Fansided

Opinion: Three USL players I’d like to see get a shot in Liga MX

By Garett Kerber

NEW DELHI, INDIA - OCTOBER 16: Andrew Carleton of United States of America celebrates scoring his teams 3rd goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Round of 16 match between Paraguay and USA at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 16, 2017 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Jan Kruger - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
NEW DELHI, INDIA - OCTOBER 16: Andrew Carleton of United States of America celebrates scoring his teams 3rd goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Round of 16 match between Paraguay and USA at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 16, 2017 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Jan Kruger - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) /
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Gianluca Busio – Swope Park Rangers – Midfielder/Forward – 16 (USA)

Another 16-year-old on my list! Gianluca Busio was 15 when Sporting Kansas City signed him to a pro contract. In his first MLS start, Busio assisted on the game-winning goal and was the third-youngest player to ever start an MLS match. Busio’s father is Italian and he holds Italian citizenship, so soccer is in his blood. In his matches with a Sporting KC, as well as with their USL side, Swope Park Rangers, Busio has been playing in central midfielder, showing poise and control under pressure. He’ll need to get stronger, especially if he was ever to move to Liga MX, where the play can get a lot more physical.

Busio is probably a less likely option for Liga MX, because Sporting KC seems pretty content to give him time in MLS. His next move might be to a European side, but I think he’d do well, in time, with Liga MX.

Dream Liga MX Fit: Pachuca. As I mentioned, Busio needs to gain some strength, but the success Pachuca has had in recent years, turning out prospects like Hirving Lozano, Erick Gutierrez, Rodolfo Pizarro, Hector Herrera, and Victor Guzman, provides an intriguing option for a place to hone Busio’s talent and skills into an amazing player. Busio has the raw talent, it will be interesting to see if the infrastructure at Sporting Kansas City can mold him into the player he can be. Pachuca has a track record of doing that.

Clearly just speculation

It’s always fun to look at young players and try to project how they’d do in more prestigious situations. I truly think these three players will be fantastic as they gain experience.

Could Liga MX be in their future? Maybe. I doubt it, since we haven’t seen many players make the move from USL, or MLS for that matter, to the Mexican top league. Alvarez, Carleton, and Busio provide three teenage options to change that, however.

All three have made an impact at the levels they’ve been allowed to showcase their skill. Who knows? Maybe a newly promoted Mexican side will take a chance at trying to lure a young player away from their MLS club and start a mutually beneficial pipeline for talent between the two countries.

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