Ching captures soccer award

CARSON, Calif. — Former Gonzaga University player Brian Ching was selected Friday as Major League Soccer’s comeback player of the year.

Ching, a forward for the San Jose Earthquakes, tied Eddie Johnson of Dallas for the league lead with 12 goals. Ching came back after a ruptured Achilles’ tendon sidelined him the last half of the 2003 season.

Ching, 25, is the lone Hawaiian playing in the MLS. He finished third in the league scoring race, with 28 points.

Also honored: Robin Fraser of the Columbus Crew was selected top defender; Joe Cannon of the Colorado Rapids was chosen as the league’s top goalkeeper; and Clint Dempsey of the New England Revolution was tabbed rookie of the year.

Greg Andrulis, who guided Columbus to a 12-5-13 record that included a league-record, 18-match unbeaten streak to finish the regular season, was chosen as coach of the year.

The 37-year-old Fraser, who won the defender honor in 1999 with Los Angeles, helped Columbus finish second in the league in goals allowed with 32. The Crew also recorded 10 shutouts.

Cannon was the lone goalkeeper in the league to play every minute this season. He made 150 saves, had an 80.2 saves percentage and logged 10 shutouts.

Dempsey, who edged Chad Marshall of Columbus and Freddy Adu of D.C. United for the rookie award, had seven goals and one assist.

The Kansas City Wizards’ Bob Gansler and D.C. United’s Peter Nowak, whose teams play for the MLS Cup on Sunday, were the other finalists for coach of the year.

Columbus lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to New England.