Zach Thornton facts for kids
Zach Thornton (born October 10, 1973) is an American soccer player who is now a goalkeeping coach for Chicago Fire FC. He played as a goalkeeper for 16 seasons in Major League Soccer (MLS). He played for teams like the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, New York Red Bulls, and Chivas USA. Zach was the main goalkeeper for the Fire when they won the MLS Cup '98 in their very first year. He is one of only three Fire players who were part of all six of the club's major wins between 1998 and 2006.
Thornton in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 10, 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Edgewood, Maryland, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993 | Baltimore Bays | ? | (?) |
| 1996–1997 | MetroStars | 6 | (0) |
| 1997 | → Imperials (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 1998–2006 | Chicago Fire | 215 | (0) |
| 2004 | → Benfica (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2007 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | (0) |
| 2008 | New York Red Bulls | 0 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Chivas USA | 60 | (0) |
| Total | 286 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1994–2001 | United States | 8 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2012 | Loyola Greyhounds (goalkeeping) | ||
| 2012 | Elizabethtown Blue Jays (goalkeeping) | ||
| 2013–2014 | Villanova Wildcats (associate head coach) | ||
| 2015–2021 | D.C. United (goalkeeping) | ||
| 2022 | Houston Dynamo (goalkeeping) | ||
| 2022– | Chicago Fire (goalkeeping) | ||
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Contents
Zach Thornton's Early Life and College
Zach Thornton was the youngest of four children. He started playing soccer when he was five years old. A year later, he also began playing lacrosse. His father, Ernest, encouraged him to play these sports.
Zach was a star athlete in three sports at The John Carroll School. He played soccer, lacrosse, and basketball. He later attended Essex Community College. Then, he finished his education at Loyola College in Maryland. At Loyola, he played both soccer and lacrosse. He was even named a third-team All-American in lacrosse. In 2020, he was honored as part of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference 40th Anniversary Men's Soccer Team.
Zach Thornton's Professional Playing Career
Starting in Major League Soccer
Zach Thornton was chosen by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in the 1996 MLS Draft. This was the 7th round, and he was the 69th player picked overall. He played only six games in his first two seasons with the MetroStars. This was because Tony Meola, a famous U.S. national team goalkeeper, was already the main goalie. In 1997, Zach played a few games on loan for the North Jersey Imperials.
Success with Chicago Fire
The Chicago Fire picked Zach in the 1997 MLS Expansion Draft. This is when his career really took off. He became the starting goalkeeper, even beating out famous Mexican player Jorge Campos. Zach led the new Fire team to win the MLS Cup that year. He was also named the league's Goalkeeper of the Year.
He played for the Fire for six years and was always the main starter. He was often one of the best goalkeepers in MLS. In 2004, Zach signed a six-month deal with the Portuguese club Benfica. However, he did not play any first-team games there. He then rejoined the Fire later in the MLS season. He didn't play much when he returned because his former backup, Henry Ring, had taken his spot. In 2005, Zach got his starting position back with the Fire. He only missed a few games due to injuries.
Later MLS Teams
On March 2, 2007, Zach was traded to the Colorado Rapids. He was a backup goalie there behind Bouna Coundoul during the 2007 season. He was then released at the end of the year. The New York Red Bulls picked him up as a reserve goalkeeper in 2008. He played behind Jon Conway.
Zach was traded to Chivas USA on August 2, 2008. He had two great seasons with the team. He even won the Goalkeeper of the Year Award again in 2009. In 2011, Zach got injured while playing for Chivas USA. He lost his starting role because of this. After the season, the club decided not to keep him. He then became a free agent.
Playing for His Country
Zach Thornton first played for the U.S. national team in 1994. This was in a friendly game against Jamaica. He was a backup to Kasey Keller at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Even though he was very successful in MLS, he only played eight games for the national team. On December 22, 2009, he was called up again to play a friendly game against Honduras.
Zach Thornton's Coaching Career
After his playing career, Zach Thornton became a coach. On July 5, 2012, he returned to his old college, Loyola University Maryland, as a volunteer goalkeeping coach. Just over six weeks later, on August 20, he became a full-time goalkeeping coach. He worked with both the men's and women's teams at Elizabethtown College.
On January 17, 2013, he was named Associate Head Coach for the Villanova University men's soccer program. In 2015, Zach became the Goalkeeping Coach for the MLS team D.C. United. On January 13, 2022, he was named goalkeeping coach for Houston Dynamo. In December 2022, Zach Thornton joined Chicago Fire FC as their goalkeeping coach.
Zach Thornton's Awards and Achievements
Chicago Fire
- U.S. Open Cup: 1998, 2000, 2003
- Major League Soccer Eastern Conference Championship: 2003
- MLS Cup: 1998
- Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield: 2003
- Major League Soccer Western Conference Championship: 1998
Individual Awards
- MLS All-Star: 1998, 1999, 2000
- MLS Goalkeeper of the Year: 1998, 2009
- MLS Best XI: 1998, 2009
- MLS Comeback Player of the Year: 2009
See also
In Spanish: Zach Thornton para niños
