New Timbers defender Nat Borchers didn’t initially choose to be traded from Real Salt Lake, but he did get to pick his final destination, selecting Portland from a list of clubs interested in acquiring him from RSL before officially landing at Providence Park on Dec. 8.
Portland’s competitiveness was a big draw for the 33-year-old center back, who’s well aware that he’s into the twilight of his pro career.
“I look at my career and I think maybe I’ve only got two to five years left to play,” Borchers said in an interview with Salt Lake City TV station ABC 4 on Sunday night. “I know I need to go somewhere where we’re going to win. It’s not a situation where I want to wait two years and then have to build something. I look at Portland and they’ve got their pieces in place, they’ve got an identity, they’ve got good players and they can win now.”
Borchers is set to slide into a Timbers backline that struggled in 2014, when it conceded 52 goals, the sixth-highest total in the league. Next year will be his 11th season in the league.
