Jonathan Rey Bornstein (born November 7, 1984) is an American former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who plays as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

. He has captained and made 38 appearances for the United States national team. In addition to also playing for

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...

in Major League Soccer (with whom he was the 2006

MLS Rookie of the Year The MLS Young Player of the Year Award (known as the Rookie of the Year Award from 1996 to 2019) is an annual award given to the top player in Major League Soccer under the age of 22. The award was initially awarded to a rookie, or a player who ...

, an

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs. Winners Appearances by player The following players ...

, and a two-time

MLS All-Star The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual Association football, soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially ado ...

), he has played in

Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...

and in the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...

. He won a

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

with Team USA at the 2005 Maccabiah Games, in Israel.

Youth and college

Bornstein attended Los Alamitos High School, where he played soccer for all four years. He was MVP of the Sunset League, first-team all-county, and All-

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have s ...

(CIF), and led the soccer team to a CIF Championship. He also played club soccer for Long Beach United, Beach Soccer Club, and the Irvine Strikers club team coached by Don Ebert. He won the Golden Boot Award as he led the Strikers to the US Youth Soccer 2002 Under-17 National Championship. He started his college soccer career at Cal Poly Pomona and played there for the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos for two years. In 2002, Bornstein was

California Collegiate Athletic Association The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is a List of NCAA conferences, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the NCAA Division II, Division II level. All of its current m ...

(CCAA) Freshman of the Year, first-team All-CCAA, and second-team All-Far West Region, as he led the team in scoring. In 2003, he was again first-team All-CCAA and second-team All-Far West Region, and was selected to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America College Division District VIII team with a 3.30 GPA in Business Administration, as he led Cal Poly in all scoring categories. He finished his career at Cal Poly Pomona ranked second in career assists (19), third in career points (53), and fifth in career goals (19). He then transferred to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

for the 2004 season as a sociology major. In 2004, Bornstein played in all of the

's 20 games, with nine starts. In 2005, he started all 20 games and was named second-team All- Pac-10. Bornstein was a teammate of Benny Feilhaber at the youth (with the Irvine Strikers), college (at UCLA, where they were roommates), and national-team level, and at the

Maccabiah Games The Maccabiah Games (, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics") is an international multi-sport event with summer and winter sports competitions featuring Jews and Israelis regardless of religion ...

in Israel. Feilhaber said he and Bornstein "definitely had a special connection" because of their religion from the beginning of their friendship.

Club career

Chivas USA

Bornstein was selected by

in the fourth round (37th overall) of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. A forward in college, he was converted to a left back by Chivas coach

Bob Bradley Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American association football, soccer coach, who most recently managed Norwegian football team Stabæk Fotball, Stabæk fron 2023 - 2024. A native of New Jersey and graduate of Princeton Universi ...

, and was his team's surprising starter at the position when the season opened. Injuries and suspensions forced Bornstein back into an attacking role for Chivas USA's June 3 match against

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...

, where the rookie scored his first MLS goal. He continued his fine play in the back and also contributed to the attack during the rest of the season, finishing the year with four assists and six goals, leading all rookies. He started every game in the season, and his total of 2,878 minutes played was third-highest in the league. He was rewarded for his fine form by winning the 2006

MLS Rookie of the Year Award The MLS Young Player of the Year Award (known as the Rookie of the Year Award from 1996 to 2019) is an annual award given to the top player in Major League Soccer under the age of 22. The award was initially awarded to a rookie, or a player who ...

. In 2007, he was an

, and named to the

as one of the best 11 players in Major League Soccer. In 2008, Bornstein suffered a knee injury that affected him throughout the spring. When he came back, Chivas coach

Preki Predrag Radosavljević ( sr-Cyrl, Предраг Радосављевић; born June 24, 1963), better known by the nickname Preki (), is a former soccer player and coach. He is currently an assistant coach with Seattle Sounders FC in Major Le ...

