Jon Busch
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| Jon Busch | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jon Busch | |
| Date of birth | August 18, 1976 | |
| Place of birth | Queens, New York, U.S. | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | |
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Chicago Fire | |
| Number | 1 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1994-96 | Charlotte | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1997 1997 1998-00 2001 2002-06 2007- |
Worcester Wildfire Carolina Dynamo Hampton Roads Mariners Hershey Wildcats Columbus Crew Chicago Fire |
? (?) 2 (0) 64 (0) 27 (0) 84 (0) 3 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2005 | United States | 1 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Jon Busch (born August 18, 1976 in Queens, New York) is an American soccer goalkeeper who currently plays for the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. He played at Guilderland High School in Guilderland, New York, near Albany, where he was named a high school All-American and was ranked within the top 25 best players in the nation as a senior.
In college, Busch was named first team All-America in 1996, when he help lead UNC Charlotte to their first ever appearance in the College Cup and a school-record 19 wins. That season remains the only College Cup (Final Four) appearance in school history. He recorded a career-high 12 shutouts that season, including two in the NCAA Tournament and a career-low 0.89 goals against average (GAA) en route to being named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. Overall he was a first team all-conference selection three times and was named to Soccer America’s First Team Freshman All-America team in 1994.
Although Busch was a NCAA All-American in 1996 while playing at Charlotte his road to MLS was not an easy one. Undrafted out of college, he spent a number of years in the United Soccer Leagues, playing for the Worcester Wildfire, Carolina Dynamo, Hampton Roads Mariners, and Hershey Wildcats. He was named the A-League Goalkeeper of the Year during his final year in the USL, 2001, and was then drafted by the Columbus Crew with the 23rd overall pick of the 2002 MLS SuperDraft. He played with Columbus until the end of the 2006 season.
Busch did not become a starter for the Crew immediately, sharing the duties in his first MLS season with incumbent Tom Presthus. He became a starter by 2003, but did not do too well, as Columbus floundered in the standings. But both the Crew and Busch had terrific 2004 regular seasons, as the team, led by Busch's goaltending, embarked on a league-record 18-game undefeated streak. Busch was a finalist for the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award for his performance, and his impact on the team's season was cited as the third-highest impact of any MLS player on any MLS team in the history of the league by MLSnet writer Jeff Bradley.[1]
In 2005, he was sidelined by a knee injury for most of the season, leading the Crew to acquire Jonny Walker. The Crew's goalkeeping injury woes intensified in 2006, as Busch was one of several injured keepers on the team roster, managing only 8 games. He was waived prior to the 2007 season and the only player picked in the 2007 MLS Waiver Draft, selected by Toronto FC. On March 21 of the same year, he was waived by Toronto, as the team found itself over the limit for senior international roster spots. He was subsequently picked up by the Fire and served as back up goalie for the 2007 season.
With the departure of starter Matt Pickens to Queens Park Rangers of England's second-tier Football League Championship Busch ultimately inherited the starter's role with the Fire to start the 2008 season. To date, Busch has led a rivival for the Fire, with a league-tying four saves and a league-best 0.62 GAA. Busch also leads the league in saves with 41 through eight games. The Fire sit 5-2-1 and tied for second place in the MLS Eastern Division, and Busch is considered a strong candidate for both comeback player of the year and MVP.
Busch is among the all-time statistical leaders in MLS history for goalies, compiling 30 saves, good for ninth place, and he is fourth in all-time GAA at 1.21. Considered quite short by goalie standards at 5'10", Busch plays with a great deal of energy and is often praised as a leader and motivator for his team - former Crew assistant coach John Murphy once said of Busch that, "Jon is 5-10 and plays 6-5."[2]
Busch's father was a Lutheran minister.
He earned his first cap for the United States on March 9, 2005, shutting out Colombia.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Bradley, Jeff. "First XI: Impact players", MLSnet.com, September 5, 2006, retrieved December 4, 2006.
- ^ Wheeler, Walter. "View of the Crew", Cybersoccernews.com, August 17, 2004, retrieved from Google cache December 4, 2006.
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