<div><p>American goalkeeper Zach Thornton and Colombian forward Fredy Montero claimed Major League Soccer season awards on Tuesday, just days after their teams were ousted from the title chase.</p><p>Seattle Sounders striker Montero took MLS Newcomer of the Year honors while 36-year-old Thornton of Chivas USA captured the league's Comeback Player of the Year award to join his MLS Goalkeeper of the Year trophy.</p><p>Montero, 22, led the first-year club in scoring with 12 goals, four of them game winners. He joined the Sounders after four seasons with Deportivo Cali in his homeland, including a season on loan to Atletico Huila.</p><p>Thornton, in his first full season as a starter since 2006, led Chivas to a mark of 13-11 with six drawn, posting a career-best 12 shutouts with a 0.87 goals-against average, the second best in MLS history.</p><p>After eight seasons as a starter for Chicago, Thornton was demoted to a reserve role in 2007 at Colorado and a bench-warmer last year at New York before a late-season trade to Chivas after Brad Guzan left for Aston Villa.</p><p>This year, Thornton led Chivas into the MLS playoffs for a fourth season in a row but the club was ousted by its city rival, the Los Angeles Galaxy, in the opening round.</p><p>The Galaxy will play host to Houston, which ousted Seattle in another first-round meeting, on Friday with the winner to face either Chicago or Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup final.</p><p>Players, coaches, general managers and media all voted upon the awards.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=63074085&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

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