Palo Verde’s Matt Polster starts for U.S. Soccer’s under-23 team against Brazil

It was just after 3 p.m. when my cellphone buzzed to life. It was a text message from Simon Keith, the former UNLV soccer star.

It said if I was close to a TV, I should turn on FoxSports1.

The U.S. under-23 men's soccer team was playing vaunted Brazil in an international friendly. No. 13 on the U.S. was Matt Polster, who played high school soccer for Palo Verde, college soccer for Southern Illinois Edwardsvile and now plays pro soccer for Chicago Fire of the MLS.

Polster was playing in the midfield, in the starting 11. Brazil won, 2-1. Polster didn't score a goal or anything but at one point the announcers said he was making strong challenges.

Brazil dominated the game as Brazil usually does, until it got a man sent off. U.S. scored on a penalty and just missed netting a header in stoppage time.

Polster, a holding midfielder, left for a substitution in the 74th minute as the U.S. put an attacking player on the pitch to try to gain the equalizer.

Still, it was neat to see a kid from Palo Verde High playing soccer against Brazilians on national TV.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski