KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Gianluca Busio said he was expecting the call.
After all, with 26 MLS appearances for Sporting Kansas City, the team he's about to join has never had a more experienced pro.
That team is the Under-17 United States World Cup team and, even though Busio was a shoo-in, getting the call was still pretty cool.
"Once you finally get the e-mail saying you're going it's pretty special," Busio said. "I told my family and everything and they were all excited. It's always been a dream of mine to play in any kind of World Cup, so it was definitely a really special moment to me."
Busio, 17, is one of 21 team members for the United States, and he knows this tournament can be a springboard for bigger things.
"It's the biggest tournament you can play in as a youth player," Busio said. "A lot of guys who are young players who are playing in the Champions League and real World Cups now, they started here."
The U-17 World Cup will take place Oct. 26 to Nov. 17 in Brazil.
Busio already has appeared in 15 matches for the U.S. U-17s, scoring five goals. He also scored in three straight games from late March to mid-April for Sporting KC.
The U.S. will kick off its world championship campaign when Group D play opens on Oct. 27 vs. Senegal.
