Barca 2, L.A. Galaxy 1, a.k.a. “Paaaaayyydroooo!”

By: Kevin | August 2nd, 2009

Pedro! is ready. Even if the rest of the squad isn’t. Buried on the official site in a recent post, along with birthday wishes for He Who Is No Longer Pedrito, was the news that he had been promoted to the A team.

And man, is he ready.

We saw glimpses of what was possible for him last year, the way he raised hell against Fiorentina, and entered matches with a bundle of energy. But this is a new level of Pedro! Hell, if he keeps on playing like that, he might even acquire an extra exclamation point.

Our boys rolled into the Rose Bowl, in front of a crowd of almost 94,000, to take on the Los Angeles Galaxy of the MLS, a club that I like think of as the Los Angeles Becks, Lannie and some other dudes.

That we won 2-1 wasn’t a surprise. It should have been more, but it’s pre-season, a time for sharing. And caring. And learning. It’s about getting in shape, not getting hurt and learning to play together at a match-winning level. They get an A for that. We kept the ball, and took it from the Galaxy when they had it, and showed it to us at all. Nice.

Guardiola first rolled out with: Pinto, Alves, Marquez, Muniesa, Maxwell, Keita, The Yaya, Dos Santos, Messi, Pedro! and Krkic. And Messi was rocking the captain’s armband, which was really cool to see.

This is a very different pre-season than last. Players are coming off injuries, Confed Cup duty and various holidays. They aren’t as sharp, and Guardiola has some kids to examine closely. And I think that he likes what he sees.

More importantly, he seems to like what he is seeing out of the club, and he should. There is great energy out there, even if it’s pre-season, so the passes are a little short, and that telepathic bond that existed at the end of last season isn’t there yet. But it isn’t supposed to be, and I’d be worried if it was. Can’t peak too early.

It was really a match of two halves. The first gave us a glimpse of a Xavi and Iniesta-less world, and I didn’t like it. We had some midfield control thanks to The Yaya, but he was moving a bit more gingerly after taking a very hard foul that should have gotten the offending player a yellow. We nabbed a scrappy goal thanks to Pedro!, who did a little dance, made a little move and blasted a shot that the keeper deflected but didn’t control. He and Messi were dancing around like hummingbirds in the box, before Pedro! finally got the rebound that put it away.

But the best part about that first goal was that it was the kids who worked the mojo. Dos Santos felt his side of the pitch getting a little crowded, so he laces a lovely cross-pitch ball that reset the offense, before Muniesa stroked the pass that turned Pedro! loose.

Remember that Gudjohnsen pass to Pedro! that everyone wall calling me harsh for labelling a pass that any professional should be able to make? Muniesa’s was better. And it demonstrated precisely what I mean, because unlike the Gudjohnsen pass that had acres of space for both passer and receiver, Muniesa’s pass was quick, precisely weighted and exactly where it needed to be to make sure that Pedro! was the only one with access.

Yes, we conceded, as Lannie showed his Greg Louganis style after a play by Adriano, who had just come on for Marquez. The replay showed that he dove, and a ref used to that sort of thing wouldn’t have called it. But he did. Beckham converted the free kick from close in, a hell of a shot, really, that caught Pinto a little flat-footed, and it was 1-1.

The second half was Xavi Time. You kind of forget how spectacular our midfield maestro is, how essential he is to our ball control attack. He kind of did a lullabye thing with the ball, that Jedi Mind Trick thing he does where he sashays about, all “I’m not going anywhere with this round thing at my feet,” before he kills you. In this case, he laced a ball to Busquets, who slotted in a perfect pass for Jeffren, who buried it.

Now, for impressions of folks who stood out, or are worthy of mention:

Pedro!: As I said above, he’s ready for regular time with the first team. His control, pace, movement and cutting ability remind me of one diminutive Argy Bargy.

Muniesa: I love this kid. He’s calm, with great positional sense and passing ability. He looked up, saw Pedro! on the move and dropped a perfect ball for him. Guardiola plucked him up at the end of last season, and now we see why. We also see why Caceres is expendable. He’s already better than the Uruguayan, and he’s only 17! I’d say I have a crush on him, but the IMBLA (International Man/Boy Love Assn.) would start spamming me.

Maxwell: Um. Wow. He had a king-sized hoseoff that allowed not one, not two, not three but four Galaxy players to crash the box with header chances. But his pace with and without the ball, passing ability and attacking skill were evident. You could see a lineup with The Yaya and Keita holding down the middle, with Maxwell and Alves raising hell on left and right. Easily. I reallyreallyreallyreally liked what I saw. Abidal looked nervous when he came in.

Marquez: Man, how I missed those passes out of the back that he does so well. In particular, that ball to Keita who seemed stunned that it got to him. I thought it was going to be the second goal, for sure. He moved very well, to boot, particularly laterally, which you always like to see after a knee injury.

Keita: He’s not in season form yet, but you can see how his emergence could make Gudjohnsen expendable. He does a lot of what Monument does, only with greater quickness and athleticism.

Dos Santos: What a passer, with a great sense of the field. Hang on to this kid, who has the knack for keeping the ball moving. He knows when to get fancy (pop lob for Alves), and when to just work the ball, a la his interactions with Messi and Alves on the right side. And his amazing pass for Krkic should have been another goal, but The Kid was unusually craptastic.

Xavi: Beauty, serenity and a sense of joy….bring a Xavi home today, for only 100.000.000 Euros.

Busquets: Calmer and more assured. Great pass to Jeffren, that he probably doesn’t make last year, or tries something too fancy, or too late.

Jeffren: If he keeps going at this rate, he’ll be promoted, as well. Should have had two goals. He’s fast, aggressive and fearless, with a quick shot. He’s almost ready.

Fontas: Tell me again why we’re trying to buy defenders? By the time our current crop are done, we will have Adriano, who will be playing up to his real name by then, Botia, Pique, Muniesa and Fontas. Let’s hear it for the farm! Yes, he dwelled on the ball a bit too long and got it stolen by Beckham, but he will learn. Probably already has.

Gudjohnsen: In his defense, he isn’t a forward. But dude, at LEAST stay onside! Horrifying. I kept thinking of my “bear with the car keys” analogy. His sloppy ball-handling that led to a Galaxy jailbreak was shameful. I will give him love if he stays, when he plays well. But I don’t think that even his most ardent fans can find anything good to say about his showing. Hope nobody from West Ham was watching….

Finally, my only real issue with this match, and it’s a danger of engaging lesser clubs in friendlies, is that a few players take things way too seriously. The below image is of a foul that made Henry say to the fouler, “Knock that shit off, junior.” The guy is going in, studs up, at the ball but more importantly, at Henry’s foot/ankle. It’s a friendly, jackass. The cop is looking like “If he hurts Henry, I’m going to shoot that sonofabitch.” I would have beat him to it.