It’s safe to say that Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gianluca Busio is ahead of the curve on the field. The 16-year-old has recently become the youngest player in MLS history to score in consecutive matches and is one of three players to score four career MLS goals before his 17th birthday.
The Sporting Kansas City Academy product, who hails from Greensboro, North Carolina, has become an important contributor during a busy start to the season with nine appearances in all competitions. And while his performances throughout March and April have impressed fans and pundits across the country, Busio has every intention of keeping a level head amidst his meteoric rise.
“I’m still learning different things—this is my second year (as a) pro and I’m just trying to take it all in, keep a cool head and stay humble,” Busio said during an in-studio interview with The Border Patrol hosts Nate Bukaty, Steven St. John and Jake Gutierrez on Monday morning.
“My family and teammates all try to keep me grounded, and they’re really good at that,” he continued. “I’ve never had problems there because I always try to be as humble as I can be and just keep working, because this is just the start for me.”
In addition to spending several hours a day at Pinnacle, the state-of-the-art training home of Sporting, Busio takes online high school classes, enjoys a comfortable living situation with his Prairie Village host family and—like most other teenagers—saves time for Fortnite, Netflix and intense FIFA battles against his fellow teammates.
As for playing with a maturity level beyond his years on the pitch, Busio says it all comes down to having the right mentality.
“I try not to show it because I don’t want to go out there and play nervous,” Busio said. “I have confidence in myself and my abilities. One of the (biggest) things is to go out and play with confidence. As a young player, you’re not going to be the biggest or strongest, but if I go out there confidently, I feel like I can play my game.”
Busio and Sporting will look to bounce back from last weekend’s road loss to the San Jose Earthquakes when they host the New England Revolution this Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and tickets for the Kansas City Night matchup are available at SeatGeek.com.
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