Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com
BY ADAM SERRANO
The speculation over the future of Jonathan Bornstein is over.
Chivas USA announced on Monday that the United States international has signed a pre-contract deal with Mexican club Tigres UANL. The defender will finish his contract with the Rojiblancos before joining Tigres in January of 2011.
"First and foremost, I remain focused on finishing this season with Chivas USA," said Bornstein in a press release. "There is a lot we can accomplish, from SuperLiga this week to the Open Cup semifinals in September, getting to the playoffs and making a run at MLS Cup. When the season ends, I'm excited to join Tigres and ready for all the changes that will come with the move. It will be a big moment for me and I'm looking forward to it."
Bornstein's move to the Mexican league is expedited due to the fact that his mother is a Mexican Native thus allowing the defender to secure a Mexican passport so he will not count as a foreign player.
The announcement of the move comes on the same day that the defender was announced to the 2010 MLS All-Star Team. The Chivas USA captain played in two games for the United States at the World Cup and has one assist in ten games for the Rojiblancos in 2010. Chivas USA resume their Superliga schedule on Wednesday against Mexican side Pachuca.
I know. I thought he might end up in South America, particularly Portugal.
good for borny. this will make him a better player mentally. he has all the tools to do well, he just needs the head
most MLS teams don’t really care about the CCL, so they use their fringe players. although i do think that the mexican league is, on average, better than MLS, i do think that clubs like Houston, LA, Columbus and RSL are just as good or better than most of their mexican counterparts.
“although I choose not to look up the actual salaries”
heady.
in terms of infrastructure, its the best in mexico. remember, major league baseball has considered putting a team there more then once since the 90s. I think the real issue was probably the easy air commute home to his momma.
yeah, i predict Tigres sells him to an Israeli league team since Bornstein probably also has an Israeli passport (I believe he played in the Jewish games…i forget what its called)
then I guess he’ll have to teach them there mexicans how to play defense.
man, 90k salary for a world cup squad starting international? that’s crazy. He should make 5 times that in Monterrey. However, he is now officially a traitor to his country. Actually, chasing the money is the most American of things to do. He’s a true patriot. So is war and becoming obese, but hey he’s worth every dime. Speaking of value, couldnt he also play in the Israeli league?
man, 90k salary for a world cup squad starting international? that’s crazy. He should make 5 times that in Monterrey. However, he is now officially a traitor to his country. Actually, chasing the money is the most American of things to do. He’s a true patriot. So is war and becoming obese, but hey he’s worth every dime. Speaking of value, couldnt he also play in the Israeli league?
Tigres new manager helped develop Efrain Juarez, the starting right back for Mexico who just signed with Celtic.
Hope Tuca can help in Bornstein’s development.
Right, lots of folks assume Mexican league or Brazilian league are not nearly as strong as they are…it’s about the money and htere’s more money for more players in countries where it is the top sport.
Tigres hired Tuca Ferretti from Pumas hoping he will once again save them from relegation. His Puma teams were (theoretically, at least) based on defending well then getting what they could out of a few key attackers.
So, this move may actually help him improve his defending.
Too bad Tigres didn’t want to exercise their option on Castillo, Tuca could’ve helped him, too.
The possible downside is that Tigres are awfully impatient for results, making constant personnel changes, so it may be a mildly unstable situation.
If I’m not mistaken, Monterrey has turned a bit dangerous in the last two years. I went just before then and it was a great city and has lots to do.
Best tacos of my life, too.
Actually, my take would be if he’s there and playing worse than Castillo, people would be up in arms if he continued to start over Castillo. I have no idea who the answer at LB is, though. I’m much more interested in who the coach will be.
I think this is a good move for JB; the Mexican League has more attacking play than MLS and in general more skillful attacking players which should test and hopefully improve his defensive skills. I’m not crazy about his play, but hoping he represents in Mexico.
Good move for Bornstein. Tigres are a good team. I bet it was some about the money too, as it should be and he deserves to get paid… Monterrey is supposed to be nice though I have never been… only a couple of hours from Laredo though. I think it is a step up in soccer terms and I think Jonny B will be our starting left back for the US! GOOD LUCK JONNY B!!!!!
GOOD job Bornstein dominate in Mexico.
