Chicago Fire pick up 2021 contract option on defender Jonathan Bornstein

At the beginning of the season, Chicago Fire defender Jonathan Bornstein told Hot Time in Old Town he wanted to play until he was 40. He’s now one step closer to making that happen.

The Fire announced today the club has exercised Bornstein’s 2021 contract option.

“We are pleased that Jonathan will be back with the team in 2021,” Fire Sporting Director Georg Heitz said in a statement. “Since arriving at the Club, he has consistently shown his experience and qualities as a player. Jonathan has also been an excellent leader and mentor for the young players on the squad. We look forward to working with him again next season.”

The move means the Fire now have 19 players under contract for the 2021 season.

Bornstein, who is 35, joined the Fire in July 2019, making 11 starts in his first season in Chicago—a stretch that saw the Fire pick up five clean sheets and 19 points (5-2-4). He’s started four of the team’s five matches in 2020, and scored the game tying goal in a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution in March.

Since turning pro in 2006, Bornstein has made 319 professional appearances across all competitions in first division leagues in the United States, Mexico and Israel. Internationally, he has 38 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team, including two appearances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.