Introduction
Gianluca Cristiano Busio (born May 28, 2002) is an American professional soccer player of Italian heritage who plays as a midfielder for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer.
Career
Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Busio joined the Sporting Kansas City academy in 2016 from North Carolina Fusion.
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.
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. 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. 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.
In October 2019, he was named to the United States squad for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played July 16, 2019
| Club | League | Season | League | Cup | Continent | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Kansas City | MLS | 2018 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | |
| MLS | 2019 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 3 | |
| Career Total | 19 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 4 | ||
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. He has an older sister, Ilaria and an older brother, Matteo, who plays soccer at UNC-Charlotte, who Gianluca lists as his biggest inspiration.