No Champions League final, but no rest for Barcelona's weary Puyol

With zero trophies, the season didn't end well for lion-maned Carles Puyol and Barcelona. Enric Fontcuberta/Firofoto/Icon Jonah Freedman's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Jonah. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Jonah Freedman on Twitter

BARCELONA, Spain -- I never thought I'd travel 6,000 miles to talk MLS with Carles Puyol. But that's exactly what happened last week, purely through coincidence.

I had been trying to arrange an interview with the FC Barcelona captain and Spanish World Cup veteran for several weeks, hoping to talk Champions League and the Spanish national team with him. Puyol is known for being a good sport, a humble guy and a decent interview, even though he's about the most line-towing diplomat you'll find.

But when I finally got here, it wasn't easy on account of how disastrously Barça's season ended: trophyless, a coach fired and several superstar players surely out the door (click here for more on how it all went down).

Worse yet, it was the week before the Champions League final, which Barça will be watching from the comforts of their own homes after bowing out to Manchester United in the semis. Even Barça's p.r. guy warned me "the atmosphere isn't good."

Still, I wanted to talk with Puyol, the team's homegrown star and he of the most terrific head of '80s metal hair since Dee Snider. I held out, and the 30-year-old central defender agreed to give me a few minutes of his time late last week.

Bizarrely, it was the day after Major League Soccer announced a new five-year partnership with the Spanish superclub that calls for at least six exhibitions to be played in the U.S. As a result, Puyol & Co. will travel to the U.S. this summer for preseason friendlies, perhaps against MLS opponents (two games are rumored in Chicago and New York).

And so, I found myself sitting on a leather couch in the press hall of Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium, talking with one of the hardest-working players in the world.

"I'm looking forward to the tour," Puyol said. "It's a good preseason trip for us, and will help us prepare for [next season's] Champions League qualifiers. We'll train hard and work hard."

Puyol has been to the U.S. for preseason training twice before: in 2003 as part of a four-team "World Series" tournament, and in '06, when Barcelona played Mexican superpowers Chivas de Guadalajara and Club América in Los Angeles and Houston, respectively -- as well as the New York Red Bulls in a mega-friendly that sold out Giants Stadium.

"The fans received us very well and were very friendly with us," Puyol said of the experience. "We were happy to see so many fans in the U.S. and the truth is that we enjoyed it very much."

So seeing as he has never shared a field with an MLS team (Puyol didn't play against the Red Bulls in '06), what does he know about our little league? "Not much," he admitted. "I know David Beckham has helped the league a lot. I believe it has a big future and will become a very important league."

It's shaping up to be a busy summer for Puyol. In a couple of weeks, he'll be with the Spanish national team for the European Championship in Austria and Switzerland ("We're not the favorites, but we can win it," he says), followed by Barcelona's American tour and then next season's Champions League. Because Barça finished in third in La Liga this, year, it will be forced to play in the qualifying phase of Europe's grandest club tournament for the first time in six years.

"We'll be back," Puyol said of his team's recent misfortunes. "I never look for excuses. This is an important club, and I know we'll make the necessary changes to be on top again."

That's the understatement of the year. The Barça icon will have to stand and watch as his team is probably going to shed stars Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Deco and has already replaced manager Frank Rijkaard. Next year's Barça will look very little like the team that won the Champions League and Spanish league double in '06.

But the question I was most curious to ask Puyol: Will you be watching the final on Wednesday?

"Of course," he said, without hesitation. So who is he rooting for? "I'm looking forward to a very exciting game."

Spoken like a true diplomat.

Check back in a couple weeks for Puyol's take on Spain's chances at Euro 2008.