began to employ him in an attacking capacity, which Bornstein trained for in his youth. He repeated as an MLS All-Star in 2008. In summer 2008, Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv was reportedly interested in Bornstein. News stories claimed that the offer involved a transfer fee of $750,000 and would increase the player's salary five-fold to around $500,000 a season. Bornstein was apparently unenthusiastic, fearing that such a move could cost him his place in the U.S. national team. In 2009, he was the Chivas USA Defender of the Year (2009) and captain. In five seasons with Chivas USA (2006–10), Bornstein made 123 regular season appearances (117 starts). Swiss Second Division Bornstein Recently Joined AC Bellinzona He Will Play Against FC Vaduz For Debut He Is Swiss-American-Israeli-Mexican He Is Excited To Play In Switzerland

Liga MX

Bornstein spent the next eight seasons in Mexico's first division,

. He first played for Tigres de la UANL (2010–14). In July 2010, it was announced by Chivas USA that Bornstein would join Tigres de la UANL in January 2011, following the conclusion of the 2010 Major League Soccer season. Bornstein was selected by

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft. In doing so, Portland retained his MLS rights should he ever return to the league. On February 13, 2013, Portland traded Bornstein's MLS rights back to Chivas USA with allocation money for midfielder Ben Zemanski. Bornstein was transfer listed by Tigres on November 19, 2012. He played for Atlante F.C. (2013–14) and Querétaro F.C. (2014–18). On May 24, 2015, Bornstein scored the goal that sent Querétaro F.C. to their first-ever Liga MX final. Then, on June 10, 2015, it was announced that Bornstain had signed for Querétaro on a permanent basis. While playing in Mexico, he made 128 appearances and won the 2011–12 Liga MX championship, as well as the 2016–17 Copa MX and 2017 Supercopa MX titles.

Maccabi Netanya

In 2018, Bornstein signed with Maccabi Netanya of the

ahead of the 2018–19 League campaign. Playing for Maccabi Netanya in Netanya, Israel in 2018–19, he became an Israeli citizen due to his Jewish lineage. Charles Boehm (June 28, 2020). During his time with the club, Bornstein made 36 appearances with 35 starts, totaling 3,163 minutes across all competitions.

Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire of MLS acquired him from Maccabi Netanya on July 22, 2019. The team signed Bornstein to a contract through 2020, with a 2021 club option that the team exercised in July 2020. In 2019, he played in 11 starts in his first season with the Fire. Bornstein left Chicago at the end of the 2022 season.

International career

Bornstein has made 38 appearances for the United States national soccer team. He got his first

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

, and scored his first goal on an assist from Justin Mapp, for the U.S. national team on January 20, 2007, against

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. As 2007 continued, Bornstein became the first choice left back for

. He played for the U.S. in Copa América 2007. He received his first World Cup Qualifying appearance in a start against

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

in the semifinal round of World Cup Qualifying. In 2007, he helped the USMNT win the CONCACAF Gold Cup, making five starts during the tournament. He featured in the Concacaf Gold Cup (2007, 2011). In 2008, Bornstein lost his starting place to Heath Pearce and also struggled with injuries. He started the group stage matches at the

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth FIFA Confederations Cup, Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton ...

, but was relegated back to the bench when Carlos Bocanegra returned from injury. After the Confederations Cup, Bornstein eventually replaced Pearce as first-choice again and remained so for the rest of the qualifiers. He scored the equalizing goal in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

' final World Cup qualifier against

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

in the fifth minute of injury time. The goal meant that

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

, when combined with their win over

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

, a game in which Bornstein captained the US side, qualified automatically for the 2010 World Cup."Interview: USA World Cup star Jonathan Bornstein,"
''The Jewish Chronicle'', June 10, 2010. That goal resulted in Bornstein having a level of celebrity in Honduras; he was invited to Honduras by the President of the country and he received letters of thanks for years afterwards. After sitting out the first two group-stage games for the United States in the 2010 World Cup, Bornstein started at left back against

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

in the final group game and against

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

in the

round of 16 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

. Bornstein was never recalled to the squad by Bradley's successor, Jürgen Klinsmann, by Klinsmann's successor, Bruce Arena, or by Arena's successor, interim manager Dave Sarachan.

