Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gianluca Busio captained the United States in a 0-0 draw against Japan on Wednesday at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
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After scoring for the U.S. on Sunday in a 4-1 loss to Senegal, Busio once again started and played the full 90 minutes at Estádio Kléber Andrade in Cariacica, Brazil.
In the first half, Busio attempted three of the United States' four shots -- and assisted on the other -- including a header in the ninth minute that carried over the crossbar and a free kick in the 41st minute that narrowly missed the target.
Japan, the Asian champions, kept a second straight clean sheet following a 3-0 win over Netherlands in their opener, while the United States, which had a 47th-minute goal disallowed for offside, picked up their first point of the tournament and now sit in third place in Group D.
- Senegal, 6 points
- Japan, 4 points
- United States, 1 point
- Netherlands, 0 points
The 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup features 24 nations divided into six groups of four teams. The top two teams in the group will automatically advance to the Knockout Stage. In addition, the four best third-place teams among the six groups will also advance to the Round of 16.
The United States will now travel to Goiânia, Brazil, to face European champions Netherlands at 5:50 p.m. CT on Saturday at Estádio da Serrinha. The Group D finale will be nationally televised live on FS2 and NBC Universo.
