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Guardiola, Schmid Both Laud Messi Magic
The coaches on both sides of the Seattle Sounders - FC Barcelona friendly agreed that Lionel Messi is an extraordinary player.
Aug 6, 2009 3:42:38 AM
The ardent fans of the Seattle Sounders turned out in droves to support
their squad against some little team from Spain known as FC Barcelona.
Actually, the treble-winning squad led by the likes of Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry had a fair share of supporters as well on hand in the largest soccer crowd ever to watch a match in Seattle.
Barcelona put on quite a show, starring Messi, who scored two goals to lead his squad to a dominating 4-0 victory.
"Messi is on another level," praised FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. "He's the best player in the world. Not only for his youth, but because he's a player who dominates all the factors in a game."
Seattle's coach Sigi Schmid concurred, pointing out that since he'd coached the U.S. squad in the 2005 Youth World Cup that faced Messi (and defeated Argentina), he'd long been aware of the little striker's talent.
"I thought he was the best player in the world then," Schmid stated. "He has the ability to make something happen out of nothing."
Schmid gave full credit for the win to the quality of Barcelona.
"They're an excellent team and they play an excellent brand of football," explained Schmid. "Tonight, we played the elite of the elite."
Guardiola made sure his players were prepared for the game against the Sounders, and he was pleased with the outcome.
"We knew they had a dynamic, strong attack. They have a player like Jaqua, who is dangerous, not only for his height, but also for his ability to play well. Same with Ljungberg and the other attacker, Montero. They play a 4-1-3-2, and we focused on moving them around and attacking from the wings to break that structure down. In the end, I'm very happy with how we played."
Schmid, meanwhile, had a few complaints for his squad, but said he appreciated the overall effort of the players.
"We actually had three half-decent chances," Schmid reflected. "But the difference is that they get those chances and they get them on frame."
Though the Sounders scrapped all game long, Barcelona kept putting sustained pressure on the goal.
"It wasn't always easy, but we found ways to attack," said Jonathan Dos Santos, a young Barcelona player gaining more minutes with the main squad.
The possession-oriented style of Barcelona denied the Sounders much time on the ball.
"This is a team that can make you look silly at times," said Schmid.
Yet Guardiola was not inclined to poke fun at Major League Soccer in general.
"MLS is getting better," Guardiola opined. "It goes up a step year by year and I think it reflects the spirit of the U.S. The players are physically stronger and they have good organization."
Guardiola was impressed by Seattle's fan support, and in fact, the city itself. However, despite the high cost to lay a sod field over the regular artificial turf of Seattle, he was not pleased with the end result.
"The only problem was the pitch, the grass, it was awful," complained Guardiola, before lauding the game atmosphere. "The owner of the Seattle Sounders told me that the fans support their team and we saw that. It was a real pleasure for us and the players to play here. It was nice."
Schmid also had the Seattle fans in mind after the match.
"It was still predominately a pro-Sounders crowd," Schmid noted. "I hope our fans don't walk away too disappointed."
Andrea Canales, Goal.com - Reporting from Seattle, John Zielonka
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page
Actually, the treble-winning squad led by the likes of Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry had a fair share of supporters as well on hand in the largest soccer crowd ever to watch a match in Seattle.
Barcelona put on quite a show, starring Messi, who scored two goals to lead his squad to a dominating 4-0 victory.
"Messi is on another level," praised FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. "He's the best player in the world. Not only for his youth, but because he's a player who dominates all the factors in a game."
Seattle's coach Sigi Schmid concurred, pointing out that since he'd coached the U.S. squad in the 2005 Youth World Cup that faced Messi (and defeated Argentina), he'd long been aware of the little striker's talent.
"I thought he was the best player in the world then," Schmid stated. "He has the ability to make something happen out of nothing."
Schmid gave full credit for the win to the quality of Barcelona.
"They're an excellent team and they play an excellent brand of football," explained Schmid. "Tonight, we played the elite of the elite."
Guardiola made sure his players were prepared for the game against the Sounders, and he was pleased with the outcome.
"We knew they had a dynamic, strong attack. They have a player like Jaqua, who is dangerous, not only for his height, but also for his ability to play well. Same with Ljungberg and the other attacker, Montero. They play a 4-1-3-2, and we focused on moving them around and attacking from the wings to break that structure down. In the end, I'm very happy with how we played."
Schmid, meanwhile, had a few complaints for his squad, but said he appreciated the overall effort of the players.
"We actually had three half-decent chances," Schmid reflected. "But the difference is that they get those chances and they get them on frame."
Though the Sounders scrapped all game long, Barcelona kept putting sustained pressure on the goal.
"It wasn't always easy, but we found ways to attack," said Jonathan Dos Santos, a young Barcelona player gaining more minutes with the main squad.
The possession-oriented style of Barcelona denied the Sounders much time on the ball.
"This is a team that can make you look silly at times," said Schmid.
Yet Guardiola was not inclined to poke fun at Major League Soccer in general.
"MLS is getting better," Guardiola opined. "It goes up a step year by year and I think it reflects the spirit of the U.S. The players are physically stronger and they have good organization."
Guardiola was impressed by Seattle's fan support, and in fact, the city itself. However, despite the high cost to lay a sod field over the regular artificial turf of Seattle, he was not pleased with the end result.
"The only problem was the pitch, the grass, it was awful," complained Guardiola, before lauding the game atmosphere. "The owner of the Seattle Sounders told me that the fans support their team and we saw that. It was a real pleasure for us and the players to play here. It was nice."
Schmid also had the Seattle fans in mind after the match.
"It was still predominately a pro-Sounders crowd," Schmid noted. "I hope our fans don't walk away too disappointed."
Andrea Canales, Goal.com - Reporting from Seattle, John Zielonka
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page
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