PITTSBURGH (Jan. 3, 2023) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has hired longtime professional and former MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Jon Busch as its new goalkeeping coach, the club announced this afternoon.
Busch, 46, comes to the Hounds after a stint as Director of Goalkeeping for Scottish Premiership club Hibernian, which was followed by a short spell this year coaching with youth and amateur club Tampa Bay United.
“Jon’s background as a high-level player and coach will be a significant asset for the club,” Riverhounds head coach Bob Lilley said. “Jon’s understanding of how to play the position and manage game situations will greatly benefit our goalkeepers, and his winning mentality and fierce competitiveness will resonate in our locker room.”
Busch played an impressive 21-year career in the professional ranks, beginning in the A-League — the predecessor to the USL Championship — before spending 14 seasons with three clubs in Major League Soccer.
He played for Lilley for one season with the Hershey Wildcats in 2001, and he was named A-League Goalkeeper of the Year while helping the team reach the league final.
In MLS, Busch spent his first five seasons with the Columbus Crew from 2002-06, and the next three with the Chicago Fire. His 2008 season was arguably his best, as he played every minute for the Fire and was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year after leading the league in save percentage (.782) and tying for the lead in shutouts with 10.
His playing career continued with the San Jose Earthquakes from 2010-14 and one more season in 2015 with the Fire before he finished by playing the next two seasons with Indy Eleven, then a member of the North American Soccer League. In total, Busch played 309 matches in MLS and recorded 83 shutouts, still the sixth-most in the league’s history.
During his time in MLS, Busch also was a regular in camp with the U.S. National Team under coach Bruce Arena, making one start in 2005 and recording a shutout in a 3-0 win over Colombia. His involvement with the U.S. program continued into his coaching career, working with the Youth National Teams in multiple age groups.
Most recently as a coach, Busch was on the staff as Tampa Bay United won of the Playoff Division of the USL Academy League this past November, where goalkeeper Nicolas Mejia won the Golden Glove and First-Team All-Tournament honors for Tampa Bay.
Busch begins his duties with the club this week, and he will be on site evaluating goalkeepers when the team begins its invitational combine Wednesday.
