Beyond The Box Score: Super sub and 16-year-old wunderkind send Sporting KC to victory in Houston

With their backs firmly against the wall, Sporting Kansas City scrapped for arguably their biggest win of the season on Saturday night in a heated battle at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Facing the Houston Dynamo for the third time in six weeks, Sporting KC emerged victorious on a 74th-minute goal from Diego Rubio to snap a six-game winless skid in all competitions and lift the side from fifth to third place in the Western Conference standings. Rubio's second-half strike, superbly assisted by 16-year-old Gianluca Busio, gave Sporting KC their 100th regular-season away win and their first-ever regular-season sweep of the Dynamo in the 13-year history of the rivalry.

And while Rubio will stake his name as the man who effectively decided the game, scoring his MLS-leading fourth goal as a substitute, plaudits first and foremost belong to the starlet who so skillfully set up the goal.

At 16 years and 68 days old, Busio became the third-youngest player in MLS history to start an MLS match and the second-youngest to record an assist. The midfielder had earned his MLS debut last weekend with a second-half substitute appearance against FC Dallas, impressing Manager Peter Vermes enough to land a start on Saturday in a pivotal match involving two teams desperately seeking a return to winning ways.

YOUNGEST PLAYERS TO START A MATCH IN MLS HISTORY

“Man of the match for me," Vermes said of Busio after the match. "For a 16-year old to play in a game like this at the level that he did consistently for 90 minutes, he took some shots, physically, but he never got rattled, and he easily could have. For me, he was the man of the match. Not only because he was 16, but because he played very well in the game. He was mature for a 16-year old. He has a bright future.”

Busio's incisive pass through to Rubio allowed the Chilean to slot low past Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis for his fourth goal in 2018. Each of Rubio's strikes have come as a second-half substitute, and Saturday's right-footed finish proved historic.

Sporting KC has now received 11 goals from substitutes this season, breaking the single-season club record of 10 set in 2002. Remarkably, each of the club's last four substitute goals have come against the Dynamo, including a pair from Rubio himself. In the nine matches a substitute has scored this year, Sporting KC boasts a record of 7-1-1.

Rubio's contributions from off the bench have been particularly heroic. The forward bagged a stoppage-time equalizer in a 2-2 draw at Colorado in March, scored an 85th-minute leveler in an eventual victory over FC Dallas in June, and on Saturday provided the decisive goal that gave Sporting KC their first regular-season win at BBVA Compass Stadium since June 2014.

SPORTING KC GOALS FROM SUBSTITUTES THIS SEASON

The newest installment of a fierce rivalry between Sporting KC and Houston hit a boiling point as referee Chris Penso issued three red cards to Dynamo players and eight total yellow cards between the teams. Houston head coach Wilmer Cabrera was also dismissed at halftime of a game that required the visitors to keep their cool on multiple occasions.

By the end of the night, Penso had sent off three Houston players: Alejandro Fuenmayor in the 14th minute as well as Darwin Ceren and Alberth Elis in second-half stoppage time. This marked just the second time in MLS history that a single team received three red cards in a single regular-season match.

MOST RED CARDS BY ONE TEAM IN A SINGLE MLS MATCH (ALL-TIME)

"We were very disciplined, not only tactically, but we were also very disciplined emotionally because this wasn’t an easy game to be that way," Vermes said. "There is something that could happen, and we could have reacted poorly, but we didn’t. In that end, I am very proud of the guys. I think that was the difference in the game for us, to keep our emotions and to be disciplined in our tactics in the game.”

Busio's age-related milestones may have stolen headlines, but Saturday also saw Manager Peter Vermes reach a significant landmark of his own. Coaching his 302nd regular season match for Sporting KC, Vermes broke the all-time MLS record for most games coached at a single club.

MOST GAMES COACHED AT A SINGLE CLUB
(ALL-TIME, MLS REGULAR SEASON)

Vermes' 10-year reign at the helm has coincided with the playing career of veteran defender Graham Zusi, who on Saturday notched a secondary assist — his incisive pass to find Busio was instrumental in the build-up to the goal — and earned the 200th start of his MLS regular season career. 

Zusi becomes the sixth player in club history to hit 200 starts, marking the occasion with his 60th regular-season assist and his 75th helper for the club in all competitions.

MOST REGULAR SEASON STARTS IN SPORTING KC HISTORY

Riding a newfound wave of momentum, Sporting KC will play for their second straight road win next Saturday when they visit expansion side Los Angeles Football Club (10-5-6, 36 points) for the first time at Banc of California Stadium. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT on FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest Plus.