Briana Stilo, a 16-year-old rising junior at Harrison High School, was set to spend the afternoon of Sunday, July 19, on the field at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as a member of the ball crew for the FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain.

Kickoff was scheduled for 3 p.m. The match is the first World Cup Final held in New Jersey and the first to feature a halftime concert, with Madonna, Shakira, Justin Bieber, and BTS on the bill.

Stilo's job throughout the tournament has been managing out-of-play balls and returning them to the action. During earlier rounds, she was positioned directly behind the goal, throwing the ball in to goalkeepers whenever it left the pitch.

"For one of the games, I was put right behind the goal where you get to throw in the ball directly to the goalie whenever it goes out," Stilo told News12 Westchester on Saturday, July 18. "Whenever the team took shots or goals, I was right there and it was amazing to see all of that up close."

Stilo plays for both the Harrison High School soccer team and New York City Football Club (NYCFC). She earned her spot on the World Cup ball crew after volunteering at NYCFC World Cup events last year, then was flown to the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Atlanta in May for mandatory preparation. There, she joined 182 youth athletes for a training camp that ran five hours per day before participants were cleared as field-ready.

She started playing soccer at age 2, coached by her older sisters and her father, Joe Stilo.

Joe Stilo said the family has been holding watch parties with relatives throughout the tournament, with everyone scanning the broadcast for glimpses of Briana on the sidelines. He told News12 that family members "start going nuts and screaming her name every time she's on camera and throwing in the ball."

Her mother, Melissa Stilo, said FIFA made the logistics simple for parents. Briana reported to Sofive Soccer Center in Carlstadt, New Jersey, on Sunday morning before heading to MetLife Stadium.

Stilo said the experience has sharpened her understanding of the game at the highest level. She described watching world-class players up close as a window into how they move the ball, how they pass and shoot, and how they work as a team. She counted the Norway match among her tournament highlights and said she looked forward to seeing Justin Bieber perform at halftime.

Stilo has her sights set on playing college soccer. She'll start her junior year at Harrison High this fall with a World Cup Final on her résumé.