Down Messi and Neymar, Barcelona still draws year’s largest U.S. soccer crowd in win over Galaxy
FC Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, left, prepares to score after the Los Angeles Galaxy’s Leonardo fails to block the ball during their game at the Rose Bowl on July 21.
What happens when the world’s best soccer team is forced to play a game without two of its best players?
Not much, judging from Barcelona’s methodical 2-1 win over the Galaxy before an announced crowd of 93,226 at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday.
The attendance was the largest for a soccer game in the U.S. this year, and the largest ever for a game involving a Major League Soccer team.
Not in attendance, however, were five Barcelona starters, including four-time world player of the year Lionel Messi of Argentina and Brazilian attacker Neymar, both of whom were excused from a three-game U.S. tour after playing for their national teams in this summer’s Copa America.
“We have to give a certain minimum number of days of vacation for players to recover from a season that is seemingly eternal,” Barcelona Coach Luis Enrique said at a news conference earlier this week.
In the last 54 weeks, Messi has appeared in 67 games for club and country, six more than Neymar. Enrique’s team didn’t appear to miss either player in the first half, with Barcelona controlling the ball 75% of the time and taking the only eight shots of the game. But the Spaniards weren’t rewarded until the 45th minute, when Luis Suarez found the back of the net.
The sequence started with Rafinha, on the left wing, chipping the ball off defender A.J. DeLaGarza and into the penalty area. Marc Bartra chested it down and sent a right-footed pass over his head and behind him toward a charging Suarez, who swept the ball past keeper Brian Rowe with his left foot.
Sergi Roberto made it 2-0 early in the second half, taking advantage of some poor Galaxy ballhandling that dropped the ball at Roberto’s right foot about 15 feet from the goal.
“Based on our first match, considering we’ve only had seven practices and lots of travel, overall I am satisfied,” said Enrique, whose team outshot the Galaxy, 19-6.
The Galaxy, which had been struggling to keep up all night, came alive in the final 30 minutes with Ariel Lassiter taking three shots and Edson Buddle putting their first one on goal in the 83rd minute.
They had to wait until stoppage time for their goal, though, with Tommy Meyer heading in a corner kick from Mika Vayrynen.
“For our young guys, this experience was invaluable,” said Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena, whose team lost last summer’s midsummer friendly to Manchester United, 7-0. “We’re not embarrassed by this result. Mission accomplished.”
So where were Neymar and Messi?
The Brazilian, who hasn’t played since being handed a four-game suspension during Copa America group play a month ago, was hanging out with Michael Jordan earlier this month in Las Vegas, where he attended the World Series of Poker and a UFC fight. Neymar was originally expected to take part in the U.S. tour, but Enrique extended his vacation until early August.
And Messi, who played in the Copa final July 4, spent last weekend in in the African nation of Gabon, joining President Ali Bongo Ondimba in laying the first stone for a new stadium in the seaport of Port-Gentil.
Though neither was missed on the field, both were missed in the stands.
“We were in line with a couple whose son, all he wanted to do was see Messi. They spent $1,200 on tickets,” said Sean Railing, a Barcelona fan. “And when they told him yesterday, he ripped down all the Messi posters in his room.
“They should have told us they were going to give Messi and Neymar a rest. There are some people who are pretty upset.”
No one seemed to notice that goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, midfielder Javier Mascherano and fullback Dani Alvez, who also played in the Copa America, were missing as well. So were the Galaxy’s Omar Gonzalez, Jaime Penedo, Gyasi Zardes and Alan Gordon, who will play for their respective national teams in Wednesday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals.
“Leo is the best player in the world and we’re lucky to have [him],” Enrique, speaking through an interpreter, said of Messi. “He needs rest after a long season. A team is 20 players, and some will play and some will rest.”
As for the Galaxy and soccer’s growth in the U.S., Enrique came away liking what he saw of both.
“It’s obvious soccer is growing over here,” he said. “And I was impressed with the Galaxy. A lot of teams would have sat back and just defended.”
