Comments on: Barça mania reaches the U.S.A!

By: verymessi

verymessi — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:08:52 +0000

As a life long football/soccer fan in the USA, I am glad to see this article in Newsweek…I had season tickets to the New York Cosmos in the old NASL if anyone remembers them?! Actually saw Cruyff play for the Cosmos against the world all-stars after the 1978 World Cup. He then went to play for the Washington Diplomats, if I remember correctly.

I dont think there is much question about Barca being the best team ever….Their brand of football is just hypnotic and the envy of all who play against them..They make other world class teams look like b-league teams…Just amazing. Long live Barca!!

By: Serban

Serban — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:41:52 +0000

There was the real MVP Ronnie – Eto -Massi

By: LKC

LKC — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:41:00 +0000

I've never seen Chinese folk ridicule people who use the name "table tennis" instead of "ping pong"… Why do soccer/football/futbol fans have to be so snobby about what their sport is called. If everyone is enjoying the same game, then get off your high horse and let them call it what they want!

By: kcblaugrana

kcblaugrana — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:57:46 +0000

Nice find. I remember after the Arsenal match there were some asking things like "Did he mean to chip it to himself?" Obviously, the answer is YES. It is just an incredibly brilliant, and difficult thing to do, which Messi has the ability to recognize in an instant and pull off because he's the best.

By: Marius

Marius — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:38:08 +0000

In fact, author of this article (Jimmy Burns) is half Spanish half Scotish, who works for FT in London. He's a huge Cule, and is a member of Penya Blaugrana London. Great reading! Thanks

By: rodcjvdf

rodcjvdf — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:29:12 +0000

"Best football team ever"…yep, this is American.

By: Gladys

Gladys — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:17:15 +0000

Wow, the couple of errors pointed out are surprising, since the article is by a guy who wrote a whole book about Barca in 2009. Newsweek needs some better fact-checkers for sure. Aside from this, so happy to see a whole article on FCB!

By: Gladys

Gladys — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:15:56 +0000

When it comes to football in the US, it really depends on where you live. In my Brooklyn neighborhood, the pitch in the park is filled all week long with adult league games, and during the CL final you could barely find a place to stand in the many bars showing the game. However, the only American football I see played are the practice sessions of the local high school team (where the coaches yell at the kids like they've joined the Marines). American football is still rabidly popular all over but with increasing evidence about the permanent neurological and physical damage for long-time players (my brother needed a metal pin in each shoulder from separations before he even graduated high school), parents are becoming more and more wary of their sons playing the game. On the other hand, I can't imagine better role models than Pep and our players. Thanks Newsweek!

By: rogerdat

rogerdat — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:58:09 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI8GC6bqnpM&fe…

guys watch 3:43 of the video. isnt that almost the same goal messi scored vs arsenal at camp nou this year? (not the penalty, the beautiful one) this is kind of eery….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPmUMjnHqow&fe…

By: sintia_24

sintia_24 — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:08:27 +0000

DANNY Alves?! (last paragraph)

By: RenWoXing

RenWoXing — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:22:38 +0000

The term soccer is used in Australia, Canada & New Zealand as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_for_associatio…

By: mike in africa

mike in africa — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:31:04 +0000

wow… a typo on the front page… extra question mark at the end… anyone else seeing it?

By: Vaffanculo

Vaffanculo — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:29:24 +0000

American football that they play in NFL should be called American handball, only punters ever kick the ball with their feets anyway. Nowadays even in volleyball you can kick the ball. And Becks and other "missionaries" are giving a bad example by accepting the use of word "soccer". But ESPN´s Soccernet sometimes uses the word "World football"

By: Ostap

Ostap — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 07:51:35 +0000

"Soccer" comes from "association football", which is the sort of official name of the sport, and it's been called that in England, to differentiate it from rugby. Of course, today it's mostly Americans calling it soccer, but the real outrage is that horror they call "football".

By: grome

grome — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 06:53:18 +0000

They got the Manchester Utd treble year wrong… it's 1998-1999.

Beckham was probably not even playing 9 years earlier