Dax McCarty is the New York Red Bulls captain, except in the eyes of his biggest fan, 7-year-old Julia de Grandpre, who thinks he's in One Direction.
"Sometimes his look is a little like a boy band," says Jesse Marsch, the Red Bulls head coach, laughing at the thought of his midfielder with frosty blonde hair reaching idol status.
Dax rolls with it, though, because he and his teammates believe Julia can do no wrong. She is a constant presence around the team this year, clad in her Red Bulls jersey and calling the players "my boys." There are benefits to being the daughter of Red Bulls general manager Marc de Grandpre.
"She's a pretty special little girl," says McCarty. "Her attitude is infectious."
She may bring out the best in Red Bulls players, but it can't compare to the lift that they give her in return.
Julia has autism. So the relationship she has developed with the Red Bulls warms the hearts of her family.
"Children on the spectrum often have a hard time socializing," explains her father Marc, who marvels at how easily she interacts with players.
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"She believes everyone in the team is her best friend."
There are still obstacles at a Red Bulls game for Julia -- namely, the noise. Game days at Red Bull Arena are a symphony of sounds, and that can make an autistic child like Julia uncomfortable at a moment's notice.
She wears noise-reducing headphones, but often must retreat with her mother to a quiet place like her dad's office when the arena gets too loud.
"When we score goals she gets excited and then a few seconds later, something clicks," says de Grandpre. He calls this the mystery of autism, and often finds himself frustrated that its triggers are so difficult to pinpoint.
But he also recognizes that his daughter has a pretty good thing going with the Red Bulls, and wants to open that experience to other autistic children and their families. That led Marc and his team to develop Friday night's Autism Awareness Night against the San Jose in Harrison, New Jersey. The New York Mets will host a similar day on Sunday, May 3, at Citi Field.
Families can sit in a special section of the arena, with designated "safe zones" to retreat to in case the atmosphere gets too overwhelming. And the game day staff will do its best to soften the video and music that normally cranks out over loudspeakers, though de Grandpre acknowledges he can't do much to control crowd noise.
But his eyes widen and his pace quickens at the thought that his daughter inspired all of this, and could help other children like her.
"It's good to see she's helping make a difference."
