Courtesy: dallasnews.com

by Nathan Nipper

FC Barcelona Defeats Team USA 4-3 in Professional Futsal League Debut Event

The Professional Futsal League (PFL) held its inaugural event in Frisco Friday night with a game between the FC Barcelona futsal team and a team of American futsal all-stars. A crowd of 5,179 – the largest-ever crowd to watch futsal in the U.S. – filled the Dr. Pepper Arena as Barcelona defeated Team USA 4-3 in the first matchup of the three-game PFL International Challenge tournament featuring FC Barcelona, Team USA, and Team Mexico. The tournament is a launching event for the recently announced PFL, which plans to launch with 12-16 teams in November 2016. PFL President (and former FC Dallas General Manager) Michael Hitchcock, and leading investor (and current Dallas Mavericks GM) Donnie Nelson are spearheading the new league.

Fans new to futsal discovered an entertaining basketball/soccer hybrid played on a hard court surface with smaller, square-shaped goals and five players to a side (including goalkeepers). The ball is smaller and heavier with less bounce than a regulation soccer ball, so the action stays primarily on the ground with quick passing and dribbling. Player movement and the squeak of shoes on the court resemble basketball, while the footwork, passing, and shooting recall the small-sided training scrimmages that traditional soccer players enjoy.

As one expects of a club with FC Barcelona’s pedigree, their futsal team treated the crowd to an intricate web of passing and moving on the court that swarmed Team USA in the game’s opening minutes. Barcelona’s Alejandro Constantino scored three rapid-fire goals (2’, 3’, and 7’) while the U.S. struggled to advance the ball out of their own half court.

After the third Barcelona goal, Team USA settled down and began to counter-attack effectively. In the 9th minute Fabinho scored for the U.S. giving the crowd hope that the game wouldn’t be a rout. Among the hard-working Team USA players, Lucas Stauffer, an All-American freshman at Creighton University, was the liveliest in attack with four shots in the first half, narrowly missing a goal thanks to a tremendous save by Barcelona goalkeeper Miguel Feixas.

Barcelona seemed firmly in control after Raul netted another goal just before halftime to give his side a 4-1 lead.

Barcelona returned in the second half with renewed attacking vigor as their trademark precision passing again kept the ball in the U.S. half. Team USA was up to the defensive challenge however, surprisingly shutting out Barcelona in the second half, thanks in large part to fine saves by goalkeeper Boris Pardo who even thrilled the crowd by ripping a half-court shot of his own.

Barcelona’s passing and Team USA’s defensive posture sedated the action for much of the second half until the U.S. subbed out goalkeeper Pardo with three minutes remaining to add a fifth attacker. The strategy paid off as Daniel Mattos scored twice in the final minute, making the score a respectable 4-3 and providing fans with a thrilling end to an exciting and well-produced night of professional futsal.

The tournament continues today with FC Barcelona vs. Team Mexico at 2:00 PM at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco.

The tournament concludes Sunday, March 15 with Team USA vs. Team Mexico at 2:00 PM at the Los Mavs Festival at Gilley’s Dallas.






FP Staff --> info@futsalplanet.com