The big win for Penya Los Angeles over FC Barcelona concluded the kids schedule of games and left us with the last few days to have some fun and bask in the glory of the win.

On Thursday night the entire group was invited by Javier Rodriguez, the captain of FC Barcelona Futsal (futbol sala as it is referred to in Spain) to be his guests and watch them take on Futsal Cartagena. None of us in the group had ever attended a futsal match so we were excited to have the experience.

When first entering the Palau Blaugrana I was surprised on two fronts, one how small it was inside and two, how old it was. The arena is where FC Barcelona not only plays futsal but also basketball and handball. I had thought that since the basketball team was so popular that the arena would be a nice facility but I was mistaken.

The match itself was entertaining but a little confusing at first. Futsal is kind of a mixture between football and hockey, played on a basketball court. The ball is very small and the pace of the game is very quick. Substitutions are made during play much like hockey so you constantly have people running in and out of the game. It was a little overwhelming at first but you get the hang of it quickly.

Though my new friend Javier Rodriguez did not score FC Barcelona did win the match 6-3. They were able to tack on a few extra goals at the end because Cartagena pulled their goalie and gained an offensive player up front in an attempt to equalize, but the strategy backfired and empty net goals resulted each time.

The next day I had a meeting with candidate for FC Barcelona president Sandro Rosell. During the meeting we spoke about Barcaloco.com and how the site has grown dramatically over the past year and a half with the support of loyal FC Barcelona supporters not only in the US but worldwide.

Mr. Rosell was a pleasure to speak with and he listened to all of our concerns and shared with us a little about his ideas. I do not want to go into great detail about our conversation as much will come out, as we get closer to the elections. But I can say that the man has a vision for FC Barcelona and after speaking with many socios in Barcelona following our meeting he has the support of the vast majority of the people and is the favorite to succeed Laporta.

We completed our weeklong ultimate FC Barcelona experience by taking in the Barça B match at the Mini Estadi against Lleida. The stadium was about a quarter full and again I was surprised by the age of stadium but never the less it was a great match that Barcelona won 2-0.

I was able to watch many of the Barcelona young stars and specifically Jonathan. Though Jonathan has received a few call-ups to the senior side this season he has not received any quality playing time. So to be able to watch him for an entire match was a real treat because he is so talented and will be a star in the future no doubt about it.

The end of the match capped a truly amazing week in Barcelona. I was able to experience my first match in the Camp Nou, meet with Sandro Rosell, talk to players like Gai Assulin and Marc Muniesa, saw my first futsal match and became friends with the captain of the team. I also spent time with coaches that our part of our Penya in Arizona, Texas and Virginia, learning about their programs and establishing new friendships made possible by our common fanaticism for the greatest football club on the planet.

If this is the first article you have read of my five-part diary covering the trip to Barcelona I urge you to go back and read the others.

Adventures in Barcelona – Part IV
Adventures in Barcelona – Part III
Adventures in Barcelona – Part II
Adventures in Barcelona – Part I

Next year we will be making the trip available to everyone who becomes a member of our Penya. I have tried to capture in these articles just how amazing this experience has been, but you can only really understand by going yourself.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures and I look forward to the possibility of giving you the ability to experience this trip first hand next year!

Visca Barça!