Maccabiah Games

Bornstein played in the 2005 Maccabiah Games, in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, representing the U.S. along with Benny Feilhaber, Kevin Friedland, Matt Reiswerg, and Leo Krupnik, winning a

. He scored two goals in the team's quarterfinal win over South Africa. Because of his Jewish lineage, he had an opportunity to play in Israel and not count as a foreign player.

Personal life

Bornstein was born in

Torrance, California Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the metropolitan ...

, and later lived in

Los Alamitos, California is a city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,780 at the 2020 census, up from 11,449 at the 2010 census. The USA Water Polo National Aquatic Center is located on the Joint Forces Tr ...

. His father is Jeff Bornstein, who is Jewish and was born in Torrance into an Orthodox family, and worked for Hostess until his death in 2014. His mother is from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, and is not Jewish. Bornstein's parents divorced when he was three years old, and he lived with his father. His step-mother, Rochelle Bornstein, works as a deli supervisor and cashier at a grocery store in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

. His father's family were

Romanian Jews The history of the Jews in Romania concerns the Jews both of Romania and of Romanian origins, from their first mention on what is present-day Romanian territory. Minimal until the 18th century, the size of the Jewish population increased after ...

. Bornstein grew up observing

Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...

and

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...

with relatives, and said of his experience representing the U.S. in the 2005 Maccabiah Games reinforcing his Jewish identity: "I was able to explore my Jewish identity in the Old City, at

Masada Masada ( ', 'fortress'; ) is a mountain-top fortress complex in the Judaean Desert, overlooking the western shore of the Dead Sea in southeastern Israel. The fort, built in the first century BCE, was constructed atop a natural plateau rising ov ...

, at the

Dead Sea The Dead Sea (; or ; ), also known by #Names, other names, is a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the west and Israel to the southwest. It lies in the endorheic basin of the Jordan Rift Valle ...

." In 2006 he said: "in the past couple years, I’ve felt more Jewish than ever." He found faith in Christianity when he met his wife, and was baptized, while in Mexico. He told ESPN, "Just experiencing both cultures, sometimes I felt like I didn't know where I belonged. It's still a soul-searching kind of thing, trying to figure out exactly where you come from or which heritage you relate to. I still kind of feel lost even to this day, but it's something that I just deal with, and it makes me a stronger person having both of those heritages." His brother Andrew played soccer at Cal Poly Pomona, and is now a marketing director. He has a third brother, Taylor. His wife, Juliana, is from Brazil, and he has two daughters.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

Honors

UANL *

Mexican Primera División Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divi ...

: Apertura 2011 Querétaro * Copa MX: Apertura 2016 * Supercopa MX:

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

United States * CONCACAF Gold Cup:

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Individual *

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

: 2007 *

: 2007, 2008 *Inducted into the

Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, in Beverly Hills, California, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring American Jews, American Jewish athletes, other sports personalities, and teams from Southern California who have distingui ...

: 2008.

References

External links

* * *
Jonathan Bornstein Stats and biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bornstein, Jonathan 1984 births Living people American men's soccer players Jewish American soccer players American sportspeople of Mexican descent American people of Romanian-Jewish descent California State Polytechnic University, Pomona alumni Cal Poly Pomona Broncos men's soccer players UCLA Bruins men's soccer players Maccabiah Games medalists in football Maccabiah Games silver medalists for the United States Competitors at the 2005 Maccabiah Games Chivas USA players Tigres UANL footballers Atlante F.C. footballers Querétaro F.C. footballers Maccabi Netanya F.C. players Chicago Fire FC players C.D.S. Vida players United States men's international soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Expatriate men's footballers in Honduras Chivas USA draft picks CONCACAF Gold Cup–winning players 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2007 Copa América players 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars Liga MX players Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional de Honduras players American expatriate sportspeople in Mexico American expatriate sportspeople in Israel American expatriate sportspeople in Honduras Men's association football defenders Israeli Premier League players Israeli people of Romanian-Jewish descent Sportspeople from Los Alamitos, California Soccer players from Orange County, California Soccer players from Torrance, California 21st-century American Jews Los Alamitos High School alumni Jews from California