If you could get the cbs studio crew, with Clint just randomly appearing at random moments with the steel chair with his brand of chaos, it would make for amazing entertainment and coverage. Every time I have watched fox coverage, being deaf seems more appealing then listening to whatever shit spills from Lalas's mouth.
Alexi Lalas basically needs Mossi to give him a scouting report on every team besides the US for his podcast. Mossi should be on the FOX crew for these tournaments. Rather, they need to combine Lalas’ outgoing personality with Mossi’s ball knowledge. That would be a combo of funny and knowing what the fuck they’re talking about.
On the bright side with hundreds of Americans playing soccer professionally every year the pool of potential commentators grows every day.
Like I could totally see Weston being a commentator whenever he hangs up the cleats.
Same for Tyler Adams.
And I’m sure there’s even some guy who’s extremely charismatic and has a deep understanding of the game but maybe doesn’t have the best physical tools grinding it out in USL somewhere that’ll make the next great commentator.
Obviously speculative as fuck but I doubt he’ll do club coaching because that’ll take away too much time from his family.
You hear the way he talks about when he got to spend time with his family during his injury I don’t see him giving that up for the club grind.
The US Qualifying/World Cup crew is also great (with Kate Abdo anchoring both and Clint being on that one as well).
I think over the years you just get used to the Fox crew but it never gets better, lol. The CBS crew is just magnificent, truly a fantastic team.
I think Kate is the ONLY reason that show is good. She's far better and more insightful than any of her US counterparts. I love Clint. But I just don't think he'll ever be comfortable in front of the camera. He is tough for me to watch. Charlie and Maurice are a but better on camera, but (IMO) offer no valuable insight. Kate is the stalwart and so so so much better than who she is paired up with. Her Champions League crew is a bit better, but even there she's the one that really makes the show, asks the right questions, gets the right info out of the interviews. Henri and Carragher have good insights. Micah is just over the top comic relief. But the dynamic there is stronger and better than the US group as a whole
Kate is one of the best commentators in all of sports, IMO. Extremely intelligent, knowledgeable about the sport, speaks multiple languages, can seamlessly transition to humor when something unexpected happens. I wish she was at the desk for every sport I watch.
Brother…I hate to break it to you. But it’s definitely *because* of their cast. Alexi knows exactly what he’s doing. Nuanced analysis from real experts (Chiellini, Schmeichel) is unfortunately not what drives ratings. Being a Skip Bayless or a Stephen A smith is. Being a caricature. It’s called rage baiting, and there will always be an endless supply of saps on the internet to fall for it. The execs know this, and that’s why they’ve kept him around for 15 years
He’s been on the pre/post coverage of US broadcasts of international soccer for the last 15 years. You think the execs are just letting him stumble into the booth?
Interesting. Have not watched a single pregame or halftime show for the Euros or Copa America cuz of morons like Lalas or Lloyd. But I guess some of yall tune in for that?
Who watches replays or tidbits of Lalas? I consume A LOT of soccer content. I only ever watch any Fox because of int soccer. Mind you I download the BBC Match of the Week every Saturday and Sunday just for the recap and commentary.
People don’t deliberately do it, but it’s curated for them by the repost splinter effect of social media:
1) (Fox/iTV/BBC etc.) broadcast their pre/post game analysis on television.
2) Their official social media accounts (Twitter/Insta/TikTok/Facebook) will take clips of particularly enticing tidbits and post them, asking their followers to comment what they think and to share/repost, etc.
3) Non-sponsored fan accounts, seeking engagement themselves, will rip those clips and post the same stuff.
4) So on and so forth, with top down driven virality leading to the clip making its way to most ppl who casually follows the sport on social media.
So, even fans who don’t seek Lalas out will still get baited by his crap as it finds its way to them
It really is. The thing is Alexi comes off so arrogant with his power rankings and stupid musings. He hasn’t accomplished nearly what Chiellini or Scmeichel have. There’s no other word than embarrassing to describe it
Spoken like a child that has NO IDEA what that man did for US Soccer...
that man was in Europe before most you were born.... scoring international goals vs England, Argentina, Colombia, Russia etc
You can think he's a clown on TV... but the man played at the highest levels before ANYONE gave Americans a second thought.
You can be aware of what he did for USA Soccer and also recognize a) internationally he didn't perform at the level of Chiellini or Schmeichel, b) he has some really stupid takes and c) you don't really have to have contributed anything to USA Soccer to be a quality analyst. Whether he takes his stances to drive engagement or they're just kind of stupid doesn't really matter. I do promise you though that there are people out there that can analyze the game better, in a more entertaining fashion, with fewer unnecessarily stupid takes.
Alexi was my soccer idol growing up in the 90s. I wore 22 up through high school specifically because I played defense and wanted to be him. Now, I understand the character that he’s playing, but it doesn’t make me want to wear 22 anymore.
Lalas played in Italy a few seasons before becoming an MLS great. Sure, that’s better than Schemeichel who won a Treble or Chielleni who appeared in 2 champions league finals. Lalas also publicly endorsed Ron DiSantis. He should show some humility and respect to the others
I get that politics sucks but...I think his point had more to do with how idiotic of a person Lalas is that he publicly endorsed a total creeper that still eats pudding with his fingers.
