Matheus Braga has four assists in two games, but he’s capable of more.

At least, Bob Warming knows the senior outside midfielder is, so long as Braga’s teammates on the Penn State U. men’s soccer team help him out a little.

“He’s pretty good but he can’t do it alone,” Warming, the Nittany Lions coach, said.

“We’ve got to get better runs out of the forwards so that they understand what he’s capable of with passing.”

Braga is back at the left wing position he occupied last fall, where he tallied a Big Ten-best seven assists in 2009.

The senior said he has no preference where he’s playing, saying he’d still get after it if he was moved to defense.

But he can only do so much, and it’s up to the other players to make good runs that create space for the senior to exploit. Braga has posted results so far and his teammates are working to keep that production going.

“It’s something we’ve been working on the whole season,” senior midfielder Drew Cost said. “If we can exploit that, we’ll be a better team.”

While Warming said it’s going to be on the forwards to start creating space, Warming said they’ve been improving in that area. What the coach does want to see is more players running past Braga when he has the ball to draw away defenders.

The faster the Lions can get players moving and swarming around Braga, the faster the space will appear. While the team’s left back will make the majority of the runs, mixing up who goes will open up more passing lanes.

At the same time, Braga likes the way the team has meshed in the early going.

The senior said his teammates have done well responding when he has the ball and making good runs.

“The team is really well connected right now, we’re keeping the shape and the forwards are making nice runs,” Braga said. “It’s helping me to put those balls through and those assists. I want to get some goals too but it’s been great.”

Junior forward Corey Hertzog has been one of the main benefactors of Braga’s play, having two of his three goals assisted by the senior. Hertzog said Braga’s play has helped the forwards in getting better chances on goal.

Playing on the wing allows the Brazilian-born Braga to take defenders on one-on-one and use his dribbling skills to advance the ball.

Warming said every time Braga gets the ball he makes the right choice and always leaves extra options open.

Watching Braga challenge defenders, his nationality clearly has an influence on his game and he joked that he tries to give defending right backs nightmares.

“That’s the beauty of Brazilian soccer,” Braga said. “I like to do that, just get a ball and see one defender and flip the ball through his legs. I love to do it. When I dribble it helps the objective to get to the goal.”