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We're thinking that next time we go to one of these friendlies, we'll just leave at halftime. The best part of the night was the pre-game and the first half. After that, it was duller than a PBS pledge drive.
But, boy, did we have fun before!
Three hours before gametime, we arrived downtown in our car, and our special secret parking spot where Yesler crosses the freeway was already gone. Sounders fans: They love their pre-funcs! God bless 'em!
Two hours before game time, bars as far north as Marion St. were filled to capacity with Sounders fans. Bars near the Stadium, like the Triangle and F.X. McCrory's, were packed so tight that it's good the fire marshal had the night off (we assume).
One hour before game time, fans began pouring into Qwest Field. Outside the gates, Barcelona fans applied face paint to each other (pictured!). The team band, Soundwave, played contemporary hits.
Inside the stadium, pre-game entertainment on the concourse included a flamenco band, a goal kick contest, and a booth for KTTH 770 "The Truth", which displayed 25-foot-high replica of Barack Obama's Kenyan birth certificate. (Okay, we made that last part up, but their booth was totally deserted, so seriously why didn't they do that?)
Just before gametime, the Sounders gave their traditional pre-game "Golden Scarf" honor to Bill Russell! Bill! Russell! One of the best basketball players in history. Some of us who are in the know gave Russell a standing ovation. A gentleman to our right wondered what Russell's connection is to Seattle--we guess some people don't know that Russell coached the Sonics for four seasons and has lived in the area ever since.
At game time, Barcelona FC announced their eagerly anticipated starting lineup. Yes, it would include Lionel Messi, the 5-foot-7 Argentine fireplug who's currently regarded as the best in the world, and Thierry Henry, who was once in a TV ad with Tiger Woods so he must be good.
(Total digression, but did you see the thing about how Tiger Woods farted (maybe) during a tournament? This is actually the most damaging Tiger Woods news in the history of Tiger Woods. Seriously, Tiger, smack a cop or something! You're rich!)
Then the teams came out on the field--the Sounders in lime green, Barca in electric peach. The field looked like a bag of tropical Skittles.
Twenty minutes into the game, Kasey Keller had made several acrobatic saves to keep the game scoreless. But the Sounders had botched two decent chances. Very early, Nate Jaqua had a shot but didn't get any mustard on it. Later, Freddie Ljungberg had a look at an open net after a botched goal kick, but missed wide. Could they have converted either, the game might've been interesting.
But those were all the chances the Sounders got. Messi scored twice in the first half--first, a blast from about 60 feet away, then a beautiful bit of footwork near the goal, taking a pass to his feet quickly and firing it past Keller. The second-best part about these goals was watching the reaction on the Barca bench. "Reaction" is the wrong word as there was none. Not a celebratory raising of arms, not a clap, not even a handshake. The guys on the bench looked about as excited as if they were attending a racial sensitivity seminar. (Unlikely in Spain.)
As the second half began with mass substitutions on both sides, it was clear that the Sounders were in "Don't Get Embarrassed" mode. Despite the two-goal deficit, they played 10 men behind the ball for most of the half. And still gave up two goals.
The last 45 minutes of this game was the most boring athletic display we've attended since the '06 Stanford/UW game (our pain is chronicled here in text messages). The only suspense was whether Section 301 would be able to start the wave (they were, after ten minutes of trying).
Fans began leaving in the 80th minute; we couldn't blame them. Barca was playing keep away--not really attacking for the goal, but not giving the ball up either--and the Sounders were simply unable to control the ball for any length of time. Ugly stuff.
Still, it was cool to see Messi and Thierry Henry in action, if only to say that we have. And the atmosphere was terrific.
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