On the way up in America

FC Barcelona spent almost two weeks in the United States, playing three games along the way, with the results getting better as the team settled back into working together. The several new faces in the squad have also needed time to adapt, but things are all slotting into place very nicely indeed, with the start of official competition on the horizon.

There were difficulties to overcome, with the tour not getting off to the best of starts when a nasty attack of gastroenteritis meant the team was unable to play Juventus in what was to be the opening fixture in Santa Clara. The game was cancelled and thousands of fans were left disappointed at missing out on the chance to see the blaugrana stars in action.

The second game did get played, but while Barça were still warming into things, Arsenal attacked the game as if it were much more than a mere friendly, and ended up winning a spectacular encounter 5-3. The SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles also got to see Gündoğan and teenage sensation Fermín López make their debuts for the team.

Next up at the AT&T Stadium, Dallas, we had perhaps the most anticipated clash of all, with Barça and Real Madrid meeting in a Clásico in the US for the second summer in a row. Barça's 3-0 win perhaps wasn't a true reflection of what a tightly contested it actually was, and the star of the game was young Fermín López, scorer of a goal and provider of an assist.

The last stop was Vegas, where the Catalans won again, this time 1-0 against AC Milan, with Ansu Fati netting the only goal of the match. At least as far as Xavi was concerned, Barça's performance in this game was the best of the three on a tour that has served brilliantly to get the players ready for August, when things really start to get serious.