Gianluca Busio strolled into the Sporting Kansas City training facility late last summer, one of three planned stops in his search for a new team.
He was greeted by Sporting KC constituents, who ushered him around the premises, using the fields, locker rooms and dining hall as recruiting tools. In the ensuing hours, Busio concluded the visit with a dinner at a Kansas City restaurant and a tour of the city.
“The way they showed me around that day, I felt like I was a star,” he said.
Within a week after the visit, he spurned offers from two other Major League Soccer clubs in favor of settling in Kansas City.