Luis Suarez helps Barcelona defeat LA Galaxy in front of record crowd

ByAssociated Press ESPN logo
Wednesday, July 22, 2015

PASADENA, Calif. -- Luis Suarez scored in the 45th minute as Barcelona opened its U.S. preseason tour with a 2-1 victory over the LA Galaxy on Tuesday night before 93,226 fans at the Rose Bowl.

Sergi Roberto also scored in the 56th minute as the UEFA Champions League winners largely controlled their first match of the new season, delighting the biggest crowd for a club football game involving an MLS team in U.S. history.

Tommy Meyer scored late in second-half injury time for the defending MLS champion Galaxy, denying Barcelona of a clean sheet.

The record crowd largely supported Barcelona despite the absence of Lionel Messi and Neymar, who stayed home from the International Champions Cup tour to stay fresh for the games that count.