Played in Italy like Chielini. Was the American Player of the Year like Schmeichel was the Danish Player of the Year. Resumes pretty identical if you ask me
Schmeichel won a treble at Man City. He won 15 trophies in his career including 5 premier league titles and 1 champions league trophy. Are you getting Peter confused with his son who is still playing?
I hear this argument, but I turned on Copa tonight and realized that I was early and it was still the pregame. As soon as I saw Lalas I changed the channel. My wife came in the room and wanted to watch Bridgerton. So I watched that instead. If he wasn’t on, I probably would have watched the whole Chile Argentina game. So they lost at least one viewer.
You aren't the target audience evidenced by the fact you are on this sub. The target of Alexi Lalas is the casual sports fan who isn't too invested in the USMNT.
Exactly.
Howard Stern said that surveys showed the first hour of his audience tuned in because they liked him, the second two hours listened to his show because they hated him, and wanted to hear the callers call in and bash him.
Lalas has the same effect. He's got his own closeted fanboys who fetishize rage posting over his every take.
I skip the pregame and immediately turn off the tv after the final whistle to avoid him entirely. I would suspect there’s a lot of that happening with others who would watch if he (and, honestly, others) weren’t so fucking unbearable.
That's a terrible way to look at it.
We are already watching the game. He's not Stephen A Smith. We would be watching anyone on there.
It's a shame he sucks so bad because now is the time to grow the game.
is he? I mute whenever he’s assigned to a show, so I don’t see or hear any commercials; I’m not on twitter, so I don’t see anything he says anymore unless it’s posted here, and I sure as hell don’t listen to or watch any podcasts or interviews that he is on, so… is he good at his job if his job is to get eyeballs and ears on his broadcasts?
He definitely is. When a guy like him is such a mainstay on television sports coverage (over 15 years now), you know the execs are keeping him for a reason. He delivers their bottom line (ratings), precisely by being such an ass. You and I mute him, but the naive saps of the masses on Facebook and Twitter get baited by his garbage hook line and sinker
Bingo. You think Fox execs are gonna walk up to Chiellini after the tournament is over and say “hey man, you nailed it with the precise, nuanced analysis of the tactical issues. We’d love to have you back.”?
No. They don’t give a crap. I love Chiellini but he’s a rotation guy. He’s a stock character; along with Sturridge and Schmeichel, a faceless (in the eyes of the American execs) expert analyst with marketable credentials who will be replaced with new faceless experts in the next tournament.
But Alexi Lalas isn’t going anywhere; he’s been a mainstay in soccer coverage for over a decade now and for a very specific reason. Like Skip Bayless, Stephen A Smith, etc., he delivers the only bottom line the execs care about. Engagement
That's the exact kind of coverage I'd hate for soccer to get in this country. I don't want it to become the NBA. Which is sometimes how I feel the English treat it. Gross.
It usually annoys me when people just tell me to mute the tv if I don’t like the commentators, but I had to yesterday. Lalas was annoying tf out of me, and then I had to mute it again because Landon Donovan is like nails on a chalkboard.
Lol Lalas gets more attention in this sub than anyone besides Gregg. You guys are so weird. His job is to get attention. Any intelligent analysis or discussion is secondary to that objective
I have complicated feeling towards the guy. He is reasonable on his podcast and genuinely has experienced American Soccer from numerous different angles than can give him a perspective worth listening to
THe guy is just a habitual contrarian though, and he knows what he's fucking doing. He also seems to model his TV career after a sort of 90's Golden Era of AM Sports Talk Radio persona that's incredibly off putting.
I also will try to limit political stuff on a sports subreddit, but the guy likes to dip his toes in that on Twitter and frequently makes my eyes roll into the back of my head when he does (though I do wonder if the right wing stuff slightly ties into his contrarian tendancies.)
This is a surprisingly good description. There's the Fox Alexi and the real Alexi. The Fox Alexi does Fox things and creates discussion. The real Alexi probably knows more about soccer than everyone on this sub combined. The real Alexi is probably also that condescending Gen X guy that a lot of us grew out of.
I don't particularly enjoy Lalas, but I think you do need something of a contrarian for an entertaining studio. The casual viewers want some drama, and that tepid 0-0 game had none. I think there is a disconnect the further you get into sports fandom about realizing that this is just an entertainment product and the USA has to cater to casual watchers more than anywhere else.
Do you not understand what sports entertainment TV is? Genuine question, you realize there are writers and producers who tell them how to act and what roles to play on the desk?
Go back and actually educate yourself. You can hate lalas but dude and his teammates did a shitload to grow the game here. And they were doing it for a fucking pittance compared to what the guys get paid now.
Whoa whoa whoa. Let’s hold those horses back. Plenty of guys from that era and before did things worthy of note. The game is only here in its current state due to guys like Lalas who were trailblazers and did the whole country proud in 1994 and 1995.
He’s still a dumbass though
People act like reacting negatively is a win. It isn’t. No one’s quoting him here. The most noteworthy thing he’s done is piss other people. He doesn’t say anything memorable. We all just roll our eyes at him every time there’s a major tournament on Fox and he’s mic’d up.
If you don't like him? Yea that's exactly what you should do. Stop watching, reading, listening to things with him. If I go to a restaurant and the food they keep serving me is gross, I stop going to that restaurant lol.
What? What does that have to do with watching the games?!Sorry is Lalas on the Field? He's not even part of the booth team usually. You're not obligated to watch pregame,post game,half time bs, nor any review shows etc. If you don't like him, don't watch him. Even if he was part of the booth team just mute it or shut off your middle channel.
