Before ever stepping foot on the Syracuse campus, Mark Brode was already playing in the spotlight against some of the top players in the country.

Brode, a freshman midfielder for the Syracuse men’s soccer team, spent two years in high school honing his skills, playing for the club team of the New York Red Bulls, the New Jersey-based Major League Soccer team. It’s there that he prepped his game for the collegiate level.

‘It was an amazing experience,’ Brode said. ‘We got to travel around everywhere and were basically treated like professionals.’

Brode’s time with the Red Bulls also gave him the opportunity to learn valuable skills that he brought with him to SU. The mental preparation, the ability to play quick and adjust to the speed of the collegiate game are just a few things he picked up playing with the Red Bulls.

Now, in his first year with the Orange, Brode is already getting some serious attention. Despite being one of the youngest players on the team, the midfielder stands alone as SU’s only true freshman starter.

The Big East is one of the toughest conferences in the country, but Brode has yet to falter against tough competition. He chose to play for the Orange knowing that the tough competition would ultimately make him a better player. Going from the Red Bulls to the Big East was almost a natural transition, as Brode was able to maintain the high level of competition.

‘My club coaches and I realized that this is one of the best conferences in the nation,’ Brode said. ‘A lot of players on our team went to Big East or ACC schools, which are the two best conferences, I think, in the nation.’

When SU head coach Dean Foti recruited Brode, he had an idea of how the incoming freshman would play, but didn’t necessarily expect him to become such a contributor so quickly. With a goal and two assists on the season, Brode’s third on the team in points with four.

‘As you recruit, you have an idea on how to project them,’ Foti said. ‘We knew he would contribute. He comes from a good club program, which gave him a lot of experience.’

Brode has many attributes that have aided in his success on the field. Brode’s 6-foot-2 frame allows him to have an automatic advantage over most other players on the field. His size and speed give him the ability to cover a lot of ground, putting him in key situations on the field whether he’s on offense or defense.

Senior captain Hansen Woodruff knows the abilities a midfielder needs to be successful and sees those abilities in his younger teammate.

‘You need to be able to play quick. You need to have vision, and you gotta to be able to create space for yourself,’ Woodruff said. ‘And he’s able to do all those things.’

Brode believes his understanding of the game, as well as his aim when taking shots or passing, have also added to his success on the field.

As a freshman, Brode has been fitting into the team well. But as he gains experience on the field, his coach is confident he’ll begin to emerge as a leader on the team.

‘Right now, he’s quietly fitting in, and as he gets to progress, it’ll happen naturally, where people will look at his leadership,’ Foti said. ‘It’s tough to lead as a freshman, he needs to show solid performance on the field and gain solid experience in the Big East.’

Any experience he gains in the Big East will just add on to the experience he gained playing for the Red Bulls. When it comes to talking about soccer after Syracuse, Brode believes he has a foot in the door with the pro team.

‘I’ve trained in front of the actual Red Bull coaches and I’ve been asked to go to training sessions with the professional team,’ Brode said. ‘One day, if I could play for the Red Bulls, that would be a dream.’

cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on October 8, 2009 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman