Marco Bustos

PROFILE
A central attacking midfielder who was named the 2013 Whitecaps FC Most Promising Player, Marco Bustos joined Whitecaps FC Residency in September 2011 after last playing for FC Northwest in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is the all-time scoring leader for Whitecaps FC 2, scoring 22 goals in three seasons. He made his debuts for the Canadian senior national team and in MLS on consecutive days in October 2015, and made his first MLS start in July 2016.

On August 8, 2018, WFC and Bustos mutually agreed to part ways to allow the midfielder to pursue an opportunity with USL side OKC Energy FC.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
2016: Bustos made three regular season appearances, including one start in Week 6 at D.C. United - his first in his MLS career. In addition, he recorded an assist in the international friendly against Crystal Palace FC on July 19. 2015: Bustos made his MLS debut on October 13, attempting one shot in 25 touches in 29 impressive minutes off the bench in the 2-0 loss at FC Dallas. 

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
2016-17: Bustos made one CCL group stage appearance, coming on as a substitute in the 4-1 win over Central FC on September 28. 2015-16: Bustos appeared in all four matches in the club’s first-ever foray into the CCL in 2015, playing the full 90 minutes in the tournament finale at C.D. Olimpia in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on October 22.

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUE
2017: Bustos led WFC2 with eight goals, in addition to one assist in 21 starts and appearances. 2016: Bustos finished his second USL season tied for second on the team with seven goals, while adding two assists in 19 regular season appearances, starting in each of them. He recorded a brace on three occasions, earning him a USL Team of the Week selection twice. Bustos also started two of Whitecaps FC 2's three playoff matches. Bustos was named to the USL 20 Under 20 list, ranking ninth on the list of the best players in the league under 20 years old. 2015: Bustos finished tied for Whitecaps FC 2 team-high in goals scored with seven for 2015 USL regular season despite missing the first 11 matches due to a foot injury. Making 15 starts in 17 appearances, Bustos scored his first professional goal over Timbers 2 on June 21 to earn his first of three USL Team of the Week selections for the year. He would be recognized again on back-to-back weeks after recording consecutive braces at Tulsa Roughnecks FC on July 31 and at Seattle Sounders FC 2 on August 8.

CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP
2017: Bustos made two substitute appearances in the CC semifinal. 2016: Bustos made one appearance in CC play, starting in the semifinal first leg at Ottawa Fury FC on June 1. 2014: Bustos made his professional debut at the age of 18 with Whitecaps FC on May 7, starting and playing 64 minutes in the first leg of the CC semifinal series against Toronto FC.

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUES PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
2014: Bustos started five of his seven appearances in his first season with Whitecaps FC U-23 in the PDL, scoring four goals. He scored twice against rivals Portland Timbers U-23 on June 6, including a header goal off of a corner kick.

UNITED STATES SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY
2013-14: Bustos started 23 of his 24 appearances, scoring a team-high 19 goals for Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency. He scored two goals during a 4-0 playoff win over Georgia United on June 24, 2014. 2012-13: Bustos started 27 of 33 regular season games for Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency, registering 14 goals, and recorded an impressive five goals during the U-18 squad's run to Academy Finals Week. He also started five matches and scored one goal for Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency at the start of the season before moving up to the U-18 squad. 2011-12: Bustos started 14 of 27 regular season games for Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency, scoring four goals on the year and helping the team capture the Northwest Division title.

INTERNATIONAL
Senior: Bustos made his senior international debut for Canada in the 1-1 friendly draw with Ghana on October 13, 2015. He participated in the team’s January 2016 training camp in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, and made his second and third caps in a pair of international friendlies in Morocco in October 2016. He appeared in another pair of friendly appearances in 2017, featuring against Bermuda and Scotland. U-20: Bustos was called up to the Canadian U-20 team in March 2016, scoring the game-winning goal in the 2-1 upset friendly win over England U-20 in Doncaster. U-20 (Chile): Bustos was called into camp with the Chilean U-20 national team for the 2014 NTC Invitational tournament in Carson, California. U-17: The attacking midfielder made four appearances at the 2013 CONCACAF U-17 championships, scoring a goal in the fourth minute of Canada's semifinal versus hosts Panama. In October 2013, Bustos was named to the Canadian roster for the FIFA U-17 World Cup roster in the United Arab Emirates, going on to start two of three matches for his country.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
2010-11: In November 2010, Bustos had a 10-day trial with at the famed academy of English Premier League giants Liverpool FC.

YOUTH/AMATEUR
Bustos enjoyed a distinguished youth career in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The midfielder started playing organized soccer at the U-4/U-5 level at the Garden City Community Centre (2000 to 2001) before playing U-6 to U-10 soccer with the Maples Community Centre (2002 to 2005). Bustos played U-12 soccer for Northern Lights Soccer Club in 2006 before joining Winnipeg's FC Northwest, where he played from U-13 to U-16 levels (2007 to 2011). As a member of the FC Northwest Lions U-16 side, Bustos helped his team to a Manitoba provincial title and a silver medal at the 2010 Canadian U-16 Club Championship in Vaughan, Ontario. From 2009 to 2011, Bustos represented Manitoba in two Canadian U-14 All-Star Championship tournaments and a Canadian U-16 All-Star Championship. In 2009, the midfielder became the second-youngest player to join the Canadian Soccer Association's National Training Centre (Prairies region) program.

PERSONAL
Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, the midfielder's parents are Alex and Rosa Bustos. He has a sister named Melissa and a brother named Michael. As a student in Winnipeg, Bustos attended Constable Edward Finney School (2001 to 2006) and Ecole Leila North Community School (2007 to 2009) before spending a short time at Garden City Collegiate in 2010. The midfielder has dual Canadian and Italian citizenship.  

INTERESTING FACTS
When not concentrating on soccer, the 5-foot-7 midfielder enjoys playing tennis and spending time with his friends. His favourite club soccer team is Spanish and European giants FC Barcelona, while his favourite player is Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi. The midfielder would like to play at Barcelona's famed stadium, Camp Nou, one day. Bustos' favourite food is pasta.