“Leo’s a pleasure to work with. He is a great guy, his intentions are always good. You don’t have to worry about him on any of the professional stuff: you know he’s going to be on time, you know he’ll show up, he’s always going to be focused and you know he’s going to be ready to work. He’s really starting to come along and be a bit more consistent. His ability to deal with the physical demands has gotten better and I think that is starting to allow him to do a little bit more. In other words, he’s gotten up to speed with what we’re demanding and now he’s bringing a little on top of that, his own game, and that’s starting to show.” – John Wolyniec, head coach of New York Red Bulls II.
Every week, NewYorkRedBulls.com will feature a NYRB II player, and tell their story. Here is the sixth installment of the USL Profile Series.
Leo Stolz, midfielder for New York Red Bulls, was acquired in the first round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. Since signing with the club, he’s participated in multiple preseason matches with the Red Bulls and has spent most of the season on loan with New York Red Bulls II, often wearing the captain’s armband.
Stolz, a native of Munich, Bavaria, began playing soccer at five years old. The young German started playing for his local team in the neighborhood for almost 10 years, until he was recruited by 1860 Munich as a young teenager. It was not until then that soccer became serious. There at the prestigious youth academy of 1860 Munich, kids competed on a daily basis and practiced between four and six times per week on a regional and national level. He stayed with 1860 Munich for seven years as a central midfielder. During that time, he received a call-up to the extended U-18 German national team, and was offered a professional contract once he finished high school.
“I was asked if I wanted to sign a professional contract with 1860 Munich at the same time I finished high school and I wasn’t sure if I definitely wanted to do soccer and completely forgo my education or just study and quit soccer, I wasn’t ready for that either,” Stolz said. “And then I read an article about an agency who helped players that are students from Germany to come over to the United States…all you have to do is provide them with you academic and athletic information and they create a profile for you and coaches from the United States can access that and make a scholarship offer so I went through that procedure and got offers from a couple of schools. I thought George Mason University was the best fit and I started my college career there.”
In his first season for George Mason, he started and played all 18 matches and earned all-conference and all-rookie accolades. He grew an appreciation for college soccer, but wanted to explore other options.
“I was very impressed with how professional everything is around the college game,” Stolz said. “I didn’t know what to expect in terms of soccer and I liked it a lot. I also liked that I could do both studying as well as competing on the field and I knew that there are better programs and better players, so after my first year, I looked around.”
“My dad studied at UC San Diego. He wasn’t a student athlete, but he had the time of his life in California so he wanted me to explore options there. I reached out to UCLA and tried to get their attention when Jorge [Salcedo], the UCLA coach, said he was very interested as well. I had a choice between two schools, but I decided to go to UCLA.”
The move to UCLA was just what he needed, both as an athlete and a student. He enjoyed the cultural diversity of the student body, with students from various locations and backgrounds. He loved the academic environment, one he thrived in, in addition to the soccer, and had very much success.
As a sophomore, his first season with UCLA, he was used as a holding midfielder whose main focus was connecting passes and creating possession. He was named to the First-team All-Pac 12 selection, finished tied for 30th nationally in assists (8) and started 18 of 19 matches. From there, his college career flourished with a change of position.
As a junior, his coach pushed him forward and utilized him as an attacking midfielder, where he had more opportunities to score and create chances. The shift in position paid off immediately for the newly named captain, who was named Pac-12 Player of the Year following a season with 11 goals and eight assists. He was also named a first-team All-American by the NSCAA and was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, the most prestigious individual award in college soccer.
His senior season, he was able to continue his success and finish the campaign with nine goals and six assists. He was awarded the 2014 MAC Hermann Trophy Player of the Year award, and after completing his final season as the best soccer player in college and earning his degree, Stolz had a decision to make.
“At that point I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I didn’t know if I wanted to continue with academics and pursue my master’s or play soccer in America or in Europe, because I enjoyed my college [soccer] experience a lot.”
His decision was not one he made alone, and it ended up leading him to the Red Bulls.
“I eventually decided I wanted to experience living in the United States and New York Red Bulls seemed like a good fit for me, especially since my former UCLA coach that I really trusted knew Jesse [Marsch] really well and he recommended him as a coach because of the style he plays, where I could fit in,” Stolz said. “He said he could see me succeeding there and I trusted his opinion and I tried everything to get to New York Red Bulls.”
Stolz was selected 18th overall by the Red Bulls in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft and has proven to be one of Red Bulls II’s most dynamic players, scoring on free kicks and creating scoring chances for teammates. He has started all 18 matches he’s appeared, and even made his First Team debut as a starter against Chelsea in the International Champions Cup, followed by a second start against Benfica in the same tournament.
He admits there are many benefits to spending time with Red Bulls II, and has seen his game develop over the course of his loan. While practicing the same tactics as the First Team, everyone is able to make the transition into the First Team if needed, and that added bonus of training with the First Team only helps him take his game to the next level.
“John [Wolyniec] gives us pretty good advice and interpretation of the [game]. He [tells me] I can get better and get the ball more often and he’s very good at communicating with us. He prepares us very well for the USL games.”
“New York Red Bulls II is just a great path for younger players to get minutes and also to understand and play in the system that Jesse and the First Team plays and it is very important for the maturity of all the young guys. There’s nothing better than putting time in during the week at First Team practices, and then on the weekends getting in with [Red Bulls II] instead of just not playing at all. I think it’s a pretty good situation at the moment.”
You can catch Leo Stolz with New York Red Bulls II at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. on Saturday, Aug. 29 against Wilmington Hammerheads FC at 5 p.m. EDT. For ticket information, visit //www.newyorkredbulls.com/2/tickets. All matches are streamed live at NewYorkRedBulls.com/Live.
