Player Bio

Jonathan Bornstein

U.S. National Team: MNT
Position: Defender
Date Of Birth: Nov. 7, 1984
Height: 5-9
Weight: 145
Hometown: Los Alamitos, Calif.
Club: Chivas USA

A speedy left back full of energy and commitment, Bornstein returned from an injury-plagued year in 2008 to play a regular role with the national team. While his appearances at left back are his bread and butter, it was his foray into the attack that cemented his place in U.S. soccer lore when the tallied the game-tying goal in the waning seconds against Costa Rica to deliver the U.S. a 2-2 draw and first place in final round qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He is one of only seven players to make more than 10 appearances in their first calendar year with the national team, and is the 42nd player in MNT history to score a goal in his first appearance with the senior team. The UCLA grad originally made a name for himself in his first year in MLS, where he also played under Bradley at Chivas USA. He was ever-present in the Chivas defense, making over 30 appearances for the club before taking home MLS Rookie of the Year honors for 2006.

Appeared in a career-high 13 matches for the full team in 2009, including 11 starts
Made six starts in World Cup qualifying, including five in the final round
Kicked off his MNT career with a bang in 2007, starting in his first cap against Denmark and scoring the game-winner in a 3-1 victory at The Home Depot Center
Drafted in the fourth round, he started every game during a fantastic rookie season with Chivas USA to win MLS Rookie of the Year honors
Named to the MLS Best XI in 2007 during his sophomore season, as Chivas earned the best record in the Western Conference
Tested in the 99th percentile for agility and speed in Nike SPARQ testing at his visit to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase

U.S. Nat’l Team
Professional
College
Personal

2009: His 11 starts in 2009 tied his career best from 2007 … After playing in the 3-2 win on Jan. 24 against Sweden, he didn’t appear again until the 2-1 win against Honduras on June 6 in Chicago … Started all three games in the group phase of the 2009 Confederations Cup … Snatched the left back spot for the final six games of the year, including four World Cup qualifiers … Scored his second career goal in style, heading home a Robbie Rogers corner in the 95th minute to help the U.S. earn an emotional 2-2 draw against Costa Rica on Oct. 14 at RFK Stadium … 2008: Made one appearance for Bob Bradley’s team in 2008 … Started and played the full 90 minutes in the 2-0 win against Guatemala on Nov. 19 in Colorado … Included in the squad that traveled to Trinidad & Tobago in October, making the game-day roster ... 2007: Made his first career appearance in January of 2007, where he started and scored a goal in a 3-1 victory against Denmark at The Home Depot Center … After breaking into the squad in 2007, he became a regular in the same year, and was a member of the Gold Cup and Copa America sides … Made five appearances in the Gold Cup, all starts at left back, including the final against Mexico … First Appearance: Jan. 20, 2007, vs. Denmark … First Goal: Jan. 20, 2007, vs. Denmark.

2009: Made 26 starts for Chivas USA, deployed as both a left back and a center back … Now has nine goals and eight assists in four seasons in MLS … 2008: Returned from an early season injury to feature in 21 games for Chivas USA, as the Los Angeles club rallied to make a strong push into the postseason … Started 19 games for Chivas, tallying two goals and two assists for the Goats ... 2007: Split time between Chivas USA and the U.S. MNT , but still made 23 regular season appearances for his club team (all starts) … Scored a goal and an assist, as Chivas USA secured their first regular season Western Conference title in club history … Named to the MLS Best XI at the end of the season, though Chivas failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs … 2006: Made 32 appearances for Chivas, all of them starts, notching a colossal 2878 minutes for the Los Angeles club … Was part of a defense which, under then head coach Bob Bradley, progressed to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history … Was first in the league among field players in minutes played … Led all rookies in the league with six goals … Though Chivas bowed out in the first round of the postseason, he finished the year as MLS Rookie of the year with 19 total points.

Attended UCLA after transferring from Cal Poly Pomona in 2004 … In his senior year for the Bruins, started every game of the season en route to scoring five goals and adding four assists … In just three seasons at Cal Poly, he ranks second in career assists, fifth in career goals and third in career points.

Was chronicled in a popular “First Cap” all_access video on ussoccer.com in which he scored a goal and then presented his jersey to his father in the stands … Lists Diego Maradona as the player he most admires … Played under Hall of Famer Paul Caliguiri at Cal Poly, and credits him for teaching him “how to become a real professional” … Comes from a mixed background of Jewish and Mexican heritage … An Oakland Raiders fan ever since trading jerseys with kicker Sebastian Janikowski, a former soccer player … Does a good deal of charity work, including the Michael Hoefflin Foundation, which raises money for children and families affected by cancer; the Wednesday’s Child Program, which helps increase adoptions of foster children; and the Passback Program, which donates soccer equipment to teams and players in need all over the world.