By: Amanda Beemer
Well this is awkward…
This past Tuesday former Chicago Fire keeper Jon Busch signed with the San Jose Earthquakes. While I’m glad he’s staying within MLS, this is a somewhat ironic turn of events given the fact that the Fire’s upcoming home opener is against the bay area club. Seeing Busch in Toyota Park in a Quakes jersey alone is going to be a bitter pill to swallow given his abrupt departure, the fact that it’s going to be at our home opener just makes it worse. According to Busch the feeling is mutual; he recently told Fire Confidential’s Sam Stejskal, “It might be a little hard emotionally…seeing the fans again for the first time.”
Busch signed on as a backup to the Earthquakes’ veteran keeper Joe Cannon, making it appear unlikely that he will be between the sticks at all this season, much less on April 10. But let’s pretend just for a moment that he plays the full 90 minutes…how uncomfortable would that be? First off, oblivious Fire fans would be SUPER confused, and Section 8 would get distracted by policing anyone pulling a YSA chant. As for Busch, playing a half with his back to the support section that has cheered so hard for him in the past would be tough; especially since a few short weeks ago he had every expectation that they would be cheering for him once again. One wonders what it would be like to have to defend a goal while your former teammates are charging toward you and your former fans are deafeningly loud behind you. The Quakes are probably right to have him sit this one out.
But I digress. I knew this day would come, I just wish it wasn’t so soon. However, it does provide us fans with a golden opportunity to give Busch the proper sendoff I have been so salty about him not getting from the club. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll head over to the Harlem end after the match to say hello, at which point we can give him one last cheer and thereby bring some closure to a thoroughly awkward situation.
Amanda is a long-time Chicago resident and an avid Chicago Fire fan, and has been following MLS for the better part of a decade. Although she makes an awesome spectator, she is a god-awful player. She can be reached at acabeemer@gmail.com.