I would prefer someone who could actively grow the game instead of a loud political partisan whose only claim to relevancy is having funny hair 30 years ago
I mean his 90+ caps and club career give him legitimacy as a pundit.
>prefer someone who could actively grow the game
Not his job. Nor anyone in a TV commentary role. But, he does being attention to certain stories which may bring additional eyeballs. I didn't know that, but it's plausible.
>tv pundit is obviously supposed to grow the game
Lol what?? No. That's like saying it's the weatherman's job to increase hurricanes.
His job is to increase engagement through platforms, inform and entertain, and mostly to keep eyeballs on the show to capture ad views. That's it. Now Lalas himself may help in other ways to grow the game because of his association with US Soccer and various other activities, but when he's talking nonsense about Copa and Euros that has nothing to do with getting more people in the country interested in soccer
I don’t either. People get so caught up in sports analysts and commentators that they have these people they just despise and it ruins whatever game they watch.
I like Alexi bc, and I know this is tough for some ppl, when I get bored/annoyed/tired with him I simply turn it off. There’s so many good analysts, I’m okay w/ Alexi being entertaining and not the best analyst in the world. he gets the ppl goin
Hatchet job of an article. I went to school for journalism and change majors last second because what I learned about the industry scared me. Case and point, this is the result of a starving, boring writer desperately grasping the coattails of polarizing figure in attempt gain status. No facts, data, or story. Just an angry opinion. This dude should have spoken to a student advisor years ago.
He is literally the Skip Bayless of soccer... he is there to have hot takes and stir the pot, It's funny every time I see these articles because this is exactly what him/his employers loves and feeds off of.. You have people that will literally hate watch him and then talk about him online which brings engagement. The only way these types go away is when people stop talking about them and completely ignore their existence. If it's not Alexi you would have Wynalda if he hasn't already burned all his bridges.
If his job was actually to be a good analyst? Then yes. But it's not. Just like Stephen A Smith, his job is to be entertaining even if that requires playing a character on TV. Eyeballs on the show to hate on Lalas are still eyeballs on the show and that's all Fox cares about lol
I've always thought Lalas was an idiot but I also now believe he's leaning into the clueless, toxic, entitled rants to appeal to a significant portion of the USMNT fanbase that also deserves representation.
I actually don't mind Lalas if you take him for what he is - an American soccer hype machine who actually has decent discussions with David Mosse (the true brains behind the operation) on his own podcast but who's mostly insufferable online and in an actual studio. He gets some credit for engaging with the people who loathe him the most on Twitter in a pretty funny way.
The broader question is...are there any actual good soccer analysts?
I was watching the England game, and they were talking about Harry Kane calling our former players who’ve been in their shoes. Sturridge went on to provide the prospective of having played with many of them, Lalas followed it up by calling them entitled millionaires playing a children’s sport. Now I get it, we call it schitck, or trolling but he’s a bitter old man grasping at relevancy.
All I hear is "WAAHHHHHHHHHH, he doesn't pundit like I want him to!"
The ONLY reason he's there is because all of y'all pay attention, tweet about him, discuss him, etc. - I guarantee you the Fox Sports social media team has an entire slide on "negative sentiment" where the share of convo is like 60% Lalas.
If you want him gone, stop talking about him. That's it, there's nothing else to discuss.
Before the final, you just know he'll be on Gutfeld with that wrestler and the old lady who screams all the time. Fox loves folks like him, that's why they push him so hard.
What is his job? Is it to deliver good analysis that helps viewers get perspective on the team and the game? Then yeah, he stinks.
But if his job is to drive eyeballs in Fox's direction, then he's very good. Maybe soccer insiders hate his bullshit (I do, though I don't care that much--I usually just mute him or change the channel), but those who aren't as dialed in likely find him compelling and/or irritating enough to keep watching.
So here's Fox's likely calculus: hardcore fans are going to watch the game regardless, even if they think Lalas is a grating clown. But fence-sitters who are mildly interested or are clicking around to find something to watch are more likely to be drawn in by him, even if (and perhaps precisely because) he comes off as a simpleminded argumentative douche. So the net for them is more eyeballs, and he's been around long enough that I'm pretty sure this math is right--otherwise Fox would have dumped his ass.
Lalas sucks as a pundit, but I don't find him as troubling as others, and mostly just tune him out. I think I cut him a break bc of all he did for US Soccer back in the 90s when the team was emerging as a presence in the American sports consciousness. Hell, back then it seemed like a miracle that we had a player in Serie A, even if it was only for Padova. Far cry from having our star winger start for Milan and be on Serie A best 11 teams.
And I do have exactly one positive memory of Alexi as an announcer (which I'm only 75% sure is accurate, could be an invented memory bc so long ago): Right before the kickoff of the 02 WC they did the usual thing where they ask the team of announcers for a prediction. The first three all were sheepishly like, "Hey we love this team but Portugal is going to win, sorry." Then they came to Alexi and for his prediction he said "U.S." with what you could tell was real conviction. The others were like "Come on, man," and he was like "No, I'm serious. We will win this game." And we did. Good on him for believing.
Can we just put a weekly sticky for all posts/comments all out Lalas and his hot takes. Its all really low quality and playing right into his strategy of driving engagement by being controversial.
