Gianluca Busio, midfielder
Talk about being on a fast track. At 15 years and 89 days, Greensboro, N.C. native Gianluca Busio decided to move halfway across the country to become the second-youngest player to sign with an MLS club, putting pen to paper with Sporting Kansas City as a Homegrown Player on Aug. 25, 2017. (Freddy Adu, at 14 years, 170 days, is the youngest player.)
Sporting realized it had someone special as Busio scored nine goals and earned Central Conference Best XI honors with its Under-16 squad during the 2016-17 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season. He also was a member of the U.S. U-17 team that competed in the U-17 World Cup in Brazil in 2019, and follows Bryang Kayo, Chituru Odunze and Gio Reyna as the fourth player from that squad to earn a USMNT call-up.
Now 19, Busio is adding performance to his promise, making great strides with Sporting Kansas City as a center midfielder on both sides of the ball.
The 5-7 midfielder won MLS Goal of the Week honors for his 27-yard free kick over the Houston Dynamo's five-man wall in Sporting's 3-2 comeback win on May 29. He became the youngest MLS player, and the first teenager, to score from a direct free kick since Opta began tracking the statistic in 2010. It also was the first time Busio recorded a goal and an assist in a game.
Through June 27, Busio has registered seven goals and seven assists in 60 MLS matches.
