Busio named to U-17 World Cup roster

Sporting Kansas City’s Gianluca Busio is among the 21 players on the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team roster for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Head coach Raphael Wicky announced his picks to represent the United States in Brazil from Oct. 26 to Nov. 18.

Busio is the most experienced professionally to ever play for the U.S. at a U-17 World Cup with 29 appearances in MLS for Sporting Kansas City and 14 for Swope Park Rangers in USL Championship play. The Greensboro, North Carolina native scored in three straight games from March 30 to April 14, becoming the youngest player in MLS history to score a goal in consecutive matches.

”I’m excited that the World Cup is finally here and I’m excited about this roster,” Wicky said via press release. ”This is the biggest stage you can reach at this age group, and I think the team is excited for this amazing moment in their young careers. We have talented players all over the field and one of their biggest strengths is that they have a great team spirit. There were some tough choices to make when selecting the final roster, but that’s always a good problem to have.”

The Unites States is in Group D and will play Senegal (Sunday, Oct. 27), Japan (Wednesday, Oct. 30) and Netherlands (Saturday, Nov. 2).

”To be able to go to a Word Cup and match yourself up against the world’s best teams and the best players in your age group is something that everyone looks forward to,” Wicky added. “I want to see a team which gives everything in every single game, I want to see a team which is proactive on the field and I want to see a team with a clear identity. I’m excited to get started in Brazil.”

2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup Roster by Position (Club; Hometown; U-17 Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (3): 21-Aaron Cervantes (Orange County SC; Chino Hills, Calif.; 4/0), 1-Damian Las (Fulham/ENG; Norridge, Ill.; 19/0), 12-Chituru Odunze (Leicester City/ENG; London, England; 7/0)

DEFENDERS (7): 15-Sebastian Anderson (Colorado Rapids; Highlands Ranch, Colo.; 4/0), 13-Adam Armour (North Carolina FC; Cary, N.C.; 18/0), 3-George Bello (Atlanta United FC; Douglasville, Ga.; 8/1), 4-Nicolas Carrera (FC Dallas; Frisco, Texas; 3/0), 14-Tayvon Gray (New York City FC; Bronx, N.Y.; 17/0), 5-Kobe Hernandez-Foster (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.; 23/3), 2-Joe Scally (New York City FC; Lake Grove, N.Y.; 19/1)

MIDFIELDERS (5): 18-Maximilian Dietz (Freiburg/GER; Frankfurt, Germany; 2/0), 17-Ethan Dobbelaere (Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.; 3/0), 8-Bryang Kayo (Orange County SC; Poolesville, Md.; 8/1), 6-Daniel Leyva (Seattle Sounders FC; Las Vegas, Nev.; 7/0), 16-Adam Saldana (LA Galaxy; Panorama City, Calif.; 25/2)

FORWARDS (6): 7-Gianluca Busio (Sporting Kansas City; Greensboro, N.C.; 15/7), 20-Andres Jasson (New York City FC; Greenwich, Conn.; 11/1), 19-Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Seattle Sounders FC; Merced, Calif.; 24/9), 9-Ricardo Pepi (FC Dallas; McKinney, Texas; 15/5), 10-Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; Bedford, N.Y.; 15/8), 11-Griffin Yow (D.C. United; Clifton, Va.; 12/7)