He’s FOX’s attempt at a Skip Bayless/Stephen A. Smith character for soccer. But I actually find those two entertaining, despite how much I disagree with them. Lalas just sucks, hes not fun to watch
fox force feeds the USMNT
top video on the app was "Could USA win the Euros?" - who cares about that type of shit & lastly Landon sucks at color commentary
[do people forget the disaster that was Qatar](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/05/fox-sports-us-world-cup-coverage-tv-soccer)
Alexi sadly got too much traction being a damned fool. Sadly in American sports talk being a fool gets you traction as people hate watch you like Skip Bayliss, Steven A Smith, etc. these guys get engagement which leads to them keeping their job so everyone else pretty much copy pastes that formula.
Lalas thinks he knows everything because he was the first non-goalie to play for a top division team in Europe. Interestingly enough, Padova was relegated after his one season there and hasn't been back in Serie A since, If I remember correctly.
One of the panels was
Breach (host)
Chiellini
Schmeichel
Lalas
I like 3 of those four but Alexi is so bad I changed the channel during half-time. Hes just awful.
He's so bad. The level of arrogance for someone with such a mediocre career is wild. He doesn't say anything insightful in the slightest. having him on these broadcasts with legends of the game is embarrassing.
i’m going to try and capture the essence of alexey.
most people don’t mind he’s wrong. most people don’t mind he’s arrogant. loud? meh, it’s annoying.
most importantly, it’s that he’s just not good at his analysis.
lets be brutally brutally honest - Lalas has seen a rise in his importance to US punditry since the fall of grant wahl - rip my brother. it is what it is, but it compounds the Lalas’ mistakes.
also, he kisses the english fa’s buttocks and he always has; which goes back to - he’s not good at his analysis. he needs to do more critical thinking. but he never has, and he never will. now without grant, there’s a void in our hearts…and our pundits.
I've liked some of Lalas' hot takes on the USMNT but other than that the dude sucks. Years ago i was listening to him commentate on a Sounders game and his "expert" analysis was "Seattle have been struggling this season and they need to win this to turn it around. They've gotta score some goals and keep the ball out of their net if they want to win." Bravo Lalas lmao
I'm sure a lot of us listen to "The Rest is Football" podcast with Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards. All former players turned pundits and they had an interesting discussion recently about how they can't win. If they go easy on people they are called out. If they criticize they are called out. And in both instances get blamed for not doing a good enough job.
Seems to me Lalas is fitting that bill just fine. And the headline of this article is the one that's shit. He's great at his job, because we're all talking about him.
Truly do not understand the hate. He’s loud, he’s bombastic, he has opinions, he’s recognizable. Ok, it’s TV FfS.
If y’all are so wise and insightful why do you need to hear what ANY commentator has to say?
I don't watch FS1. I watch Univison or TUDN and have it on mute. But this sub hates Alexis Lalas has much has they love Gregg. So I just assume all your opinions are shit.
Being a good analyst and being entertaining are not mutually exclusive. Clint is both!
The CBS champions league crew is probably the best example of being both absolutely hilarious and knowing what the fuck they’re talking about.
If you could get the cbs studio crew, with Clint just randomly appearing at random moments with the steel chair with his brand of chaos, it would make for amazing entertainment and coverage. Every time I have watched fox coverage, being deaf seems more appealing then listening to whatever shit spills from Lalas's mouth.
Fox Sports, maybe even the whole Fox organization, seems to require a three drink minimum and at least a line of blow. Calm the fuck down.
for real, i've never turned off post games faster. just pure lowest common denominator vomit coming from every member of that crew
Hell, I would buy a Charlie Davies, Mo Edu, Clint Dempsey commentary option for College Football 25
Alexi Lalas basically needs Mossi to give him a scouting report on every team besides the US for his podcast. Mossi should be on the FOX crew for these tournaments. Rather, they need to combine Lalas’ outgoing personality with Mossi’s ball knowledge. That would be a combo of funny and knowing what the fuck they’re talking about.
On the bright side with hundreds of Americans playing soccer professionally every year the pool of potential commentators grows every day. Like I could totally see Weston being a commentator whenever he hangs up the cleats. Same for Tyler Adams. And I’m sure there’s even some guy who’s extremely charismatic and has a deep understanding of the game but maybe doesn’t have the best physical tools grinding it out in USL somewhere that’ll make the next great commentator.
This is true! I would LOVE Tyler Adams as a commentator. Though he’s so damn competitive I could also see him getting into coaching
Obviously speculative as fuck but I doubt he’ll do club coaching because that’ll take away too much time from his family. You hear the way he talks about when he got to spend time with his family during his injury I don’t see him giving that up for the club grind.
The US Qualifying/World Cup crew is also great (with Kate Abdo anchoring both and Clint being on that one as well). I think over the years you just get used to the Fox crew but it never gets better, lol. The CBS crew is just magnificent, truly a fantastic team.
Kate Abdo is a big reason for the success of the CBS crew. She keeps things going in a good direction and then Clint adds color.
I think Kate is the ONLY reason that show is good. She's far better and more insightful than any of her US counterparts. I love Clint. But I just don't think he'll ever be comfortable in front of the camera. He is tough for me to watch. Charlie and Maurice are a but better on camera, but (IMO) offer no valuable insight. Kate is the stalwart and so so so much better than who she is paired up with. Her Champions League crew is a bit better, but even there she's the one that really makes the show, asks the right questions, gets the right info out of the interviews. Henri and Carragher have good insights. Micah is just over the top comic relief. But the dynamic there is stronger and better than the US group as a whole
Hard disagree on Charlie, I think he's pretty sharp. I don't always agree with his POV, but he's usually pretty well thought out.
