Jon Busch (born August 18, 1976) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

coach and former player, who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

. Busch is currently the goalkeeping coach for

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

club

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

. He is best remembered for his captivating saves, despite his shorter stature for an elite goalkeeper, and spent most of his 21-year professional playing years in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

, appearing for the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

, Chicago Fire and

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

. Busch also represented the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at both youth and senior level. Arguably his best season was in 2008 when he was named

MLS Goalkeeper of the Year MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award, known as the Allstate MLS Goalkepeer of the Year Award for sponsorship purposes, is an annual Major League Soccer award established in 1996. It is voted on by media, MLS players and club management based on regula ...

. As of the end of the 2015 season, Busch ranks fourth in MLS history in number of shutouts.

Youth and college

Busch played at

Guilderland High School Guilderland High School is a public senior high school, located in Guilderland Center, New York. It is part of the Guilderland Central School District. Constructed in 1953, the high school has since undergone additions in 1955, 1960, 1997, 20 ...

Guilderland, New York Guilderland is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. In the 2020 census, the town had a population of 36,848. The town is named for the Gelderland province in the Netherlands. The town of Guilderland is on the central-northwest borde ...

, near Albany, where he was named a high school All-American. He was ranked within the top 25 best players in the nation as a senior. In college, Busch was a NSCAA First Team All-American in 1996, when he help lead

UNC Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

to their first ever appearance in the College Cup and a school-record 19 wins. 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 Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

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. In total, Busch spent 3 seasons with UNC Charlotte.

Club career

A-League Years (1997–2001)

Busch was undrafted out of college by

. Instead, he spent a number of years in the

United Soccer Leagues United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

. He was drafted in 1997 by

Nashville Metros The Nashville Metros were an American soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1989, the team most recently played in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the South A ...

with the 2nd overall pick in the

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

draft, but opted to split his first year with

Worcester Wildfire Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...

and

Carolina Dynamo North Carolina Fusion U-23, formerly known as Carolina Dynamo, is an American soccer team based in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The ...

. Busch then moved on to

Hampton Roads Mariners Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales * Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region *Hampton, Victoria Canada *Hampton, New Brunswick * H ...

, where he spent 3 seasons. He was named the team MVP in his second season. His breakout season came in 2001 with the

Hershey Wildcats Hershey Wildcats were a professional soccer team, based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, that played in the USL A-League between 1997 and 2001. The team was owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. The team played in Hersheypar ...

. He won 14 games and posted 13 shutouts while leading the team to the

National Championship match. Busch was named the A-League Goalkeeper of the Year and was selected the Division II circuit's first-team All-League keeper.

Columbus Crew (2002–2006)

took note of his USL play and it resulted in Busch being drafted by

with the 23rd overall pick of the

2002 MLS SuperDraft The 2002 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held on February 10, 2002 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. One month earlier, MLS had contracted two clubs: Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion. In conjunction with the contraction, the league conducted bot ...

. Busch did not become a starter for the Crew immediately, sharing the duties in his first MLS season with incumbent

Tom Presthus Thomas Presthus (born April 5, 1975 in Edina, Minnesota) is an American former soccer goalkeeper. He spent seven seasons in Major League Soccer and earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1999. Youth Presthus grew up in Minnesota playing ...

. He became a starter by

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, but did not do very well as Columbus floundered in the standings. In contrast, both the Crew and Busch had terrific

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

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 2004

MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award, known as the Allstate MLS Goalkepeer of the Year Award for sponsorship purposes, is an annual Major League Soccer award established in 1996. It is voted on by media, MLS players and club management based on regular ...

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. 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 eight games. He was waived prior to the 2007 season.

Chicago Fire (2007–2009)

Busch found himself the only player picked in the 2007 MLS Waiver Draft, selected by

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

. 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 traded to Chicago Fire in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2009

MLS Supplemental Draft The MLS Supplemental Draft had a number of incarnations in US soccer: From 1996 to 1999, all players playing in the United States playing professionally in the United Soccer Leagues were eligible for the MLS Supplemental Draft, where they could be ...

