Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gianluca Busio and the United States Men's National Team sealed first place in Group B of the Concacaf Gold Cup with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Canada on Sunday at sold-out Children's Mercy Park.
Busio started and played 74 minutes before an electric crowd and defender Shaq Moore bagged the game's lone goal within 20 seconds of kickoff, propelling head coach Gregg Berhalter's side ahead of Canada at the Group B summit.
With Sunday's result in the books, the U.S. MNT will now begin preparations for an all-important quarterfinal clash against either Costa Rica or Jamaica at 8:30 p.m. CT next Sunday in Arlington, Texas. The match will be shown live nationally in English on FS1 and the FOX Sports app and in Spanish on Univision, TUDN and the TUDN app.
The U.S. MNT will learn its group stage opponents Tuesday night when Costa Rica and Jamaica fight for first place in Group C. Should Jamaica lose or draw, it would face the United States in the quarterfinals. If Jamaica wins, the Yanks will face Costa Rica in the quarters.
Sunday's contest capped a momentous week for Busio. He has earned his first three caps for the United States Men's National Team, including his first start and first assist in Thursday's 6-1 triumph against Martinique. All three appearances have come in the friendly confines of Children's Mercy Park, where the U.S. MNT now boasts an unbeaten 8-0-1 record. Kansas City remains unbeaten as the U.S. MNT's host city with a 10-0-1 mark dating back to 1968
U.S. Men's National Team History in Kansas City
Nov. 2, 1968: W 6-2 vs. Bermuda (Municipal Stadium)
April 25, 2001: W 1-0 vs. Costa Rica (Arrowhead Stadium)
June 14, 2011: W 1-0 vs. Guadeloupe (Children's Mercy Park)
Oct. 16, 2012: W 3-1 vs. Guatemala (Children's Mercy Park)
Oct. 11, 2013: W 2-0 vs. Jamaica (Children's Mercy Park)
July 13, 2015: T 1-1 vs. Panama (Children's Mercy Park)
May 28, 2016: W 4-0 vs. Bolivia (Children's Mercy Park)
June 26, 2019: W 1-0 vs. Panama (Children's Mercy Park)
July 11, 2021: W 1-0 vs. Haiti (Children’s Mercy Park)
July 15, 2021: W 6-1 vs. Martinique (Children’s Mercy Park)
July 18, 2021: W 1-0 vs. Canada (Children’s Mercy Park)
Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback was among the nearly 19,000 fans in attendance on Sunday and made sure to connect with Busio shortly before kickoff, making for quite the photo opportunity.
Held every two years, the Gold Cup is the regional championship for Concacaf and just like in the European Championships and Copa America, lifting the trophy brings prestige and regional supremacy.
Over the course of 15 previous Gold Cup tournaments, the United States has lifted the trophy six times (1991, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2017), just behind all-time leaders Mexico with eight (1993, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2019). Canada is the only other tournament champion, coming away with the title in 2000.