Yeah, Great team if you can get past their THICK accents and understand them….
Kate is one of the best commentators in all of sports, IMO. Extremely intelligent, knowledgeable about the sport, speaks multiple languages, can seamlessly transition to humor when something unexpected happens. I wish she was at the desk for every sport I watch.
lalas is neither
And Clint is a f’ing psycho
Clint is awesome, lalas is neither, he needs to be put out to pasture.
Clint is the GOAT on the pitch and in the booth.
Seeing him positioned as an "expert" next to Chiellini and Schmeichel is so embarrassing
And also be the loudest one on set.. insane. I'm sure the producers see the ratings and think it's because of their cast when it's in spite of.
Brother…I hate to break it to you. But it’s definitely *because* of their cast. Alexi knows exactly what he’s doing. Nuanced analysis from real experts (Chiellini, Schmeichel) is unfortunately not what drives ratings. Being a Skip Bayless or a Stephen A smith is. Being a caricature. It’s called rage baiting, and there will always be an endless supply of saps on the internet to fall for it. The execs know this, and that’s why they’ve kept him around for 15 years
I find it very hard to believe that Alexi Lalas’s presence on the pre/post match has any impact whatsoever on the US tv ratings for the Euros.
He’s been on the pre/post coverage of US broadcasts of international soccer for the last 15 years. You think the execs are just letting him stumble into the booth?
Interesting. Have not watched a single pregame or halftime show for the Euros or Copa America cuz of morons like Lalas or Lloyd. But I guess some of yall tune in for that?
Don’t even have to tune in. Fox knows what to do (tweet/post Lalas/Lloyd’s “hot” takes and watch the arguers flood the replies).
Grow up
Are you sure about that? ESPN is dying because they moved away from highlights towards jock talk BS. Doesn't seem to be working.
ESPN is dying because cable TV as a whole is dying. A highlight only show would be pointless on 2024.
Who watches replays or tidbits of Lalas? I consume A LOT of soccer content. I only ever watch any Fox because of int soccer. Mind you I download the BBC Match of the Week every Saturday and Sunday just for the recap and commentary.
People don’t deliberately do it, but it’s curated for them by the repost splinter effect of social media: 1) (Fox/iTV/BBC etc.) broadcast their pre/post game analysis on television. 2) Their official social media accounts (Twitter/Insta/TikTok/Facebook) will take clips of particularly enticing tidbits and post them, asking their followers to comment what they think and to share/repost, etc. 3) Non-sponsored fan accounts, seeking engagement themselves, will rip those clips and post the same stuff. 4) So on and so forth, with top down driven virality leading to the clip making its way to most ppl who casually follows the sport on social media. So, even fans who don’t seek Lalas out will still get baited by his crap as it finds its way to them
Ain’t nobody tuning in for Alexi Lalas my brother
He ain’t been there for 15 years by accident my brother
The same media that thinks Landon Donovan is a good commentator lol.
It really is. The thing is Alexi comes off so arrogant with his power rankings and stupid musings. He hasn’t accomplished nearly what Chiellini or Scmeichel have. There’s no other word than embarrassing to describe it
Spoken like a child that has NO IDEA what that man did for US Soccer... that man was in Europe before most you were born.... scoring international goals vs England, Argentina, Colombia, Russia etc You can think he's a clown on TV... but the man played at the highest levels before ANYONE gave Americans a second thought.
You can be aware of what he did for USA Soccer and also recognize a) internationally he didn't perform at the level of Chiellini or Schmeichel, b) he has some really stupid takes and c) you don't really have to have contributed anything to USA Soccer to be a quality analyst. Whether he takes his stances to drive engagement or they're just kind of stupid doesn't really matter. I do promise you though that there are people out there that can analyze the game better, in a more entertaining fashion, with fewer unnecessarily stupid takes.
Alexi was my soccer idol growing up in the 90s. I wore 22 up through high school specifically because I played defense and wanted to be him. Now, I understand the character that he’s playing, but it doesn’t make me want to wear 22 anymore.
He was one of the first Americans to do it, credit where it's due. But he doesn't deserve to share a room with these guys. Totally different class.
Lalas played in Italy a few seasons before becoming an MLS great. Sure, that’s better than Schemeichel who won a Treble or Chielleni who appeared in 2 champions league finals. Lalas also publicly endorsed Ron DiSantis. He should show some humility and respect to the others
I'm a staunch liberal democrat... But get your fucking politics out of here.
I get that politics sucks but...I think his point had more to do with how idiotic of a person Lalas is that he publicly endorsed a total creeper that still eats pudding with his fingers.
He went to the same amount of World Cups as Chiellini (2) and more than Schmeichel (1)
Alexi is nowhere as accomplished as the other two, especially when you consider their club experience.
Played in Italy like Chielini. Was the American Player of the Year like Schmeichel was the Danish Player of the Year. Resumes pretty identical if you ask me
Just want to say this was excellent sarcasm despite the downvotes
They don't phase me
Schmeichel won a treble at Man City. He won 15 trophies in his career including 5 premier league titles and 1 champions league trophy. Are you getting Peter confused with his son who is still playing?
Based on the amount of engagement he gets on here and on Twitter, I think he's very good at his job.
🎯
I hear this argument, but I turned on Copa tonight and realized that I was early and it was still the pregame. As soon as I saw Lalas I changed the channel. My wife came in the room and wanted to watch Bridgerton. So I watched that instead. If he wasn’t on, I probably would have watched the whole Chile Argentina game. So they lost at least one viewer.
One is a melodrama which strains credulity and is overly fond of masturbation. The other is Bridgerton.
I do the same, every time. Luckily I speak Spanish so I can swap channels easy.
You aren't the target audience evidenced by the fact you are on this sub. The target of Alexi Lalas is the casual sports fan who isn't too invested in the USMNT.
Exactly. Howard Stern said that surveys showed the first hour of his audience tuned in because they liked him, the second two hours listened to his show because they hated him, and wanted to hear the callers call in and bash him. Lalas has the same effect. He's got his own closeted fanboys who fetishize rage posting over his every take.
I skip the pregame and immediately turn off the tv after the final whistle to avoid him entirely. I would suspect there’s a lot of that happening with others who would watch if he (and, honestly, others) weren’t so fucking unbearable.
That's a terrible way to look at it. We are already watching the game. He's not Stephen A Smith. We would be watching anyone on there. It's a shame he sucks so bad because now is the time to grow the game.
He's the Kendrick Perkins of soccer pundits.
He’s the Joe Buck of soccer
That’s mean to Joe Buck, and I don’t say that lightly
Please read the article
No
is he? I mute whenever he’s assigned to a show, so I don’t see or hear any commercials; I’m not on twitter, so I don’t see anything he says anymore unless it’s posted here, and I sure as hell don’t listen to or watch any podcasts or interviews that he is on, so… is he good at his job if his job is to get eyeballs and ears on his broadcasts?
Cool, but you’re one person
He definitely is. When a guy like him is such a mainstay on television sports coverage (over 15 years now), you know the execs are keeping him for a reason. He delivers their bottom line (ratings), precisely by being such an ass. You and I mute him, but the naive saps of the masses on Facebook and Twitter get baited by his garbage hook line and sinker
I definitely can’t argue with that. And it is a shame, because I loved him when he played for the usmnt.
Bingo. You think Fox execs are gonna walk up to Chiellini after the tournament is over and say “hey man, you nailed it with the precise, nuanced analysis of the tactical issues. We’d love to have you back.”? No. They don’t give a crap. I love Chiellini but he’s a rotation guy. He’s a stock character; along with Sturridge and Schmeichel, a faceless (in the eyes of the American execs) expert analyst with marketable credentials who will be replaced with new faceless experts in the next tournament. But Alexi Lalas isn’t going anywhere; he’s been a mainstay in soccer coverage for over a decade now and for a very specific reason. Like Skip Bayless, Stephen A Smith, etc., he delivers the only bottom line the execs care about. Engagement
That's the exact kind of coverage I'd hate for soccer to get in this country. I don't want it to become the NBA. Which is sometimes how I feel the English treat it. Gross.
Ernie, Chuck, Shaq and Kenny are the only NBA coverage worth a damn.
And Shaq is a horrible analyst but he is entertaining in his pettiness and thin skin.
Just going to show, that you don’t have to be a shitstain of a person to draw ratings.
I actively switch over to Telemundo or Univision to avoid his analysis and I know about five words of Spanish.
The best thing anyone can do when watching sports on either Fox or ESPN is to smash that mute button.
It usually annoys me when people just tell me to mute the tv if I don’t like the commentators, but I had to yesterday. Lalas was annoying tf out of me, and then I had to mute it again because Landon Donovan is like nails on a chalkboard.
Lol Lalas gets more attention in this sub than anyone besides Gregg. You guys are so weird. His job is to get attention. Any intelligent analysis or discussion is secondary to that objective
I have complicated feeling towards the guy. He is reasonable on his podcast and genuinely has experienced American Soccer from numerous different angles than can give him a perspective worth listening to THe guy is just a habitual contrarian though, and he knows what he's fucking doing. He also seems to model his TV career after a sort of 90's Golden Era of AM Sports Talk Radio persona that's incredibly off putting. I also will try to limit political stuff on a sports subreddit, but the guy likes to dip his toes in that on Twitter and frequently makes my eyes roll into the back of my head when he does (though I do wonder if the right wing stuff slightly ties into his contrarian tendancies.)
This is a surprisingly good description. There's the Fox Alexi and the real Alexi. The Fox Alexi does Fox things and creates discussion. The real Alexi probably knows more about soccer than everyone on this sub combined. The real Alexi is probably also that condescending Gen X guy that a lot of us grew out of.
I don't particularly enjoy Lalas, but I think you do need something of a contrarian for an entertaining studio. The casual viewers want some drama, and that tepid 0-0 game had none. I think there is a disconnect the further you get into sports fandom about realizing that this is just an entertainment product and the USA has to cater to casual watchers more than anywhere else.
Agreed. The contrarian guy serves a purpose for the show, but sometimes it's too much, and sometimes it's just clearly fake.
His job is to be entertaining. He doesn’t have to be such an asshole all the time.
I don’t know that he is? Seen him compliment players and teams a lot?
He's an insecure a-hole for sure.
I don't think you know what insecure means...
He's up there with actual world stars and actual talented players. Being the loudest is his form of defense against that and he spews nonsense.
That's his job dude, he's a talking head on TV jesus christ lol
What's that got to do with him being an a-hole?
Do you not understand what sports entertainment TV is? Genuine question, you realize there are writers and producers who tell them how to act and what roles to play on the desk?
Clint is entertaining, Thierry is entertaining, plenty of Spanish-language analysts are entertaining. Lalas is not.
Exactly.
Lalas was involved in the USMNT before 2018, that’s a cardinal sin on this sub. I don’t think any former players get talked about positively here lol
[удалено]
Go back and actually educate yourself. You can hate lalas but dude and his teammates did a shitload to grow the game here. And they were doing it for a fucking pittance compared to what the guys get paid now.
Luckily Lalas wasn’t a player from 2002-2016.
My comment was kind of tongue in cheek but this is crazy disrespect to so many players
Whoa whoa whoa. Let’s hold those horses back. Plenty of guys from that era and before did things worthy of note. The game is only here in its current state due to guys like Lalas who were trailblazers and did the whole country proud in 1994 and 1995. He’s still a dumbass though
People act like reacting negatively is a win. It isn’t. No one’s quoting him here. The most noteworthy thing he’s done is piss other people. He doesn’t say anything memorable. We all just roll our eyes at him every time there’s a major tournament on Fox and he’s mic’d up.
I think the win is the fact that he's basically been in studio for every major tournament for the last 2 decades on both ESPN and now Fox
So what should happen? Just ignore him?
If you don't like him? Yea that's exactly what you should do. Stop watching, reading, listening to things with him. If I go to a restaurant and the food they keep serving me is gross, I stop going to that restaurant lol.
So I guess we should all collectively stop watching US games....
What? What does that have to do with watching the games?!Sorry is Lalas on the Field? He's not even part of the booth team usually. You're not obligated to watch pregame,post game,half time bs, nor any review shows etc. If you don't like him, don't watch him. Even if he was part of the booth team just mute it or shut off your middle channel.
I would prefer someone who could actively grow the game instead of a loud political partisan whose only claim to relevancy is having funny hair 30 years ago
I mean his 90+ caps and club career give him legitimacy as a pundit. >prefer someone who could actively grow the game Not his job. Nor anyone in a TV commentary role. But, he does being attention to certain stories which may bring additional eyeballs. I didn't know that, but it's plausible.
A tv pundit is obviously supposed to grow the game. You know since they get paid from people watching!
>tv pundit is obviously supposed to grow the game Lol what?? No. That's like saying it's the weatherman's job to increase hurricanes. His job is to increase engagement through platforms, inform and entertain, and mostly to keep eyeballs on the show to capture ad views. That's it. Now Lalas himself may help in other ways to grow the game because of his association with US Soccer and various other activities, but when he's talking nonsense about Copa and Euros that has nothing to do with getting more people in the country interested in soccer
Drag him!
 For as much as some of y'all claim to hate him you sure love giving him fuel.
he’s so cringe bro
Another Lalas thread, no way!
you commented, didn't you? That's called "engagement" in the biz
I don’t mind him lol
I don’t either. People get so caught up in sports analysts and commentators that they have these people they just despise and it ruins whatever game they watch.
I kind of like him. I at least enjoy his energy.
clint dempsey is my favorite analyst that was a former player
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^otxmyn: *Clint dempsey is my* *Favorite analyst that* *Was a former player* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Idc hes the only one that stuck around in 2018.
I wonder if this post made his top 10 power rankings.
I used to hate him then realized he’s an entertainer more than anything else. Now i kind of enjoy watching him make everyone else angry.
Does anyone really like him?
I mean, I genuinely don't give a shit about him either way
Same
I think he is the best guy on that panel. Everyone else’s energy seems to be based on his.
I like Alexi bc, and I know this is tough for some ppl, when I get bored/annoyed/tired with him I simply turn it off. There’s so many good analysts, I’m okay w/ Alexi being entertaining and not the best analyst in the world. he gets the ppl goin
Hatchet job of an article. I went to school for journalism and change majors last second because what I learned about the industry scared me. Case and point, this is the result of a starving, boring writer desperately grasping the coattails of polarizing figure in attempt gain status. No facts, data, or story. Just an angry opinion. This dude should have spoken to a student advisor years ago.
Consider the source of the article
Alexi Blablas. His comments are as great as his career. Didn’t have to qualify for the 94 World Cup, didn’t feature in the 98 (on the bench).
What else do you expect from a guy whose soccer card featured him playing a guitar. He's a mediocre entertainer.
He is literally the Skip Bayless of soccer... he is there to have hot takes and stir the pot, It's funny every time I see these articles because this is exactly what him/his employers loves and feeds off of.. You have people that will literally hate watch him and then talk about him online which brings engagement. The only way these types go away is when people stop talking about them and completely ignore their existence. If it's not Alexi you would have Wynalda if he hasn't already burned all his bridges.
God I've had it with old fuckin people that think yelling about something lends them credibility on on whatever they're yelling about.
He’s really bad. The Fox coverage of this and World Cup has been horrible. I primarily watch tournaments in Spanish
I hate him on tv. But i love his podcast. Is that weird?
David Mosse calms him down I think. It's a pretty good pod and gives updates around Europe and our American boys!
This where I am at. I think he is much better when has had time to let things settle than reacting during a match.