Have they made the playoffs the last 10 years in a row, and made it to like 4 MLS cups?
Not a Revs fan, I just don’t see the comparison
I love the move for JohnnyB, this will help him develop into the next WC a bit better
btw, i would think Chivas USA wants Sal Zizzo
congrats Jonny…good luck to you
Good for Jonny!
Does anyone know how good his Spanish is?
Good move for Bornstein. Maybe he can pop down to Honduras on an off-weekend and enjoy his celebrity status – and the vacation on the Bahia Islands he received as a thank you for the Costa Rica goal.
chivas usa= NE revs of the west coast
Great for Bornstein. I hope it helps his skills!
I wonder if Johnny B will have a Mexican lottery commercial now like Landon.
Once he’s there and playing, everyone will be up in arms if he doesn’t get called in to national team camp.
as far as im concerned (read: national team) he’s a left back. His offensive skills are nowhere near good enough to play midfield on a consistent basis, unless he’s playing in some sort of 3 back system with lots of defensive responsibilities
Remember his mother is from Mexico. He probably grew up hearing about the Mexican League. It makes a lot of sense for him to want to play professionally in Mexico and not taking up an international player spot probably helped with his contract options in Mexico. He has also won a silver metal in the 2005 Maccabiah Games in Israel. An Israeli Club made an offer for him a few years back but he apparently wasn’t interested at the time. He has a diverse background and through his soccer career he will be able to experience a lot of unique things because of it. I wish him the best in Mexico.
Bornstein leaving is a good thing for many Americans. Mexican teams pay way more than the MLS. Hence the ugly a$$ jerseys with all the sponsor names.
I wish him the best and will miss him. He was the most generous of all the Chivas USA players (past and present) next to Jesse March, Pablo Nagamura, and Carey Talley.
Who said he’s only a defender? Don’t forget that he is a converted forward.
Probably?
Have you seen the results of MLS teams in the CCL?
This is correct about the FMF exporting more defenders than MLS. And with the emphasis on good ball skills by the defenders to bring the ball forward and join the attack Bornstein will fit right in. I think this is a good move.
The salaries are a lot better for this kind of B+ player in Mexico. I read recently that he makes something ridiculous, like $90k.
I would guess that Tigres will pay him more than Chivas USA. Every fan is focused on having players move to teams (and leagues) that will help the player soccer-wise. But I try to remember that soccer players’ careers (as in other pro sports) are short, so yeah, financial considerations are very important.
From a soccer standpoint, the Mexican League is a good level, probably a bit better than MLS (though a different style of play), so it should help his game.
Good move for Johnny. I’m pretty sure he’ll be making 5x more down in Mexico than in the MLS, all while improving his skills. The Mexican league does export more defensive players than the MLS, so this could also help him make the jump to Europe.
good move for bornstein I suppose. The problem is that his defensive skills won’t get much better in mexico with the offensive emphasis. Sure, he’ll be going against more, and better attacking players, but he’ll be expected to do the same. It’s an interesting move, that’s for sure. I wonder if he had any options in europe?
Castillo has been loaned to San Luis.
Anyone know if this means he’ll be competing with Edgar Castillo for the LB spot, or is Edgar’s loan deal up? Oh, and I’m a big MLS fan, but the Mexican league is still better top to bottom and pays more $.
So it looks like Edgar Castillo gets bumped for Bornstein again LOL!
Regardless of whether you think FMF is better than MLS or they are equal, I think a change of scenery is a good move for him. New challenges, a little adversity maybe, experience against a different style of play…he’ll be a better player for it.
jump off that sinking ship of a joke of a club!
Good move for Bornstein. I like there are American’s in demand down there.
Nice move. FMF is a good league.
Probably, although I choose not to look up the actual salaries. I do know that they tend to spend more down there.
good step up, for sure.
is the money that much better to make the switch to the mexican league?
Tigres… are they back in the primera yet? Well I’ve been wanting to hit up a game while in Monterrey. Unfortunately everyone thinks Tigres are a joke down there.
Good for him. I hope he continues to develop. He is frustrating to watch but let’s face it – he is fast and has good ball skills and should start at left back.
mexican league?!?!? cmon now…
WTF?!?!