Giuseppe Barone Earns First-Team All-American Honors
12/7/2018 12:18:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Barone is the first Spartan to earn first-team honors since 2014.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Junior midfielder Giuseppe Barone joined rare company when he was named United Soccer Coaches first-team All-American on Thursday at the College Cup banquet in Santa Barbara, California.
Barone is the first Spartan to capture first-team honors since Jay Chapman in 2014. Overall, 14 different players have earned first-team accolades at MSU. The junior is the 23rd Spartan All-American, most recently Jimmy Fiscus earned second-team honors last season.Â
"He really deserved this. He has really worked hard, improving his game in many areas and maturing. Being named first-team All-American is a culmination of his hard work, his leadership and his talents," MSU head coach Damon Rensing said. "He also understands the importance of the team and doing whatever it takes to win."
There were two other players on the first-team from the Big Ten in Indiana's Trey Muse and Andrew Gutman. Overall, six  Big Ten athletes were honored by the United Soccer Coaches.
Barone, a native of Kentwood, Michigan, has been the leader of the Spartan midfield, starting every game this season. He also earned Big Ten Midfielder of the Year honors and first-team all-conference accolades. Earlier this week, he joined redshirt-sophomore defender Patrick Nielsen on the All-North Region team.Â
Barone is second on the team in scoring this season with three goals and 10 assists for 16 points. He has one assist during Michigan State's run to the College Cup with a helper against UIC on Nov. 15.Â
"I think that it speaks volumes to our team. The success I have had is because of the success we have had as a team. Â I was really surprised when I heard about it in the banquet, but it was really awesome to be there and have all my teammates cheering me on," Barone said.
The junior joins Chapman as the only two Spartans to be MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalists, Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and All-Americans all in the same season.
Michigan State will hit the pitch tomorrow in the NCAA semifinals, facing Akron on Friday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
Barone is the first Spartan to capture first-team honors since Jay Chapman in 2014. Overall, 14 different players have earned first-team accolades at MSU. The junior is the 23rd Spartan All-American, most recently Jimmy Fiscus earned second-team honors last season.Â
"He really deserved this. He has really worked hard, improving his game in many areas and maturing. Being named first-team All-American is a culmination of his hard work, his leadership and his talents," MSU head coach Damon Rensing said. "He also understands the importance of the team and doing whatever it takes to win."
There were two other players on the first-team from the Big Ten in Indiana's Trey Muse and Andrew Gutman. Overall, six  Big Ten athletes were honored by the United Soccer Coaches.
Barone, a native of Kentwood, Michigan, has been the leader of the Spartan midfield, starting every game this season. He also earned Big Ten Midfielder of the Year honors and first-team all-conference accolades. Earlier this week, he joined redshirt-sophomore defender Patrick Nielsen on the All-North Region team.Â
Barone is second on the team in scoring this season with three goals and 10 assists for 16 points. He has one assist during Michigan State's run to the College Cup with a helper against UIC on Nov. 15.Â
"I think that it speaks volumes to our team. The success I have had is because of the success we have had as a team. Â I was really surprised when I heard about it in the banquet, but it was really awesome to be there and have all my teammates cheering me on," Barone said.
The junior joins Chapman as the only two Spartans to be MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalists, Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and All-Americans all in the same season.
Michigan State will hit the pitch tomorrow in the NCAA semifinals, facing Akron on Friday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
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