Gianluca Busio

Gianluca Cristiano Busio[1] (born May 28, 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City. Born in the United States, Busio is of Italian heritage.

Gianluca Busio
Busio with Sporting Kansas City in 2019
Personal information
Full name Gianluca Cristiano Busio
Date of birth (2002-05-28) May 28, 2002
Place of birth Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position(s) Forward, winger
Club information
Current team
 Sporting Kansas City
Number 27
Youth career
2015–2016 North Carolina Fusion
2016–2017 Sporting Kansas City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017– Sporting Kansas City 29 (4)
2018– → Sporting Kansas City II 15 (1)
National team‡
2016–2017 United States U15 8 (3)
2017– United States U17 16 (8)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 20, 2019
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of October 27, 2019

Club career

Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Busio joined the Sporting Kansas City academy in 2016 from North Carolina Fusion.[2]

On August 25, 2017, Busio signed a Homegrown Player contract with Sporting Kansas City, making him the youngest player to sign with an MLS club since Freddy Adu joined D.C. United in 2004.[3]

He made his professional debut on April 4, 2018, appearing for Sporting Kansas City's United Soccer League affiliate side, Swope Park Rangers, starting in a 1–0 win over Colorado Springs Switchbacks.[4] Busio went on to make his first MLS appearance for Sporting Kansas City on July 28 as a 77th-minute substitute in a 3–2 loss against FC Dallas. One week later, on August 4, Busio made his first MLS start for Sporting in a chippy match against the Houston Dynamo, which saw three red cards, eight yellow cards, and 28 total fouls.[5] He provided his first career assist on a 74th-minute goal for teammate Diego Rubio, which proved to be the winner in a 1–0 match. Busio was the third youngest player to start a match in MLS history.[6]

International career

In October 2019, he was named to the United States squad for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.[7]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played July 16, 2019[8]
Club League Season League Cup Continent Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Kansas City MLS 2018 7110—81
MLS 2019 1231030163
Career Total 1942030244

Personal life

Busio is of Italian descent through his Brescia-born father, and holds Italian citizenship. He is of African American background on his mother's side.[9] He has an older sister, Ilaria and an older brother, Matteo, who plays soccer at UNC-Charlotte, who Gianluca lists as his biggest inspiration.[1]

References
  1. "Gianluca Busio | U.S. Soccer Official Website". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  2. "Gianluca Busio Profile - Sporting Kansas City". ussoccerda.com. U.S. Soccer Development Academy. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  3. "SKC's Busio second-youngest-player in MLS history". si.com. Sports Illustrated. August 25, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  4. "2018 - Swope Park Rangers vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC - uslsoccer.com". uslsoccer.com. United Soccer League. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  5. "Houston Dynamo v Sporting KC Live Commentary & Result, 8/5/18, MLS". goal.com. Goal. August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  6. Zeitlin, David (August 4, 2018). "Sporting KC's Gianluca Busio becomes 3rd-youngest player to start MLS game". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  7. "Head Coach Raphael Wicky Names USA Roster for 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  8. "Khiry Shelton profile". Soccerway.com. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  9. "Gianluca Busio, il futuro del calcio USA dall'animo italiano". mlssocceritalia.com (in Italian). MLS Soccer Italia. April 27, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
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