BROOKFIELD -- It's the crash that shook the nation of Brazil and left many soccer players across the globe stunned.
"I don't know what happened, but it's not easy for us," Rafael Dias said.
Dias is a goalie for the Milwaukee WAVE. He's from Brazil and is acquainted with a player on the Chapecoense team who didn't survive the flight.
"It's crazy because this guy [is] a good guy, he's a good dad," he said.
The Cinderella story of the Chapecoense soccer team isn't what most fairytales are made of. The team's journey of climbing the ranks of Brazilian soccer ended tragically when a plane carrying the team crashed late Monday night. Only three players survived.
"It's heartbreaking," said Daniel Mattos, a forward for the Milwaukee WAVE. "You try to understand such a tragedy, but there's no explanation."
Mattos is from Rio. He said one of the Chapecoense players lived there with his family and the city loved the soccer star.
"He's leaving little kids and a wife [behind]," Mattos said.
WAVE soccer players Dias and Mattos agreed the news of the fatal plane crash has been difficult to digest. However, they both plan to ban together with their fellow teammates in solidarity as the country of Brazil continues to mourn.
