Athletic Club Grand Rapids has named Erik Bushey as the first head coach in club history, introducing him at a news conference at the David D. Hunting YMCA in Grand Rapids.
Bushey comes to West Michigan from the Colorado Rapids, the Major League Soccer team based in the Denver area, where he has coached the club’s second team since 2022. That team competes in MLS NEXT Pro, a professional league focused on developing young players for the next level of the game.
During his time with the Rapids, Bushey has built one of the league’s most successful teams. His 2023 squad finished first in its division, earned the top overall playoff seed and led the league in scoring. Bushey was named the league’s Coach of the Year that season.
In 2025, he led the team to the Western Conference championship and a spot in the league championship final, where Colorado lost in a penalty shootout. Bushey arrives in Grand Rapids with the second-most wins in the league’s history and has also served as an assistant coach for the Colorado Rapids first team during preseason.
“We set out to find a coach who has won at this level, developed players for the next level and built cultures people want to be part of. Erik has done all three,” said AC Grand Rapids President Darrius Barnes. “He’s been one of the most successful coaches in MLS NEXT Pro since the league launched, and he’s spent more than three decades helping young players reach their potential. Importantly, he shares our belief that how we build this club matters as much as what we build, and his approach aligns perfectly with our club’s community-first vision.”
For Bushey, being the first coach of a new club means having a hand in defining what it becomes.
“It’s a rare opportunity to be the first head coach of a club and help shape its identity from day one,” said Bushey. “From my first conversations with Darrius and the rest of the club’s leadership team, it was clear we share a vision: build the culture first, develop people and players the right way, and compete to win every time we step on the field. When you add the ownership group’s commitment, Amway Stadium and how much this community already cares about this club, I couldn’t be more excited to get to work and help lead a team West Michigan is proud of.”
Bushey has spent much of his career working with young players. Before taking over the Rapids’ second team, he coached the club’s academy under-17 and under-19 teams from 2017 to 2021. He was named U.S. Soccer Development Academy Central Conference Coach of the Year for the 2017-18 season and led the Rapids’ under-23 team to a 2018 USL PDL Mountain Division title.
His coaching background also includes international experience. He served as an assistant coach with the U.S. Under-17 and Under-23 Women’s National Teams, including at the 2016 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan.
Earlier in his career, Bushey spent 15 years as technical director of Colorado Rush Soccer Club, which produced five national championship teams during his tenure.
A native of Auburn, Washington, Bushey played college soccer at Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he helped the school win an NAIA national championship. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business and later played for and captained the Jackson Chargers and Spokane Shadow in the USISL.
He holds a U.S. Soccer Federation A License and an Elite Formation Coaching License from the French Football Federation.
Bushey credits his partner, Cami, and his three stepchildren, Connor, Rylie and Alaina, for their support throughout his professional career. He and Cami will relocate to West Michigan from the Denver area.
Now, Bushey will help build something new in Grand Rapids—from the team on the field to the culture surrounding it.
For more information about AC Grand Rapids, including season ticket deposits, team merchandise and club news, visit acgrandrapids.com.
