein signed a 4 year deal on a free transfer, and just made his debut in January (despite actually getting down there earlier). Although he played in (I’m hearing) about 7 games, he was played mostly out of position as a holding midfielder, not a wing back, and probably is just not that expensive of a player for a team looking to turn around. Because of that, I would expect there to be a pretty decent transfer fee unless the two can come to an understanding about mutually ending the contract. Otherwise, yes, we’d probably have to pay a pretty penny, plus right now, he’s getting to avoid the fallout over the gold cup. Unless he has a burning desire to come back, or we can convince him with a long-term lucrative deal, I have a hard time believing he’ll want to come back for peanuts.
Bornstein gets torched by top shelf talent
But it should be said that he won’t be tasked with marking the likes of Javier Hernandez and Giovanni Dos Santos in MLS. I think it would be a solid move depending on the cost.
Findley seems more likely to want to come back
IIRC he wasn’t playing much, though I could be off. But with Sheridan possibly coming, where does he play? Maybe we could swing him for a defender, though who would we be able to get?
Say what you want about America, thirteen bucks still gets you a hell of a lot of mice!
Injuries
He basically got injured the first practice over there and missed most of the season. When he came back he did make the bench/some substitute appearances. Manager comments made me think they still rate him, but we’ll see perhaps after the beginning of the fall. He’s certainly not coming back this summer.
If it means Rodney Wallace goes to the bench, I'm going to be the first person to shake Bornstein's hand when he gets off the airplane.
Gold Cup final and TSA be damned.
I write for Stumptown Footy, SB Nation's Portland Timbers blog.
Bornstein should not be on the US National Team.
But as a Timber, I think he would be a nice fit considering the current roster and how everyone is performing. I would like to see him come into the lineup.
Yes! Yes! In the face!
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