Busch named MLS's Goalkeeper of the Year

There's a little more than an hour until kickoff, and Chicago Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch has tucked himself inside his Toyota Park locker, eyes closed, a picture of concentration.

All that's missing is the "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Whatever Busch is doing, it's working. Though when you think about it, you have to wonder how this guy could have earned Major League Soccer's Goalkeeper of the Year award and been named the Fire's team MVP.

In a position that's usually home to the game's biggest players, Busch stands just 5-feet-10. Maybe. Which explains why he fits so easily inside his locker.

"It's constant. It's never-ending," Busch said about height comments. "But you deal with it and you move on. If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? The bottom line is I get the job done one way or the other and I've been around for 12 years so far, so something's going right."

He started in the United Soccer Leagues, worked his way up to become the Columbus Crew's starter, tore the ACL in his right knee - twice - and spent last year backing up the Fire's Matt Pickens. He played in just 20 games from 2005 through 2007.

When Pickens decided to take his game overseas, Busch, 32, earned the Fire's starting job in the spring and then tied Pickens' team mark for shutouts with 10 this year. He started every minute of every game and led the league most of the year in goals-against average before finishing second.

"To be honest, I really try not to think about it as of right now," Busch said after practice Tuesday. "I try to stay focused on Thursday night (a home playoff game vs. New England).

"I'm sure at the end of the season, whenever that is, when I kind of decompress and relax, it'll definitely be a little more special. Especially what I've been through the last two years, between injuries and some other things. It's going to be something I think I'm going cherish once I relax and think about it."

There were doubters. A season preview in Utah wondered if the hole in goal might be the Fire's downfall.

But just because Busch is small doesn't mean he can't come up big.

"There's always going to be doubters," Busch said. "Every year there's going to be doubters. From the time I was 15 or 16, there were doubters. When I went to Columbus there were doubters because you had Tom Presthus there, and then, who's this short little guy who can't touch the crossbar coming in? Within the first six months or the first season there, people believed, and I think the same thing here.

"It's fun when you turn doubters into believers."

Daryl Shore is a believer.

"It's a cliché, but if anyone can do it, he can do it," the Fire's goalkeeper coach said. "The guy works so hard every day. He shows up to work and he puts the work in. There's days where I have to take him off the field, because he doesn't want to leave the field.

"If anyone was going to be able to do it and come back from his injuries it was Jon, because he's a very dedicated goalkeeper. He studies the game relentlessly and his hard work and his determination is what got him to where he is now."

And the height issue? Don't believe the hype.

"I think that's a myth," Shore said. "His vertical jump is impressive. He's very quick. He studies the game real well. He reads crosses. He's a great shot-stopper. So I think people who get caught up in goalkeepers have to be big, it's a misnomer, because you still have to get down to low balls and you have to read the ball. I don't think size is really a factor."

Now the Fire just needs three more good games from Busch, starting with Thursday night's game against New England.

"To this degree, you always dream about it. You always think about it. Could you write this script? It's always kind of been in my mind, but to see it play out is kind of cool," Busch said.

"Obviously, the icing on the cake or the main attraction is going to be winning an MLS championship. That's my No. 1 goal. This is a nice little side note. I'm very honored about it, but my most important thing is winning a championship, because that's when you know you're part of a good team."

oschwarz@dailyherald.com