Pittsburgh midfielder Ryan Brode is a threat. Last season he scored three goals, tying for the team lead. This season he has scored two goals in the team’s eight games, both of them for the win. He is quick. He has good footwork. But in SU’s game against Pitt this Saturday, at least one member of the Orange will be keeping an eye on him for another reason.

That person is his brother, SU midfielder Mark Brode.

The Brode brothers will play against each other for the first time ever this weekend, as the Orange (1-4-1) prepares to take on the Panthers (5-2-1) in SU’s first Big East game of the season. Pitt and Syracuse play only once every three years. This will likely be the one chance the brothers have to establish which Brode is superior.

‘I knew it was going to come eventually,’ Syracuse’s Brode said. ‘I have three years to play him, so I knew it was coming. Once I saw it on the schedule, I got really excited, especially that it’s home. I want to take it to him. I want to beat Pitt.’

The whole SU team is aware it will be competing against Ryan. It is likely, however, Mark Brode will be the one spending the most one-on-one time with his brother, as he plays defensive midfielder for SU and Ryan plays attacking midfielder for Pitt.

The years of training together every day may come in handy in terms of scouting Ryan. Mark knows his brother better than most and is aware of the challenges the Orange will face in defending him.

‘He’s got a really good work rate, he can run all game, he’s really in shape, he’s very good with the ball,’ Brode said. ‘So it’s going to be a tough task to try to mark him, but I know some of the stuff he does, some of his tendencies.’

Unfortunately for Mark, that familiarity goes both ways.

For the rest of the team, the sheer fact this is the first Big East game is enough excitement. Despite Syracuse’s four losses up to this point, senior defender Justin Arena said the first conference game is a clean slate.

‘Our mentality changes because this is what we play for,’ Arena said. ‘This is where our season starts.’

This will be SU’s first home game in over three weeks. Brode hopes a collective Orange spirit will sway his family members attending the game.

The Brode clan, consisting of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends of both brothers from home, is doing its best to stay neutral. One of Mark and Ryan’s uncles made T-shirts in both schools’ names and colors that say ‘Go Mark’ on the front and ‘Go Ryan’ on the back.

Despite the presence of parents and grandparents, the aggression in this game will not be toned down. The brothers have a history of combativeness throughout their training together. This time, not only are they on opposing teams, but they are also in the midst of a conference rivalry. Things could get bloody.

‘We’d fight,’ Mark said. ‘It would almost come to blows, usually. That’s just how brothers are, but we’re real competitive. It might get a little nasty out there.’

So although this sibling rivalry is hardly Venus and Serena Williams in a Grand Slam final, the brothers’ contention brings a different aspect to an already heated game on Saturday. There is the opportunity to start off Big East play with a win.

And there is the opportunity for bragging rights. A subject to which SU head coach Ian McIntyre is no stranger.

‘Any younger brother likes to take on an older sibling — it doesn’t have to be a brother, any older sibling,’ McIntyre said. ‘He’s played enough games. I’m sure that when it actually kicks off, I certainly won’t need to motivate him.’

alguggen@syr.edu