Borchers' agent contacted both San Jose and Toronto and informed them his client wanted to play for RSL. With Toronto general manager Mo Johnston in the picture, cooperation was complicated. Johnston is the same person who selected then-RSL star Jason Kreis in Toronto's expansion draft two years ago despite no intention of keeping him. He knew RSL would cough up the cash to keep him, a brilliant move on his part.

After San Jose opted to pass on Borchers, surprisingly enough, Toronto did, too.

"I was fairly sure I would end up in Salt Lake. I didn't want to come back and play for anyone else, to be honest," said Borchers. "I actually spoke to Mo Johnston on the phone on allocation day because that was a concern I might end up over there."

His acquisition was a big boost from the standpoint that RSL wants to identify an American core of players to build the team around, while surrounding them with quality international players.

"So to be able to bring back an American player that has European experience is big for us," said Kreis, who is now RSL's head coach. "Nat's a competitor, and what it does for us now in another position, we have multiple players that are very, very capable of being starters for us, and starting a large number of games for us over the season. It's going to be nice competition as well."

Borchers, who spent two years with Colorado before heading overseas, is confident his playing experience overseas will help RSL for years to come, in addition to his mentality of "win or go home."

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E-mail: jedward@desnews.com