Real Salt Lake has announced the Utah Major League Soccer side has acquired DF Nat Borchers this afternoon in a special MLS Player Allocation Lottery. The 26-year-old Borchers is currently rehabbing from an ankle injury, but is still expected to join his new Real Salt Lake teammates in Florida on Friday as the squad kicks off the second training camp of its 2008 preseason, being held in the Ft. Lauderdale area through Feb. 23.
"We are ecstatic to bring Nat Borchers on board as a member of Real Salt Lake. He is a defender who has already had success in our league, has enjoyed success abroad, and is someone that should continue to succeed upon his return to MLS," said RSL General Manager Garth Lagerwey. "This acquisition is consistent with our goal of building a core of talented players that can contribute now and for the long term as well. We think we've added a tremendous and experienced talent today that will make our team better immediately."
Borchers is no stranger to Major League Soccer, having began his professional career as a member of the Colorado Rapids from 2003-05. Borchers started in 82 of his 83 appearances for RSL's Rocky Mountain Cup rival, scoring a pair of goals and assists in regular season play while also notching a goal and assist in four games (all starts) during the MLS Cup Playoffs across the 2003-04 postseasons. Borchers comes to RSL from Norwegian side Odd Grenland, where he played for the entirety of the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The University of Denver product was a regular starter for Odd Grenland during the last two years, but cut ties with the club after it was relegated from the Norwegian Tippeligaen to the second division Adeccoligaen.
Borchers has also made two appearances for the full U.S. Men's National Team, earning his debut as a substitute on March 9, 2005, in a 3-0 win over Colombia before making his only starting "cap" 10 days later in a 1-0 win over Honduras. Borchers also represented the USA at the Under-23 level, making his two final appearances for the U-23s in 2003.
Nat Borchers
Position: Defender
Height: 6'2" (1.88 m)
Weight: 175 lbs. (79 kg)
Date of Birth: April 13, 1981 (26) in Tucson, Ariz.
Hometown: Pueblo, Colo.
Citizenship: United States
Last club: Odd Grenland (NOR/1) (2008)
Acquired: Acquired by Real Salt Lake via an MLS Player
Allocation Lottery on Feb. 14, 2008
Professional Club Career
2003-05, Colorado Rapids - MLS: Started 82 of his 83 appearances in his three seasons with the Rapids, also contributing a pair of goals and assists ... Was an immediate contributor to COL, having logged more than 2,000 minutes in his three MLS campaigns ... Made four MLS Cup Playoffs starts for the Rapids, two each in 2003 and 2004, and tallied a goal and an assist in postseason play.
2006-07, Odd Grenland - Norwegian Tippeligaen (First Division): Made over 40 appearances in his two seasons with Odd Grenland after joining the Norwegian squad following the 2005 MLS season ... Scored one goal out of the back in his two seasons of play in Norway's top-flight league.
