Jon Busch

Infobox Football biography
playername = Jon Busch


fullname = Jon Busch
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1976|8|18
cityofbirth = Queens, New York
countryofbirth = United States
height = height|ft=5|in=10
position = Goalkeeper
currentclub = Chicago Fire
clubnumber = 1
youthyears = 1994–1996
youthclubs = UNC Charlotte
years = 1997
1997
1998–2000
2001
2002–2006
2007–
clubs = Worcester Wildfire
Carolina Dynamo
Hampton Roads Mariners
Hershey Wildcats
Columbus Crew
Chicago Fire
caps(goals) =
002 0(0)
064 0(0)
027 0(0)
084 0(0)
026 0(0)
nationalyears = 1993
2005
nationalteam = United States U-17
United States U-20
United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 004 0(0)
001 0(0)
pcupdate = 18:50, 31 August 2008 (PDT)
ntupdate = 18:50, 31 August 2008 (PDT)

Jon Busch (born 18 August 1976, in Queens, New York) is an American soccer goalkeeper who currently plays for Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer.

Amateur career

Busch played at Guilderland High School in Guilderland, New York, 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 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. In total, Busch spent 3 seasons with UNC Charlotte.

tart of professional career

Busch was undrafted out of college and spent a number of years in the United Soccer Leagues, playing for Worcester Wildfire, Carolina Dynamo, Hampton Roads Mariners, and Hershey Wildcats.

He was drafted in 1997 by Nashville Metros with the 2nd Overall pick in the A-League draft, but opted to split his first year with Worcester Wildfire and Carolina Dynamo.

Busch then moved on to Hampton Roads Mariners, 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. He won 14 games and posted 13 shutouts while leading the team to the A-League 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.

MLS career

With the Crew

Major League Soccer took note of his USL play and it resulted in Busch being drafted by Columbus Crew with the 23rd overall pick of the 2002 MLS SuperDraft. 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. In contrast, 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 2004 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. [Bradley, Jeff. [http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20060905&content_id=71742&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp "First XI: Impact players"] , From "MLSnet.com", September 5, 2006, retrieved December 4, 2006.] 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 found himself 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.

Moving on to Chicago

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 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 revival for the Fire and is considered a strong candidate for both comeback player of the year and MVP.

International career

Busch earned his first, and only, cap for the United States on 9 March 2005. He shut out Colombia in a friendly, but despite the performance was not call 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 in Japan.

Personal life

Busch is the son of Madeline and Robert Busch. Robert Busch is Lutheran pastor. Jon Busch was married to Nicole Blair on 11 December 2004. He has obtained his "B" coaching license in January of 2003.

ee also

* List of current MLS players

References

External links

*FIFA player|195129|Jon Busch
*MLSNet|chicago|fire|t100|busch_j|bus118654