Sporting Kansas City Homegrown Player Gianluca Busio was named to the United States U-17 Men’s National Team on Friday ahead of the 2018 Sportchain Cup in Benicassim, Spain.
Busio and the U.S. U-17s will play a total of four games from April 16-21, facing India next Monday and Thursday and meeting Norway next Tuesday and Saturday. All matches will take place at the FACSA Sports Centre in Benicassim.
U.S. U-17 MNT head coach John Hackworth has selected 24 players for the tournament, all of whom were born in 2002. Busio is one of 11 players Included in the roster who participated in the 2017 CONCACAF U-15 Championship last August when the United States finished runners-up. Similarly, Busio is one of 11 squad members who competed in the 2017 Nike International Friendlies last December, where the U.S. U-15s faced Brazil, England and the Netherlands.
Three players from the roster are MLS Homegrown Players, as Busio joins Atlanta United FC’s George Bello and the San Jose Earthquakes’ Gilbert Fuentes. Busio and five others in the squad — Bello, Axel Alejandre, Mason Judge, Damian Las and Giovanni Reyna — garnered U-16 Best XI conference selections in 2017.
Busio became Sporting Kansas City’s youngest player in club history when he signed a Homegrown contract last August aged 15 years and 89 days. He has starred for the Sporting KC Academy since joining from the North Carolina Fusion in August 2016, featuring at the U-14 through U-19 levels over the last two seasons in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Busio made his professional debut for the Swope Park Rangers — Sporting KC’s USL affiliate — last Wednesday, April 4, at Children’s Mercy Park. In his first game for the Rangers, Busio tallied the game-winning assist in a 1-0 victory over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and completed 47 of his 50 passes. He earned USL Team of the Week honors this Tuesday for his contributions in the win.
U.S. U-17 Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Aaron Cervantes (Pateadores; Chino Hills, Calif.), Damian Las (Chicago Fire; Chicago, Ill.)
DEFENDERS (8): Axel Alejandre (FC United; Chicago, Ill.), Michael Barragan (Atlas FC; Guadalajara, Mexico), George Bello (Atlanta United FC; Douglasville, Ga.), Tayvon Gray (New York City FC; Bronx, N.Y.), Kobe Hernandez (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Mason Judge (Chargers Soccer Club; Tampa, Fla.), Joseph Scally (New York City FC; Lake Grove, N.Y.), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; Chatham, N.J.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Luis Flores (Shattuck-Saint Mary's; Half Moon Bay, Calif.), Gilbert Fuentes (San Jose Earthquakes; Tracy, Calif.), Cesar Garcia (FC Dallas; Carrollton, Texas), Jack Imperato (De Anza Force; San Jose, Calif.), Andres Jasson (New York City FC; Greenwich, Conn.), Adam Saldana (Real So Cal; Panorama City, Calif.), Peter Stroud (New York Red Bulls; Chester, N.J.)
FORWARDS (7): Adam Armour (New York City FC; Cary, N.C.), Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City; Greensboro, N.C.), Diego Lopez (Atlanta United FC; Chino, Calif.), Joshua Pynadath (AFC Ajax; Amsterdam, Netherlands), Benjamin Redzic (FC Dallas; Carrollton, Texas), Giovanni Reyna (New York City FC; Bedford Corners, N.Y.), Ray Serrano (Seattle Sounders FC; Graham, Wash.)
