Giuseppi “Joey” Barone recalled that when he moved from Italy to Grand Rapids at age 12, he gave up playing soccer for a while because, well, nobody really played soccer.
“About four years, I didn’t play,” he lamented of his teenage years in the 1980s.
That’s kind of funny to think about now since Barone’s name is synonymous with the sport around West Michigan and extending all the way to East Lansing, where fortunate chromosomes have benefitted the Michigan State men’s soccer program the better part of the past eight years.
“Soccer has provided a lot,” Barone said. “But it really wasn’t planned like that.”
Barone, who eventually became an NCAA Division III All-American at Calvin College, and his wife, Michelle, had identical twin boys while they were still in college. The two, Domenic and Mark, played for the Spartans from 2008 to 2011 (Mark, a midfielder) and 12 (Domenic, a forward).
Once the couple settled in, they had another baby six and a half years after the twins – another boy, Hunter. And Hunter, they decided, needed a sibling to similarly match the relationship of the twins. So 18 months later, they had yet another boy, Giuseppi.
Those younger two, who idolized their old brothers growing up, are now playing for Michigan State. Hunter is a sophomore forward and Giuseppi is a freshman midfielder for the No. 20-ranked Spartans, who are 10-3-1 (3-2-1 in the Big Ten) with a 3 p.m. match Saturday against Northwestern marking the last regular season home game at DeMartin Stadium.
It is a legacy initially born out of proximity that became a coup for the Spartans and furthered a bond for the Barones.
The twins played four seasons at East Kentwood and had their share of college options but they were limited. The problem? The universities were all too far – as in not a quick drive home to Grand Rapids.
“We’re a close family and I know for Dom and myself, we really didn’t want to be far away,” Mark said. “We really liked the idea of being able to come home for dinner or something and then get back in an hour or so.”
Domenic,left, and Mark pose with younger siblings Hunter and Giuseppe at a Michigan State game in 2009. As Domenic and Mark were enjoying distinguished careers with the Spartans, younger brothers Hunter and Giuseppe were in the stands for many of the games.
“They were usually like the go-to players and so that was fun growing up and watching them,” Hunter said.
“They were someone we looked up to and wanted to be like,” Giuseppe added.
Now it’s the younger pair making an impact. Hunter, who usually comes off the bench, has two goals, while Giuseppe has started 14 games with one goal and four assists.
And in the stands now are Domenic and Mark.
“I had never really even thought about it even though I knew it was going to happen,” Mark said. “This year, that Green and White scrimmage I watched, it hit home and it was unbelievable that it came full circle.”
Spartans coach Damon Rensing has been the beneficiary of all of them.
“To have four brothers come in and be able to play Division I soccer at such a high level is pretty amazing just in itself,” said Rensing, who was an assistant when the twins arrived. “But they are such a soccer family and they all know the game so well. I mean, Domenic was a strong goal scorer, Mark was the steady, constant defender and strong passer.
“And now, a handful of a years later, Hunter and Giuseppe come in and I think they arrived a little more polished, more ready to play, and that’s probably a by-product of their brothers. They knew what it took, knew what to expect.”
Playing soccer won’t last forever, but coaching can.
The older brothers, now 26, have played the past two seasons for Grand Rapids FC, though Domenic – who has been besieged by injuries throughout his career – recently had hip surgery, and Mark is now married.
They both coach at the club level and assist their father, who has been with Midwest United FC since 2007 and operates Barone Goal Scoring Camps.
As for the younger pair, they plan to make the most of their remaining time at Michigan State.
“Everything I’ve learned from them has made me a lot tougher and stronger on the field,” Giuseppe said. “We both wanted to be like them so to be out there now (with the Spartans) is pretty cool.”
They don’t really compare themselves nor spend much time debating who’s better at what since they have slightly different builds with different skill sets.
Besides, the family has found life isn’t only about soccer.
“People ask me, ‘How did you and your wife bring up four boys who were Division I soccer players?'” Barone said. “I know I really didn’t do anything other than genetics, I guess.
“But the soccer experience has helped them become men now. That’s what soccer has done. They’ve had to deal with adversity, with failure, with success, how to deal with coaches and handle disagreements. But for them to be so close and so family-orientated, that is what’s so special to me.”
