A chance encounter with Brazil stars for NYRB II players ahead of Louisville City clash

New York Red Bulls II's final home game was on Sept. 5 against Louisville City. It fell during the FIFA international window, meaning there were no conflicts with the senior team and the USL team could get a Saturday night game at Red Bull Arena.

That same night, the Brazilian National Team played the Costa Rican National Team in a Saturday afternoon matinee at Red Bull Arena, meaning the two teams would be sharing the same locker rooms that NYRB II and Louisville City would use a few hours later.

For one NYRB II midfielder, getting to Red Bull Arena ended up being a treat to a front row seat to some world class footballers.

"I arrived at the stadium and then we ran into Neymar, Kaka, and David Luiz," Leo Stolz told Once a Metro.

"They were right there and giving interviews to all the media and the attention that they get is just unbelievable."

Stolz said that he did not get the chance to talk one-on-one with any of the players, but managed to snap a few photos for teammate Colin Heffron.

"I was just fascinated to be so close to them," Stolz added.

"I think it was even more special for the Louisville players that arrived and saw all these guys. They must have thought that it's unbelievable that we get to experience that every now and then."

NYRB II defeated Louisville City 3-2 in their final regular season clash at Red Bull Arena in 2015.

h/t David Gass for bringing this encounter to light on the NYRB II-Louisville broadcast. He does great work, and all the games are streamed on YouTube. You should all be watching.