Nat Borchers sat on a couch in his home in Lake Oswego cheerfully holding his nine-month old daughter, Denley, as he watched his wife, Crystal, and two-year-old son, Lincoln, play with a train set nearby.
It was just over a week since Borchers had publicly announced that he would be retiring from professional soccer after a decorated 14-year career.
And the 35-year-old was at peace with his decision.
“If I still had the hunger or if I really still had the desire to come back and prove myself, I would have, but I didn’t have those feelings,” Borchers said. “I knew it was time to step away.”
Borchers made the decision to retire shortly after he ruptured his Achilles tendon against the LA Galaxy last July.
Even before the injury, Borchers had felt like he had been pushing his body through a lot during the 2016 season. He had never pictured his career coming to an end in such an unexpected way, but the Portland Timbers fan-favorite felt some relief knowing that he had given the sport everything he could give. After being stretchered off the field, he even told Crystal that it might be time for him to hang up his cleats.
Over the next few months, Borchers mulled over the decision before finally informing the Timbers in December that he would be retiring. The center back finished his career with two MLS Cup titles, an MLS Best XI selection, 11 trips to the postseason with three different MLS clubs and an amazing 340 MLS regular season appearances.
“I felt like leaving on an injury, it took the guesswork out of what I had to do,” Borchers said. “I didn’t expect to go out on a stretcher to end my career, but ultimately as a competitor, I’m satisfied to say I did because I pushed myself absolutely to the limit and my body gave out. I can’t say I took any plays off. I can’t say that I didn’t give everything I could to my teammates or to the fans.”
Now, Borchers is excited about what comes next.
Borchers will be joining the Timbers broadcast team as a sideline reporter — and he plans to keep his distinctive red beard in his new role. He will also remain active with the club’s community platform, Stand Together, and is in the process of starting his own real estate company in Oregon.
“I thought a lot about what part of the game I would like to be involved in and broadcasting just seemed like a really good fit for me,” Borchers said. “I’ve always enjoyed talking to people and I’ve always enjoyed talking about soccer.”
The decision to stay in Portland was easy for Borchers. Even though he and his wife grew up in Colorado and he spent seven years competing for Real Salt Lake, Borchers and his family quickly grew to call Portland home when he joined the Timbers in 2015.
“Before we got traded to Portland, my wife and I were thinking that we were going to be in Salt Lake the rest of our lives,” Borchers said. “Then we got traded here and we just fell in love with it.”
Borchers has decorated the walls in his home in Lake Oswego with photographs and memorabilia from his long career. His 300 jersey – commemorating the 300th appearance of his MLS career – hangs in his living room, next to photos of his two MLS Cup championships. His log slab for scoring his first goal as a Timber against FC Dallas in 2015 is mounted in the entryway.
When asked about the most memorable moment of his career, Borchers immediately recalled his first MLS Cup title with Real Salt Lake in 2009.
“I think 2009 winning the MLS Cup with Salt Lake was this incredibly validating feeling because before that I had never been a champion,” Borchers said. “To do that with that team just gave me so much inspiration moving forward. I think since then, I’ve been chasing that feeling, that exhilaration of being a champion.”
Borchers will also never forget the incredible run that led to the Timbers winning the club’s first-ever MLS Cup in 2015. One moment that he looks back on with particular pride is his block on a shot from FC Dallas forward Blas Perez in stoppage time in the second leg of the Western Conference Championship series. The block prevented Dallas from tying the series up on aggregate and helped the Timbers earn a berth to their first MLS Cup.
“I’m still shocked that I was able to get a foot onto that shot and so relieved too and grateful that I was able to come through for my teammates,” Borchers said. “We were just such a great unit and then to get to that final and to win and to have the Portland Timbers first soccer championship was just so amazing.”
While Borchers will never forget the championships, the thing he said he will most remember from his career are the relationships with his teammates and coaches, as well as the fans.
When he thinks about his legacy, he is just hopeful that he will be remembered as a great teammate.
“I think if I’m going to be judged by anybody, it would be by my teammates,” Borchers said. “I’d hope they’d say I was a great teammate. I always tried to do right by them and just work as hard as I possibly could for them on and off the field.”
— Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com
503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg
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