SAN JOSE, Calif. – Dominic Kinnear’s first major decision upon returning to the San Jose Earthquakes has turned out to be one of his best.
Almost before putting his bags down at Avaya Stadium, Kinnear and the Quakes’ front office made the difficult choice to let go of veteran goalkeeper Jon Busch – a fan favorite – in favor of mostly untested youngster David Bingham.
Suffice it to say, that’s worked out pretty well. The choice led to a record-tying season from Bingham – who played every single regular-season minute and equaled San Jose’s single-season best with 12 shutouts – which in turn sparked a rebirth of his national-team prospects.