The Captains' Creed

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State's men's soccer team named three seniors as captains this season. The position, which is a big honor, usually means the coaching staff has a leadership resource on the field.

And that's been the problem…two of the three captains have been injured, meaning only Michael Pimlott has been healthy and able to consistently play. The other captains, Patrick Nielson and Giuseppe Barone, are working their way back into the line-up.

Nielsen, a native of Copenhagen, Denmark, just played his first game of the season on Oct. 6, getting some first half time against Wisconsin. He played more on Oct. 11, helping in a 1-all draw versus Maryland, the defending national champion.

The center back is in his second season, after transferring from Cincinnati. He has made sure to still be a strong presence leading the MSU team, even if has been mostly from the sidelines.

"I always saw my leadership style as leading by example. When I got hurt that wasn't possible anymore. I could still do all the right things off the field, but I had to find a different niche in a way. Trying to motivate everyone individually, talking to players who seem down, or need advice. I've transitioned from leading by example to a more hands-on leader," said Nielsen, who is majoring in economics.

The third captain, Barone, is missed for his attacking midfield presence. Barone, who hails from Kentwood, Michigan, was the 2018 Big Ten Midfield of the Year. His scoring propelled MSU deep into last season's College Cup.

If the Barone name sounds familiar, it's because he is the fourth Barone brother to play for MSU soccer. And he's the third brother to be named as a team captain.

Since he's been unable to play, Barone said he is trying to keep his leadership and encouragement strong for the team.

"This year has been challenging as a captain just from trying to lead from afar," said Barone, who is majoring in interdisciplinary studies. "I try to stay as close as I can to the guys during training and their drills. I try to help guys out with positioning wise and help those in my position."

He realizes his experience and knowledge, even if he can't play, can impact younger Spartans and help them advance.

"A lot of being a captain for all the younger guys is getting them to transition from a club team mentality or a high school mentality, to what we have here," Barone said. "It's every day here, we are dialed in every day, just getting that mentality switched is a very important thing. It's also a hard thing to do when I came here it was my biggest adjustment to shift from club soccer to college."

Head coach Damon Rensing said that Barone and Nielsen have still made a big impact even though they have been out.

"I think those guys always try to help the younger guys and they've done a solid job in doing so," said Rensing.

And that leaves a special role for Pimlott, who has held down the center midfield and been the consistenly playing captain. Pimlott, who hails from Farmington Hills, Michigan, has been a consistent presence since he became a mainstay in the 2017 season.

He tries to help the younger players feel more confident, and handle the stress of playing tough games. Pimlott also credits his fellow captains for being of a similar leadership mindset.

"A lot of being a captain is encouragement, because I can do the best I can myself, but I also need to encourage more people to step up and help in that leadership role. I think we've done that. Off the field, we've been trying to keep everyone together as a family that's where Pat and Giuseppe have been good at," said Pimlott.

The tri-captains draw their leadership traits from the soccer they have played throughout their careers. They've also had the first-hand luxury of seeing what great soccer leaders look like. Barone draws inspiration from his older brothers, while Pimlott and Nielsen are inspired by past teammates.

"My first two years, I had Jimmy Fiscus, who's that vocal leader and was always on you. Last year I had (Connor) Corrigan and (Jimmy) Hague, was always there trying to follow in their footsteps on balancing the vocal aspect but also keeping everyone closely in the game," said Pimlott.

Nielsen also mentioned Corrigan as an inspiration.

"I had a bunch of great leaders around me, a guy like Connor Corrigan, who was captain last year and played right next to me. I kind of leaned on him and once he left I kind of picked up where he left off. He taught me a lot of great things as a leader and being surrounded by a lot of great players last year it helped me step up to the task this year," said Nielsen.

The captains have been working together with all the new faces and the new coaches to move MSU forward.

"This year's been good because we get different people different aspects of the game different leadership qualities different skills. It took a bit because change takes time but once everyone got to know each other we started to build strong," said Pimlott.

Players Mentioned

Giuseppe Barone

Connor Corrigan

Jimmy Fiscus

Michael Pimlott

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