LOUISVILLE, Ky. – When he joined Louisville City FC this offseason, defender Ben Newnam was moving to a city where aside from his teammates, he had little to no local friends.

As the end of his first season with the club draws near, though, there’s a new friend he’s made that has also become indispensable to his pregame routine.

LouisvilleCityFC.com’s Jonathan Lintner took a look at the close bond that’s been forged between Newnam and 8-year-old Aspen Stucky. After meeting at a soccer camp over this summer, Newnam, Stuckey and her family quickly became close friends. Now, with Aspen wearing her No. 2 jersey with the nameplate ‘Good Luck’ on the back, Newnam visits the family and his good luck charm before each home game.

“If you're a little kid, that's a big deal,” Aspen's mother, Brandi, told Lintner. “They see these big, professional players out playing soccer, and when one comes over to talk to you, that makes you feel special.”

Stories like this aren’t uncommon in the USL, with bonds between players and fans a regular occurrence not just in Louisville, but across the league. For the players in the league, those interactions – especially when they’re getting acclimatized to a new city – certainly mean a lot in the long run.

"To be able to be so welcomed by the fans and have special relationships with certain ones is really cool," said Newnam, a North Carolina native. "It makes it like a home away from home."

Check out the full story here at LouisvilleCityFC.com.