CARSON, Calif. - In the days leading up to the MLS SuperDraft, the buzz surrounded Chivas USA and UCLA product Marvell Wynne. Chivas held the first overall pick and Wynne was the consensus No. 1 draft choice.
Chivas struck gold with their UCLA draftee indeed - but it had nothing to do with Wynne. Chivas dealt the first overall pick to the then-MetroStars - who wasted no time in choosing Wynne. With the first pick in the fourth round Chivas took Jonathan Bornstein, Wynne's college teammate.
Bornstein pieced together a tremendous season and was honored Tuesday with the MLS Rookie of the Year award. Bornstein said the award validates the season both he and Chivas enjoyed, which ended Sunday in a Western Conference Semifinals loss to Houston.
"There is some justification in there. You can't overlook the fact that you're not playing for the MLS Cup," Bornstein said. "Receiving this award is a little bit of justification."
That Chivas reached the playoffs for the first time ever is due in part to Bornstein's success. An attacking player throughout his college days, which included a stint at Cal Poly Pomona, Bornstein was thrust onto the backline and secured a spot at left back in Chivas' revamped defense.
He picked up his defensive duties quickly and also added some punch from the left side. On July 1, he scored his first career goal in a 3-0 win against FC Dallas. Later that month, he saw time in the midfield and up top and finished July with four goals. He was named MLS Player of the Month for his efforts, the only rookie to receive the honor this season.
Though he said he enjoys his versatile role, Bornstein said left back is his position of choice.
"I like left fullback. You get to defend and attack at the same time. It's kind of sneaky because the left fullback doesn't really get noticed," Bornstein said. "I see a lot of success coming out of being an attacking left fullback."
Bornstein led Chivas with 2,878 minutes and ranked first in the entire league among field players. He finished the season with six goals and four assists.
He was not the only rookie, however, to contribute to Chivas USA's success. By trading away the first pick, Chivas received the fifth pick overall and defender Jason Hernandez. Chivas then took Sacha Kljestan in the first round. Kljestan was a finalist in the Rookie of the Year category as well. He had seven assists and was second on Chivas with 2,676 minutes played.
"Sacha did a great job for us in the middle of the field," Bornstein said. "We both supported each other 100 percent. I thought Sacha had an amazing year."
When Chivas lines up to start the 2007 season, it will likely be with many of the same youngsters that helped lead the club to respectability. Having finished the year with a 2-0 loss at Houston and a 3-2 aggregate-goal defeat, Bornstein said both he and his young teammates will carry a lot into next season.
"It was huge for the club and the young players on the team to experience the playoffs and experience a rather rough loss," Bornstein said. "It gives us a better mentality to come in next year and know what to expect and ... learn from the things that we did this year."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
