PHOTO: San Jose Earthquakes
When the news broke out about Jon Busch’s impending retirement, I was immediately flooded with thoughts, memories, and nostalgia of one of the San Jose Earthquakes greatest players ever. I know that’s quite a bold statement, to have a goalkeeper who oversaw two playoff runs in his five year tenure, be considered one of the greatest Earthquakes ever, so let’s examine.
Busch’s 150 appearances are second only to Joe Cannon (150) in goalkeeper appearances with the Earthquakes. His 2014 season, as dismal as it was for the whole team, was the best season a goalkeeper had in Quakes history, with 138 saves. You can look at the accolades and numbers, and sure he belongs there at the top. But what separated him from most to ever put on an Earthquakes uniform, was the attitude, the heart, and the fighting spirit.
Undersized goalkeepers need an edge to them if they’re going to be successful. At 5’10”, Busch was on the small side of most of the goalkeepers in the league. But, he was easily one of the best throughout most of his career. He played with a chip on his shoulder at all times, and fought through plenty to come up big, time after time, no matter the score.
I think back to one of the very last Quakes games that I spent standing with the Ultras. It was towards the end of the 2014 season, and FC Dallas was coming to town. The Quakes absolutely needed points to even have a hope of getting into the postseason. They got absolutely shredded, 5-0. Jon Busch, at three or four-nil down was making some insane saves, even double saves to keep the game as respectable as possible. I think of those moments when I think of Busch and what his legacy was with the Black and Blue.
I also think back to one of the few wins that I witnessed in 2014. It was after the World Cup, and after roping a few of my friends into watching soccer, I started to have them hooked. I took them to the very first event at Levi’s Stadium. The Quakes were playing the Sounders, who boasted Clint Dempsey and DeAndre Yedlin as recognizable World Cup names, and I had my buddies hooked at the idea to go. We sat with the Ultras, and the Quakes ground out a 1-0 win thanks to a deft finish from good-ole Yannick Djalo.
Jon Busch stood on his head in that game and was the man of the match. It was a nationally televised game, with Jim Kozimor and Stuart Holden on the call for NBC Sports (back when they cared about MLS rights). They conducted their interview with Busch, right in front of the Ultras section. Kozimor and Holden wrapped up their post-game interview with Busch, and we all started up the patented Ultras chant for Busch, “Some like it shaved, but WE LOVE BUSCH!”
His face lit up, and Holden and Koz had to try and keep it together as our love for Busch was shared with the rest of the country that was still watching. Afterwords, he came and shook hands with every single supporter that approached the railing. It was customary for the Quakes players back then, a tradition that has since been lost.
Busch’s spirit, attitude, and leadership over the back-line helped propel those San Jose teams of the early 2010’s Earthquakes, and helped lead and propel the club to it’s best stretch since 2001-2005. Busch’s arrival coincided with the Earthquakes arrival of newfound success, after the first couple years since the re-birth had been dismal. With players like Ramiro Corrales, Busch helped usher in that fight and leadership that the team had been missing in its first two years. That attitude is something that quite frankly, the current iterations of the ‘Quakes have been missing, especially in 2018.
So where does Busch stand in ‘Quakes Aura? Well, I’m not quite sure. It’s hard to rope him into the lore of some of the teams of the early 2000’s. Troy Dayak, Craig Waibel, Ronald Cerritos, Pat Onstad, Joe Cannon, Brian Ching, Dwayne De’Rosario, and of course Landon Donovan are legends in their own right. Their success with this team stands alone. I think an easier way to judge him is within the history of the ‘Quakes rebirth. If I were to rank the top five players that put on a ‘Quakes jersey since the rebirth, and lived out the type of attitude and mentality that is expected at this club, it would look something like this:
- Chris Wondolowski
- Jon Busch
- Vincent Bernardez
- Steven Lenhart
- Ramiro Corrales
Shea Salinas is actually a very, very close sixth on this one for me, and Alan Gordon slightly farther away at seven. But after that, it’s a pretty big drop off in my opinion.
Busch should go down as one of the greatest ‘Quakes ever, frankly. And I understand why he chose to retire with the Crew. They gave him his start, and it’s where his career took off. But I don’t think there will be a fanbase that truly recognizes, and appreciates who he was both on and off the field, especially in the community. So with that said, thanks Jon. And we hope to see you in the ‘Quakes crest again someday.
