The Chicago Fire’s Jon Busch describes his newly won title as MLS Goalkeeper of the Year as “a little bit of a shock.” But, as Nick Firchau writes, it fittingly marks the comeback of the 32-year-old veteran “with two rebuilt knees and a mind that still fires on all cylinders.”
“It’s exciting to win this award,” said Busch, who posted 10 shutouts during the regular season, plus one already in the postseason. “I have to give all the credit to the guys in front of me all season. They did a tremendous job, and they deserve as much credit for this award as I do.” Except for during that 4-1 home defeat by Dallas in September when he looked like he wanted to farm them all out to the PDL.
Busch said the discussion about home advantage ahead of Thursday’s Eastern Conference semifinal second leg against the New England revolution is now moot. “There’s really no advantage now,” he said. “You can’t say it’s a home-field thing. Whichever team comes out and wants it more is going to get it.”
Fire defender Gonzalo Segares is also ready for the New England approach. “They’ll do the same thing they did in New England,” he said. “They’ll be aggressive, they’ll whine at the referees, they’ll try to get into our heads. Everyone wants to win this one really bad.” Incidentally, there was another MLS accolade Tuesday — the New England Revolution won the league’s Team Fair Play Award. So don’t let it be said that whining at the refs doesn’t pay.