Snip: Busio is considered to be head and shoulders above his peers. A couple of English Premier League scouts have expressed interest. http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mls/sporting-kc/article131776784.html#storylink=cpy He's an '02 who recently joined SKC's academy, with YNT experience. http://spkc.ussoccerda.com/sam/teams/index.php?team=1654187&player=94641278 http://www.ussoccer.com/players/2015/12/09/16/59/gianluca-busio#tab-1 Hat tip to @Tactical Hipster.
England shall have to wait: #SportingKC has signed 15-year-old Gianluca Busio, per sources. He is the second youngest signing in MLS history: https://t.co/C846p5NAJ0— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) August 24, 2017
Anyone know what his background is? There aren't that many biracial American soccer players with an Italian name.
A bit on his passport situation and the decision not to go to Europe: But it was just starting. The New York Red Bulls called. Then the Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City and Philadelphia Union. An invitation from Fulham came. Busio’s dad, Alex, is of Italian descent and Matteo and Gianluca have Italian passports and full rights as Italian citizens. The family discussed options in Europe. If Inter Milan had entered the picture, dad’s stance may have softened a bit, but his parents still thought he was too young for a move. https://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/feat...s-second-youngest-signing#ZIz8W2lF3sVS78d8.99
I like SKC but not sure that's the right choice, and the whole process sounds very naive. That's the difference between parents that know everything about soccer development and those who don't.
Just an update: Busio made his MLS debut and looked lively. Hopefully, he’ll get more playing time this year and head overseas in the near future.
Source: Dutch giants Feyenoord interested in SKC’s Gianluca Busio.— MLS Transfers (@MLSTransfers) September 2, 2018
As always, thanks for posting, but I try to make a point to call out the source every time this account is posted, and it hasn't failed me yet.
Dunno. I checked Varkenoord Watch, but up till now they don't mention him. The only source sofar is the US one. Doesnot mean nothing is going on though.
Twellman doesn't expect Busio to be with #SportingKC much longer, apparently KC is getting a lot of calls about him.— Mike (@downthebyline) January 11, 2019
This story confirms an Italian passport, which after the Booth situation is nice to see -- only because getting one can take some time even if you already know you qualify and have all the documents in hand: The youth national teams kept inviting Busio to tournaments. The interest grew. Manchester United called. Italian teams did, too — his father is Italian, and Busio holds a valuable European passport. ... Truth be told, Busio has aspirations to play in Europe. With his father’s Italian heritage, Busio grew up watching Inter Milan. Boy, that would be cool, he thinks. Vermes says the objective is not to sell Busio for some exuberant transfer fee. Rival executives who spoke to The Star say he could generate in excess of $10 million. A member of the Sporting KC staff replied, “Not enough.” https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mls/sporting-kc/article230745534.html
Kind of nice that SKC believes in him so much. At least he’s going to get a legitimate chance to grow.