Count Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes among those who consider 17-year-old midfielder Gianluca Busio well ahead of the curve.
This was plain to see throughout 2019 as Busio finished the year with three goals in 26 competitive appearances, landing a nomination for U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year. The Sporting KC Academy product and North Carolina native notably became the youngest player in MLS history to score in consecutive matches, doing so in three straight games last spring as a 16-year-old.
Sporting signed Busio to a Homegrown Player contract in 2017, roughly a year after he had joined the Sporting KC Academy. The United States youth international wasted little time making a positive impression while training with the first team.
“When Busio came with us to preseason in 2018, we had a plan for him,” Vermes told media on Tuesday. “At the end of the preseason, I had to tear it up because he had already surpassed the plan.”
Busio, whose 2019 breakthrough included five goals at the Concacaf U-17 Championship and the USA’s lone goal at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, was among Sporting’s three substitutes in a 3-1 season-opening triumph at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday night. And although he was a late introduction in the winning effort, Vermes was more than pleased with the cameo appearance.
“For a kid his age…to be as calm as he was—good on the ball, picking the right choices, making penetrating passes and keeping possession—that was different level,” Vermes said.
So what sets Busio apart from other youth prospects his age? For Vermes, it’s all about the way he carries himself on and off the pitch.
“I’ve said this a million times—he’s just incredibly mature,” Vermes said. “Busio is right there when you look at the midfielders on our team. With Roger Espinoza, Felipe Gutierrez, Gadi Kinda and Busio as four guys who play in that (central midfield) position, that’s four high-quality players. With Busio being as young and mature as he is, it says a lot about the future.”
Busio is one of eight Homegrown Players on the Sporting roster, all of whom are 23 or younger. Vermes expects each of them to contribute positively to the first team throughout the season—either with established roles on the field or by providing competition for playing time.
“It’s our job to make them the best players we can make them. When we talk about the Homegrowns, I expect all of them to get chances this year because they are doing well,” Vermes said. “It’s my expectation and my hope for all of them to make it one day, but we have to keep evaluating them all the time.”
