NEW YORK -- Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley and defender
Jonathan Bornstein won MLS seasonal awards Tuesday.
Bradley was chosen 2006 Coach of the Year, and Bornstein won
Rookie of the Year honors. They helped the second-year club to a
third-place finish in the Western Conference and a playoff spot one
season after finishing last in the West with a 4-22-6 mark. Chivas
was 10-9-13 this season.
Bradley, in his first year with Chivas USA, has had his teams
qualify for the playoffs in every season of his nine-year MLS
coaching career. Bradley, the winningest coach in league history,
also won top coach honors in 1998 when he led the Chicago Fire to
the MLS Cup title in its debut season.
He becomes the first two-time winner of the award and beat out
D.C. United coach Peter Nowak and the Chicago Fire's Dave Sarachan.
Previous coaches of the year included Bruce Arena in 1997.
The 21-year-old Bornstein, a fourth-round pick (37th overall) in
the 2006 draft, started every game and logged 2,878 minutes, not
only the most of any rookie but by any field player in the league.
The versatile Bornstein had four assists and led all rookies with
six goals.
Bornstein beat out teammate Sacha Kljestan and Real Salt Lakes
Mehdi Ballouchy for the award.
The winners were selected in voting by media, MLS players,
coaches and general managers.