. Busch was to serve primarily as a backup keeper in 2007 and only made it into three matches all season. However, with the departure of starter

Matt Pickens Matt Pickens (born April 5, 1982) is an American retired soccer player who is currently the goalkeeping coach for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer. Career Youth and amateur Pickens initially attended Meramec Community College before playi ...

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

of England's second-tier

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

, Busch ultimately inherited the starter's role with the Fire to start the 2008 season. He was named Fire MVP for the 2008 season after being the only Fire player to start and play 90 minutes in every MLS match during the regular season (2700 minutes). Busch posted the best saves percentage in the league (78.2) after making 122 saves on 156 shots faced. Busch tied for most shutouts in the league (10), while also tying a Fire single season shutout record shared with

for his 10 shutouts in 2007. For his efforts, Busch was named the

. In March 2010, Busch was waived by the Chicago Fire.

San Jose Earthquakes (2010–2014)

Shortly after being waived, Busch was signed by

. In 2014, Busch recorded a league best and franchise record 138 saves in a season, besting Joe Cannon's mark set in 2000.

Chicago Fire (2015)

Busch returned to Chicago for his second stint with the club in January 2015. At the end of the season his contract option was declined.

Indy Eleven (2016–2017)

In January 2016, Busch signed as a free agent with the NASL club

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018. The franchise plays it ...

. He will also serve as the club’s Director of Goalkeeping, with duties to include first team coaching and scouting, serving as a guest coach with the Indy Eleven NPSL squad and assisting with the Indy Eleven Summer Soccer Clinic series.

Retirement

In May 2018, Busch made one last transfer move back to his first MLS club,

Columbus Crew SC The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an Soccer in the United States, American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference ( ...

. He and the club had agreed a one-day contract so he could officially retire as a player of Crew SC, the club which he called home in his retirement letter.

International career

Busch earned his first and only cap for the

on March 9, 2005. He shut out

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

in a friendly, but despite the performance was not called back into the squad. He has also represented the U.S. at the U-17 and U-20 levels, as well as having played in the

1993 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 1993 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the fifth edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Kobe, Nagoya, and Gifu City in Japan between 21 August and 4 September 1993. Players born after 1 August 1976 were allo ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Coaching

Busch obtained his "B" coaching license in January 2003. While playing for the Columbus Crew, he also trained goalkeepers in Columbus' youth soccer league, the Ohio Football Club. He became the academy goalkeeping coach at

in 2017, while also working with United States youth squads. Busch was appointed to a coaching position at Scottish club Hibernian in February 2022. In January 2023, Busch was appointed goalkeeping coach for the

Pittsburgh Riverhounds Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

of the

Personal

Busch is the son of Madeline and Robert Busch. Robert Busch is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

pastor. Jon Busch married Nicole Blair on December 11, 2004.

Honors

Club

Columbus Crew *

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

MLS Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 1 ...

: 2004 San Jose Earthquakes *

: 2012 *Club record saves in a season: 138 (2014)

United States

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...

: runner-up

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Individual

: 2008 *

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. Winners *Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season. Most appearances by a player The following players have appeared ...

: 2008

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Busch, Jon 1976 births Living people American soccer players United States men's international soccer players Worcester Wildfire players North Carolina Fusion U23 players Charlotte 49ers men's soccer players Virginia Beach Mariners players Hershey Wildcats players Columbus Crew players Chicago Fire FC players San Jose Earthquakes players Indy Eleven players A-League (1995–2004) players Sportspeople from Queens, New York Soccer players from New York City Association football goalkeepers 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars North American Soccer League players People from Guilderland, New York United States men's youth international soccer players Columbus Crew draft picks People from Powell, Ohio All-American men's college soccer players Hibernian F.C. non-playing staff Association football goalkeeping coaches Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC players American expatriate sportspeople in Scotland American expatriate soccer coaches