When you look at a score sheet from an MSU men's soccer game, it's strange when you don't see the names of three players - senior midfielders John Minagawa-Webster and Jordan Gruber and junior forward Ryan McMahen.
What's good for the team is that it doesn't happen often.
"It's good to have three gifted offensive players because if all three of us aren't going on the same cylinders at the same time, we can still produce some pretty effective offense," Minagawa-Webster said. "If we all are on the same page, then we can be very dangerous."
Minagawa-Webster leads the team in scoring with eight goals and six assists for 22 points this year. Gruber comes in right behind him with 20 (seven goals, six assists), while McMahen has 14 (four goals, six assists).
Having three talented players on the field at most times has been a blessing for head coach Joe Baum - because, unlike past seasons, teams cannot double up on his one best player.
"Now, you double-team John Webster, you're going to open it up for Jordan," he said. You double-team Jordan, you're going to open it up for John and Ryan. Now, teams have to play us straight up."
One of the biggest assets the team has is McMahen's ability to place a corner kick. The team has scored several goals off corner kicks this year, making it one of the most dangerous weapons in the team's arsenal. Minagawa-Webster has been on the receiving end of most of those kicks.
"He can put it right on a pinpoint," Minagawa-Webster said. "We've gotten a couple goals already so hopefully, we can keep it going."
Baum said McMahen's corner kicks have been the best he's seen this year.
"That's just been such a weapon," Baum said. "It's really Ryan's ability to serve these wicked balls that makes them so dangerous."
Another asset of the trio is that because they've played and practiced together for so long, they know where each other is on the field.
"I'll play a ball where I wouldn't even see the guy making the run - I'll just know he's making the run because we've been doing it for so long," Gruber said. "When I'm in a goal-scoring position, they get me the ball. It sounds easy, but it's actually a very big thing. They make the game simple."
His teammate agrees.
"It's been great," Minagawa-Webster said. "We just say each other's name sometimes and you don't even have to know where the other person's at."
In last Sunday's 3-2 overtime win at Michigan, all three players scored, with Gruber's goal being the game winner in overtime. And McMahen scored on a corner kick to Minagawa-Webster that resulted in a goal.
"It's a big boost because when teams give up dead balls like that, we should be able to punish them," McMahen said. "It's a big key to our success."
Added to that success is the trio's friendship and team camaraderie.
"Every day you look forward to coming to practice," McMahen said. "The guys here, we're like a family."
But even tight-knit families have rivalry.
"You want to one-up them every now and then," Minagawa-Webster said with a smile.
The three will look to create more magic on Sunday when they travel to Penn State.
