Howard and Lloyd named U.S. Soccer athletes of the year

    

                                                                              Photo by ISIphotos.com

It was hard to argue against Tim Howard having been the U.S. national team's best player in 2008 and voters agreed, naming him the 2008 U.S. Soccer male athlete of the year on Thursday.

Howard was one of four players honored by U.S. Soccer on Thursday. Sacha Kljestan earned Young Male Athlete of the Year honors, Olympic final hero Carli Lloyd won Female Athlete of the Year honors and Under-17 standout Kristie Mewis earned Young Female Athlete of the Year.

The award, the first of Howard's career, comes after a year that saw him star for both Everton and the U.S. national team. He posted five shutouts in eight national team matches this year, including his memorable seven-save performance against Argentina in June. He recorded 18 shutouts in all competitions for Everton last season.

Lloyd took home the honor after helping lead the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal. Her game-winning goal in the final vs. Brazil was one of the top moments of the year for American soccer.

Here is a great video tribute to Howard's impressive year, courtesy of Ussoccer.com:

Here is a video tribute to Carli Lloyd's unforgettable year:

What do you think of the award winners? Think they're all deserving? Glad to see the voters get it right after the Honda Award voters got it so wrong? Proud to see New Jersey sweep the Player of the Year awards with Howard and Lloyd (not to mention Seton Hall product Kljestan)?

Share your thoughts below.