03.08.2009 05:07
Garber: “A great night for American soccer”
David Saura (enviat especial)
“A great night for American soccer” was the way MLS commissioner Don Garber described FC Barcelona’s game at the Rose Bowl, watched by the biggest crowd in the stadium since 1994.
The FCB tour of the USA has got off to a spectacular start, and the man who runs the MLS has
recognised that. Don Garber was delighted with the huge crowd (93,137) that watched the Catalans
win 2-1, especially as league fixtures rarely draw in more than 15,000 people.
Exceptional day
The game with Barça came about thanks to the club’s
special relationship with Major League Soccer. “Thanks to our joint efforts, this game was
able to go ahead. We are working with Barça on such areas as marketing and friendly matches”
said Gaber, who confirmed that there are no longer any plans for FC Barcelona to set up an MLS
franchise.
Don Gaber is convinced that events like Saturday’s can only help with the promotion of
soccer in his country, which needs new impulses, especially since the Beckham phenomenon has come
in for so much questioning of late.
Barça, in Los Angeles Times
The game has been reflected by major media repercussions.
The Los Angeles Times dedicated a full page to the game, and also included an article praising the
team on its youth structure, heralding the club for its tradition, which the newspaper claims makes
it stand out above other teams.
Media interest
There can be no arguing that the American media has shown remarkable interest in Barça over
the last few days. The FC Barcelona president has given interviews to the likes of Fox Soccer
Channel and Fox Sports, which broadcast the game at the Rose Bowl, and also Univision, the biggest
Spanish-speaking station in the country, which will be showing the game in San Francisco against
Chivas Guadalajara. Apart from the Los Angeles Times, Laporta has also spoken to such papers as the
Associated Press’ ‘La Opinión'.
1,000 short of record
The game with LA Galaxy almost broke the Rose Bowl’s record for a soccer match, which is held
by the 1994 World Cup Final between Italy and Brazil, watched by 94,194 people.
But it was the largest crowd assembled for a game involving an American club. The previous
record was 92,216 for a double header on June 16, 1996, between the USA and Mexico and the league
game between Los Angeles Galaxy and Tampa Bay.