MLS: Top 5 Goalkeepers in league history
By Matt Coles
4. Zach Thornton
Coming in at No.4 on our list is Zack Thornton, another man to have won the coveted Goalkeeper of the Year award on multiple occasions, and the man to do so with the longest gap between the two wins.
The six-foot-three shot-stopper came through the American college system to make his way into Major League Soccer, spending his college days with the Loyola Greyhounds.
MLS Career & Honours:
- MetroStars (1996-1997)
- Chicago Fire (1998-2006)
- Colorado Rapids (2007)
- Chivas USA (2008-2011)
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- MLS Goalkeeper of the Year – 1998, 2009
- MLS Best XI – 1998, 2009
- MLS Comeback Player of the Year – 2009
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- MLS Cup – 1998
- Supporters’ Shield – 2003
- U.S. Open Cup – 1998, 2000, 2003
Thornton was drafted by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in the 1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft but was unable to break through into the first team, with USMNT shot-stopper Tony Meola entrenched between the sticks at Giants Stadium.
His career broke out in 1998, after he had been chosen by Chicago Fire in the 1997 MLS Expansion Draft ahead of their inaugural campaign in the American top flight, and both his, and the club’s, impact on the league was instantaneous.
The Fire won the MLS Cup in their first season in the league, with Thornton registering eight shutouts in 25 league games during the regular season. The United States international shot-stopper then let in just two goals in five post-season matches as the Fire won the title, with the ‘keeper also taking home individual accolades in the form of the 1998 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award, along with a place in the MLS Best XI.
He was also in goal as Chicago won the U.S. Open Cup to make their inaugural season even more impressive, as they defeated Columbus Crew in the final. In his third season with the club, the 2000 term, Chicago would go on to lift the domestic cup competition for a second time, as they defeated Miami Fusion in the final. With Thornton in goal, they would go on to lift a third U.S. Open Cup title in six seasons, winning the 2003 edition of the tournament.
That same season, Thornton helped the side to win their first-ever Supporters’ Shield, and the Fire reached the MLS Cup for a second time, but they missed out on the title, and the chance to become the first side in MLS to win the domestic treble, with San Jose Earthquakes winning the final 4-2 at the Home Depot Center.
After three more seasons with Chicago, along with a brief loan spell with Portuguese giants Benfica in 2004, Thornton left Chicago, signing for the Colorado Rapids ahead of the 2007 term, but only played a single game for the side before then joining the New York Red Bulls.
He then made the move to Chivas USA midway through the 2008 term, and although the team did not reach any glory, more individual accolades came his way, as his first full season with the side saw Thornton take home the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award for the second time in his career. He achieved the award thanks to leading the league in shutouts, making 12 of them in 27 regular-season appearances for the Los Angeles-based side.
Along with GKOTY award, Thornton also received the MLS Comeback Player of the Year nod, along with being placed into the league’s Best XI for the term. He would go one to play for Chivas for a further two seasons before retiring following the conclusion of the 2011 campaign.
He finished his career with over 280 regular-season appearances over a stellar 16-year career in the American top-flight. Add to that 35 playoff appearances, including a run of reaching the post-season six years straight with Chicago from 1998-2003, and Thornton featured well over 300 times in the league. The USMNT net-minder finished his career as one of four men to have won the Goalkeeper of the Year award twice, along with having an MLS Cup and three U.S. Open Cup titles to his name.