Toronto Waives Jon Busch

With the trade of Richard Mulrooney to Toronto FC, the team had one too many senior internationals on the roster. This past week Toronto bid farewell to goalkeeper Jon Busch. The former Columbus Crew netminder was waived.

I would be shocked if Busch isn't picked up by another MLS team. His road to MLS and to the national team (one appearance - Jon earned his first and only cap for the United States on March 9, 2005, shutting out Colombia.) is nothing short of amazing. I am sure we will see him again. Here is Jon's story:

Jon Busch was a NCAA All-American in 1996 while playing at UNC-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 Columbus 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.

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. Unfortunately, the team has one too many senior international players and had to release Jon Busch.

Jon Busch's club history:

Senior clubs
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1997 1997 1998-00 2001 2002-06	Worcester Wildfire Carolina Dynamo Hampton Roads Mariners Hershey Wildcats Columbus Crew	? (?) 2 (0) 64 (0) 27 (0) 84 (0)

Jon Busch's national team history:

National team
2005	United States	1 (0)