Nobody who followed Real Salt Lake during the previous seven seasons could have cheered against Nat Borchers and the Portland Timbers in Sunday's MLS Cup final at Columbus.
Yet amid the good feelings for Borchers, a stalwart defender the Timbers during a season that ended with a 2-1 victory for his second career championship, there is inevitable regret about the trade that hurt RSL in 2015.
Borchers is one of those guys who treats media members as actual people, recognizing the nature of our jobs and always giving thoughtful answers, making him one of my 10 favorite Utah pro athletes of all-time. That's a strong statement, considering the list includes golfers.
So I was very happy for Borchers, who became a big part of the Timbers' story this season at age 34. But I also recognize that from inside and outside of RSL's operation, there's considerable lament about a player who got away. Toward the end of the regular season, captain Kyle Beckerman and owner Dell Loy Hansen expressed such thoughts about former RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey's trade of Borchers for allocation money, with Lagerwey (now working in Seattle) having explained that Borchers would have been lost in the expansion draft anyway.
Coincidentally enough, the trade became official almost exactly a year before Borchers won another title, adding to his 2009 championship with RSL. Will Johnson, another ex-Real player, also celebrated a victory Sunday when he dressed but did not play. Johnson's year was affected by his broken leg, an injury he sustained late in the 2014 season. RSL traded him in December 2012.
Tweeting a photo of him and Borchers, Johnson wrote Sunday, "If I could take one guy into a dark alley brawl, it's this guy."
That was not exactly the setting for the MLS Cup final, but the Timbers went into Columbus and held the Crew scoreless over the last 73 minutes, preserving their win. Portland's victory came two years after Borchers was involved in RSL's loss at Sporting Kansas City in a title game decided by penalty kicks.
The championship is a first for Portland in 38 years, since the Trail Blazers won the 1977 NBA title. Some symmetry involves Borchers, who was part of the Salt Lake Valley's first pro sports title in 38 years, after the Utah Stars won the 1971 ABA championship.
kkragthorpe@sltrib.com
Twitter: @tribkurt
Los Angeles Galaxy's Landon Donovan, right, celebrates scoring a goal in front of Real Salt Lake's Nat Borchers during the first half of an MLS soccer Western Conference playoff series game, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014, in Carson, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Portland Timbers Nate Borchers reacts after scoring the game winning goal with seconds left in the match, in MLS action Real Salt Lake vs. The Portland Timbers, at Rio Tinto stadium, Saturday, August 15, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman (5) shakes hands with Portland Timbers defender Nat Borchers (7) after the game, in MLS action Real Salt Lake vs. The Portland Timbers, at Rio Tinto stadium, Saturday, August 15, 2015.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Real Salt Lake midfielder Luke Mulholland (19) hugs Portland Timbers Nat Borchers (7) after the game, in MLS action Real Salt Lake vs. The Portland Timbers, at Rio Tinto stadium, Saturday, August 15, 2015.
Portland Timbers, from left to right, Lucas Melano, of Argentina, Rodney Wallace and Nat Borchers celebrate their 2-1 win over the Columbus Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup championship soccer game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
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