Former University of Akron goalkeeper Evan Bush, a Concord Township native who built an 18-year professional career that started and will end in Ohio, announced he will retire following the Columbus Crew’s 2026 campaign, the University of Akron announced on Oct. 31. The Crew were set to honor Bush during their final home match of the regular season against D.C. United on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m., according to the University of Akron.
Bush’s own words, shared in a statement via social media earlier in the week and quoted by the University of Akron, framed the decision plainly: “Eighteen years ago, I chased a dream of being a professional soccer player, a dream that seemed untouchable as a kid growing up in Northeast Ohio,” Bush said in the statement quoted by the University of Akron. He added, in the same statement, that starting in Ohio and ending here was part of a dream he could not have envisioned.
At Akron, Bush played from 2005 to 2008, posting 62 wins and 48 shutouts, according to the University of Akron. He earned the 2005 Mid-American Conference Newcomer of the Year award and spots on the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region team in 2008, the All-Ohio teams in 2008, the All-MAC First Team from 2006 to 2008 and the 2005 Freshman All-American Team, the university said.
His Northeast Ohio roots run deeper than Akron. In September 2025, Bush was named to the Lake Catholic High School Athletic Hall of Fame, where he captained the varsity soccer team for two years, set the school record for shutouts with 11 during his senior season and earned a first-team All-Cleveland selection, according to the University of Akron.
Professionally, Bush began with the Cleveland City Stars of the USL First Division in 2009, registering seven appearances and two shutouts, before joining Crystal Palace Baltimore in 2010 and tallying six clean sheets in 26 contests across all competitions, according to the University of Akron. The path from Cleveland’s USL side to Major League Soccer is the part of his story that makes the retirement resonate at home.
In MLS, Bush made 184 regular season appearances for CF Montreal from 2012 to 2020, posting 41 shutouts, helped Montreal win three Canadian Championships in 2013, 2014 and 2019, and reached the 2014-15 Concacaf Champions League Final, where he earned the Golden Glove award, according to the University of Akron. He joined the Crew on Dec. 14, 2020, in a trade with Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the university said.
With Columbus, Bush was part of the Black & Gold’s 2023 MLS Cup, 2024 Leagues Cup and 2021 Campeones Cup championship teams, according to the University of Akron. In the 2021 Campeones Cup win he backstopped the Crew with five saves and a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory over Liga MX side Cruz Azul on Sept. 29, 2021, the university said. To date he has started all 196 MLS regular season matches he has played, tallying 607 saves and 44 shutouts, with two more shutouts in eight postseason appearances, according to the University of Akron.
His return this past season was its own comeback story. On March 22, 2025, Bush returned to the field 221 days after a forearm injury suffered the previous season and earned the shutout in a 0-0 home draw against NYCFC, then went on to start six MLS matches in 2025 with two shutouts and 10 saves, according to the University of Akron.
Off the field, Bush was named the Crew’s Humanitarian of the Year in 2025. The University of Akron said he has advocated for greater awareness and support for the Type 1 diabetes community, inspired by his family’s personal connection to the disease, raised funds and championed organizations like Breakthrough T1D, connected with young Ohio soccer players at a Crew Youth Player Pro Series event and participated in the 2025 NC4K Fashion Show supporting Ohio families affected by childhood cancer.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What we know is that Bush will finish the 2026 campaign with Columbus and be honored at the Oct. 31 home match against D.C. United, per the University of Akron. What we’re still waiting on is how deep the Crew’s postseason run goes — and Bush himself, in the statement quoted by the University of Akron, said he is holding his fuller reflective thanks until the season actually ends.
What happens next is the finish Bush said he wants: a strong close to the regular season and, in his words quoted by the University of Akron, a long postseason run, enjoying every day he has left on the field. For Northeast Ohio soccer, his career — Lake Catholic to Akron to Cleveland to Montreal and back to Columbus — closes where it started. Related coverage: Columbus Crew Can Clinch a Playoff Berth Saturday Against D.C. United and No. 3 Ohio State Women Beat Michigan 3-1 for Ninth Straight Win.
Photo: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons