Jonathan Borrajo (born June 2, 1987) is a former American soccer player.

Career

Youth and College

Borrajo was born and raised in

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

and attended Clifton High School, where he was named his team's Best Defender and MVP. He finished his high school career with 109 points (29 goals and 51 assists), and was named to the All-State and All-County teams as a junior and senior. Borrajo played four years of

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

, where he was named to the All-CAA and All-CAA Tournament team as a senior in 2008. He received the Fred Thompson MVP in 2007 and the Dennis Hamlet Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, as well as captaining the team his sophomore thru senior years and leading them to a CAA Championship and an NCAA final tournament appearance in his last season. During his college years Borrajo was a player for the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

' youth development system, and also played for the

New Jersey Rangers NJ-LUSO Parma is an American soccer team based in Denville, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 2007, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

Club career

Real Maryland

Borrajo began his professional career in 2009 (while finishing his college degree) when he signed with the

Real Maryland Monarchs Real Maryland F.C., commonly known as the Real Maryland Monarchs, was an American soccer team based in Rockville, Maryland, United States. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the Americ ...

in the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer ( ...

, and made his professional debut on April 25, 2009, in Maryland's 3–2 opening day victory over the

Bermuda Hogges Bermuda Hogges were a Bermudian football team based in Hamilton, Bermuda. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern ...

. Despite being a rookie, Borrajo was named team captain and the only Monarchs player to appear in every minute of the 2009 season, and he was subsequently named to the 2009 USL Second Division All League First Team.

HamKam

After a season and a half with the Monarchs Borrajo relocated to Norway in August 2010 transfer window, when he signed to play with

HamKam Hamarkameratene (literally ''the Hamar Comrades''), often abbreviated to HamKam or Ham-Kam, is a Norwegian football club based in the town of Hamar. The club was founded in 1918, originally under the name Freidig. HamKam were most recently pro ...

of the

Norwegian Second Division The Norwegian Second Division, also called 2. divisjon and often referred to as PostNord-ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the third-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. There are 28 teams divided into two groups, and at the ...

. Borrajo played every game for HamKam at right-back since he debuted 8/21/2010 where he was named Man of the Match. In his first season in Norway Borrajo helped his club gain promotion to the

Norwegian First Division The Norwegian First Division, also called 1. divisjon and OBOS-ligaen (named sponsor is property developer OBOS), is the second-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Each year, the top finishing teams in the 1. divisjon are p ...

. Borrajo returned to HamKam for the 2011 season and in his second season with HamKam Borrajo helped the club to a 6th-place finish as he started in 27 matches and contributed 10 assists.

New York Red Bulls

On January 5, 2012, it was announced that Borrajo had agreed to terms with

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

. Borrajo made his league debut for New York on 21 July 2012 in a 2–0 win over the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

. On November 19, 2012, the Red Bulls announced it declined options for an additional 6 players, having released 4 a week earlier, with Borrajo included in the mix.

Mjøndalen IF

Borrajo made a return to the

and signed for

Mjøndalen IF Mjøndalen IF is a Norwegian sports club located in Mjøndalen, Viken, Norway. Of the different athletic endeavours that the club supports, it may be best known in Norway for its bandy national championship teams and internationally for its asso ...

after a season in

. Borrajo has been a regular at right wingback and helped the club reach the quarterfinals of the

Norwegian Cup The Norwegian Football Cup ( no, Norgesmesterskapet i fotball for herrer) is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football ...

in which they lost 2–0 to

Molde FK Molde Fotballklubb () is a professional football club based in Molde, Norway, that competes in Eliteserien, the top flight of Norwegian football. Founded on 19 June 1911, the club was originally known as International and changed its name to ...

. Borrajo helped the club to a 4th-place finish as he played in 31 matches and contributed 10 assists.

San Antonio Scorpions

Borrajo signed with

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stadiu ...

of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

(NASL) in March 2014. San Antonio Scorpions won the Fall Season Championship and also led the NASL with single-season all-time record for fewest goals against in modern NASL era. Borrajo and the Scorpions played in the semifinals against the New York Cosmos and won 2–1 in overtime. San Antonio Scorpions went on to win the NASL Soccer Bowl Championship Final 2–1 against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and were crowned 2014 NASL Champions, it was the first championship in the club's history.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers

Borrajo was traded by San Antonio to

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

in exchange for future considerations in January 2015. Borrajo missed the Spring Season due to injury and returned the Strikers on 23/8/2015 when he made his official debut for the club in a 2–0 win in Edmonton. Borrajo went on to play 13 full matches for the Strikers and was an integral part of the club's success in reaching 4th place playoff spot in the league. The Strikers lost 2–1 in the semifinals to the New York Cosmos, the eventual champions of the 2015 NASL Championship. This was Borrajo's second consecutive NASL semifinal playoff appearance.

Miami FC

Borrajo signed with expansion Miami FC ahead of the club's NASL debut in the 2016 season. Borrajo was club captain and ended the season with the most assists on the team.

Personal life

Borrajo was born to Spanish immigrant parents: Marilyn and Jose Borrajo. Borrajo has dual American and Spanish passports. He also has a younger brother who plays soccer. Borrajo was the first college graduate in his family. He graduated with honors from George Mason University School of Management and earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting with a Minor in Economics. Jonathan was married January 19, 2019 to Stephanie Longhi.

Honors

Club

Ham Kam

*Second Division, 4th Group 1st Place (Promoted to First Division):

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

San Antonio Scorpions

NASL Soccer Bowl Championship (1):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

NASL Fall Championship (1):

The Miami FC

NASL Spring Championship (1):

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

NASL Fall Championship (1):

Personal

Defender of the Year Finalist: 2009 *

All League First-Team: 2009 *

Most Minutes Played (1,800): 2009

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borrajo, Jonathan 1987 births Living people Clifton High School (New Jersey) alumni Sportspeople from Clifton, New Jersey American soccer players American expatriate soccer players George Mason Patriots men's soccer players NJ-LUSO Parma players Real Maryland F.C. players Hamarkameratene players New York Red Bulls players Mjøndalen IF players San Antonio Scorpions players Fort Lauderdale Strikers players Miami FC players USL League Two players USL Second Division players Norwegian First Division players Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League players Expatriate footballers in Norway American people of Spanish descent Soccer players from New Jersey Association football defenders