Few South Africans know of the story of Danleigh Borman, who played in the MLS for New York Red Bulls, with teammates such as Thierry Henry and Raphael Marquez.
In this interview with Soccer Laduma, the former SuperSport United left winger talks about his time in Major League Soccer, where he got to play with and against some of the biggest names in football.
The season
I played for two clubs. From 2008 until 2011, I played for New York Red Bulls. And then during that year (2011), I got traded to Toronto FC, which was in Canada, but both are in the MLS. But at New York and Toronto I had awesome experiences. If I had to choose one where I had the best experience of my professional (career), I'd say it would be New York Red Bulls. I had an awesome time there. They are the club which drafted me, so I had an emotional attachment to the club. It was just an awesome place to live in. The environment was good. I am not saying the environment was not good at Toronto, but being my first club that gave me my first professional contract, New York stands out as the best experience.
How the move happened
I received an athletic scholarship to study at the University of Rhode Island in the USA. It was a four year scholarship. I graduated in three years, because I completed a year of study at UWC (University of Western Cape). I received that scholarship and transferred my credits to the University of Rhode Island. I played for four years, but studied there for three-and-a-half years. Then I entered into the MLS draft, which is similar to the NBA draft, where the professional clubs in the USA pick students. Once they draft you, they have your rights for a certain amount of time. I was drafted by New York Red Bulls in the supplementary draft. I played there for a few years and then on April 1st (in 2011), on April's Fools Day, I got traded to Toronto FC. I thought it was an April Fools joke. It was myself and another teammate who got traded. When you get traded as a player, the league owns your rights. You don't have a choice. They tell you that you are traded and you have to go. You have no choice in the matter. Once the New York Red Bulls traded my rights to Toronto, I became their player without having a decision in the matter.
My first day in the USA
It was quite overwhelming. When I landed in the US, I got pulled to one side at customs, which was nerve-wrecking. I thought I had done something wrong, but it was just a random check that they had to do with my documents and making sure that I have everything. When they single you out, you get nervous, but the Americans were welcoming, especially the coaches at my university. You meet these guys with their accents and American swagger. It's quite different and exciting. I also met a few of my teammates on the first day and they showed me around the university campus. The campus was absolute, and Rhode Island as well. The movie Me, Myself Irene was shot there and they also used the campus as the backdrop. My first day was overwhelming, but also exciting because I was starting a new journey.
My debut
My debut was quite an experience. It was my rookie season (at New York Red Bulls) and I was on the bench and we were playing Columbus Crew. At the time, they were one of the top-seeded teams in the MLS and then we went up 2-0 in the first half. The coach decided to put me on in the beginning of the second half and it was quite an experience. I was so nervous and excited. I will never forget it. I played against the right back and he was a veteran in the league, but he could run for days. That 45 minutes felt like three hours for me. Time was going at the slowest pace, but I think it was the nerves and playing in a giant stadium. But it was awesome. We won the game and I was excited to play my first professional game. It was something I dreamt about and achieved it.
Rands and cents
Like any other league, the youngsters always get paid the least and, as you prove yourself, they renegotiate contracts and things like that. In the MLS, they had a designated player and they earning big. Those players were Thierry Henry, David Beckham and Raphael Marquez. They were earning quite a lot of money. They were called designated players and each team were allowed two designated players. The difference with the MLS is that the league controlled the budget of the clubs, of what they could spend. What's on your side in America is the currency. The dollar is obviously stronger than the rand, so that also helps you, and things are a little bit cheaper.
Best player I played with
The best player I played with has to be Thierry Henry. He is just a genius and one of the legends of the game. He was an awesome striker and brilliant on the ball. He could finish and take on players. He came with a lot of experience. You were in awe when you were playing with him, be it at training or in a game. He saw the game differently to what you saw. So, it's definitely Thierry Henry. The others were also great in their own right. I played with a few great players, like Juan Pablo Angel, Claudio Reina, Raphael Marquez. Juan Pablo was an awesome finisher and his work ethic was second to none. Raphael could read the game and his passing was great.
Best player I played against
There were a few. There was Patrick Vieira, Gareth Bale. I remember we played against Barcelona in 2008, so I would say that whole team. They had Victor Valdez, Danny Alves, Puyol, (Eric) Abidal, Yaya Toure, Xavi, (Andres) Iniesta and (Samuel) Eto'o. Pep (Guardiola) was the coach. It was unbelievable. (Lionel) Messi was not there. He was at the Olympics. So, I don't have a best player I played against. There are too many. We also played against Juventus and (Alessandro) Del Piero was playing and David Trezeguet. It was just awesome. I also played against David Beckham.
