Real Salt Lake’s Nat Borchers undergoes quad surgery, out indefinitely

If there was one team that could afford to lose their top two defenders, it was Real Salt Lake, However, with today’s news that former MLS Best XI defender Nat Borchers is out indefinitely after surgery on his right quadriceps, we’ll get a good idea how much depth Garth Lagerway and Jason Kreis have at center half. Come first kick, RSL will be without both of last year’s first choice central defenders.

Olave’s December trade to New York left Nats Borchers as the linchpin of RSL’s defense, but after lingering issues with his quad weren’t resolved with rest and rehab, Borchers underwent surgery the first week of January to repair a torn tendon. Recovery will “delay his preseason preparations,” according to the club, making it difficult to predict when he’ll be fit to return.

It sounds like Real Salt Lake needs to get Borchers back on the field before they’ll know when he’ll be to speed with his teammates. Does that mean April? May? It’s difficult to tell, but the language sounds more cautious than ominous.

This is where it’s nice to have both Chris Schuler and Kwame Watson-Siriboe. That duo may have sat behind Olave and Borchers on last year’s depth chart, but they’re defenders a number of Major League Soccer teams would love to have in their starting XIs. No, they won’t challenge for Best XI appearances, but they’ll be fine filling in for should Borchers spend most of the spring rounding into shape.

And what if Schuler of Watson-Siriboe go down? That’s where former Toronto first round pick Aaron Maund comes in. And there’s always the possibility of moving Chris Wingert in while giving Kenny Mansally time at left back. As usual, Garth Lagerway’s acquired options.

Still, there’s some suggestion Real Salt Lake may change their draft strategy based on Borchers’ health, a view echoed at MLSSoccer.com. Lagerway very well might change course on Thursday, but I’m having trouble seeing it. The team’s known about Borchers’ health concerns all winter, so the possibility of surgery will not have caught them off guard.

You have to think depth at center half was on Lagerway’s mind when he acquired Maund. He wasn’t leaving this one for the draft. If Lagerway goes central defense on Thursday, it’s likely because RSL feels that center half is the best player on the board.

In the interim, RSL still has their usual depth in the middle. With Olave gone and Borchers out, they may not have the MLS-elite quality at the top of the depth chart, but they have more than enough cover to make it through Borchers’ recuperation.