Sporting KC midfielder Gianluca Busio is used to being called “the 16-year-old”—after all, last year he was “the 15-year-old.”

“I’m kind of immune to it,” Busio said after Sporting KC’s 2-2 draw with the Red Bulls. “Soon it’s going to be ‘the 17-year-old.’”

Earlier in the week, Busio played 33 minutes as a substitute in Sporting’s Concacaf Champions League loss to Monterrey. 

“There are times when he can start over guys as well, he deserves the experience,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said. “He has good tricks of the trade for a kid his age. He's not getting in there because he's 16. He's getting in there because he can play.”

Busio’s play against Rayados came after a draw at Cincinnati on Saturday in which Buiso started and scored a late match-tying goal to make it his second straight in an MLS game. 

On Sunday, that streak extended to three games. 

Off a corner kick served in from Johnny Russell, Busio found a ball volleyed in from Graham Zusi to put him in the perfect place to score. He equalized a 2-1 deficit to help Kansas City pick up a point on Sunday evening at Children’s Mercy Park. 

“He's not 16—he's like 25,” Vermes said. “He's always in the game and he understands what the game needs. He's an important player for our club and at the same time he's making big strides in a short period of time.”

Busio spoke highly of how his teammates keep him humble amid the buzz surrounding his age. 

Busio was substituted off for Roger Espinoza on Sunday, but every pass made to the teenager before then seemed to create a chance as he played on the right wing as an attacking midfielder.

“He doesn’t talk very much, but that doesn’t matter when you put everything on the field,” midfielder Ilie Sanchez said of Busio. “The most important thing is that he’s learning and he’s growing. He’s soccer every day.” 

Sporting Kansas City travel to face San Jose on Saturday. 

Andrew Rosenthal is a sports writer based in the Kansas City area. He studies journalism at the University of Kansas and contributes to the Lawrence Journal-World. Find him on Twitter.