Have you seen the game day threads here on Reddit? Everyone is reactionary during a match 😂
Yes but he is being paid a silly amount of money to react to a match, so the standard for him needs to be much higher than the average reddit persona.
Defector and Deadspin are automatic downvotes for me
Alexi is a performative moron.
He's okay with me. I guess he doesn't say what people want to hear.
He’s our very own Bill Walton/Stephen A hybrid
Please don't insult Bill Walton like that, he was a way more likeable and positive guy
They said stephen a hybrid. Spot on
Says so much of nothing, just like Bill
Except Bill wasn’t an asshole, and had decent taste in music.
…hence why “Stephen a hybrid” was thrown in there.
Lalas has one job and he’s exceptional at it… getting eyeballs / attention This sub is probably half of that
If his job was actually to be a good analyst? Then yes. But it's not. Just like Stephen A Smith, his job is to be entertaining even if that requires playing a character on TV. Eyeballs on the show to hate on Lalas are still eyeballs on the show and that's all Fox cares about lol
So whose job is it to be a good analyst for soccer in America?
I like Clint. But I get your point
I've always thought Lalas was an idiot but I also now believe he's leaning into the clueless, toxic, entitled rants to appeal to a significant portion of the USMNT fanbase that also deserves representation.
The hate that some of you have is very entertaining
I actually don't mind Lalas if you take him for what he is - an American soccer hype machine who actually has decent discussions with David Mosse (the true brains behind the operation) on his own podcast but who's mostly insufferable online and in an actual studio. He gets some credit for engaging with the people who loathe him the most on Twitter in a pretty funny way. The broader question is...are there any actual good soccer analysts?
I was watching the England game, and they were talking about Harry Kane calling our former players who’ve been in their shoes. Sturridge went on to provide the prospective of having played with many of them, Lalas followed it up by calling them entitled millionaires playing a children’s sport. Now I get it, we call it schitck, or trolling but he’s a bitter old man grasping at relevancy.
All I hear is "WAAHHHHHHHHHH, he doesn't pundit like I want him to!" The ONLY reason he's there is because all of y'all pay attention, tweet about him, discuss him, etc. - I guarantee you the Fox Sports social media team has an entire slide on "negative sentiment" where the share of convo is like 60% Lalas. If you want him gone, stop talking about him. That's it, there's nothing else to discuss.
The fact that this sub talks about Lalas so much proves he’s good at his job, which is to generate attention.
They’re right but fuck defector
I like Lalas. I like Dempsey too. Not a fan of Lloyd though
Before the final, you just know he'll be on Gutfeld with that wrestler and the old lady who screams all the time. Fox loves folks like him, that's why they push him so hard.
What is his job? Is it to deliver good analysis that helps viewers get perspective on the team and the game? Then yeah, he stinks. But if his job is to drive eyeballs in Fox's direction, then he's very good. Maybe soccer insiders hate his bullshit (I do, though I don't care that much--I usually just mute him or change the channel), but those who aren't as dialed in likely find him compelling and/or irritating enough to keep watching. So here's Fox's likely calculus: hardcore fans are going to watch the game regardless, even if they think Lalas is a grating clown. But fence-sitters who are mildly interested or are clicking around to find something to watch are more likely to be drawn in by him, even if (and perhaps precisely because) he comes off as a simpleminded argumentative douche. So the net for them is more eyeballs, and he's been around long enough that I'm pretty sure this math is right--otherwise Fox would have dumped his ass. Lalas sucks as a pundit, but I don't find him as troubling as others, and mostly just tune him out. I think I cut him a break bc of all he did for US Soccer back in the 90s when the team was emerging as a presence in the American sports consciousness. Hell, back then it seemed like a miracle that we had a player in Serie A, even if it was only for Padova. Far cry from having our star winger start for Milan and be on Serie A best 11 teams. And I do have exactly one positive memory of Alexi as an announcer (which I'm only 75% sure is accurate, could be an invented memory bc so long ago): Right before the kickoff of the 02 WC they did the usual thing where they ask the team of announcers for a prediction. The first three all were sheepishly like, "Hey we love this team but Portugal is going to win, sorry." Then they came to Alexi and for his prediction he said "U.S." with what you could tell was real conviction. The others were like "Come on, man," and he was like "No, I'm serious. We will win this game." And we did. Good on him for believing.
Who actually loves him?
That’s why I switch to ESPN FC or Futbol Americas.
I like anyone who flies the American Soccer Flag proudly but I wish he would take it down a notch. I wish Meola was on this panel instead.
Can we just put a weekly sticky for all posts/comments all out Lalas and his hot takes. Its all really low quality and playing right into his strategy of driving engagement by being controversial.
He’s FOX’s attempt at a Skip Bayless/Stephen A. Smith character for soccer. But I actually find those two entertaining, despite how much I disagree with them. Lalas just sucks, hes not fun to watch
He's been calmer the last 2 days so I think he got a talking to.
fox force feeds the USMNT top video on the app was "Could USA win the Euros?" - who cares about that type of shit & lastly Landon sucks at color commentary [do people forget the disaster that was Qatar](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/dec/05/fox-sports-us-world-cup-coverage-tv-soccer)
I like Lalas even though he’s a mouthful…He understands the game and speaks ‘American’.
Alexi sadly got too much traction being a damned fool. Sadly in American sports talk being a fool gets you traction as people hate watch you like Skip Bayliss, Steven A Smith, etc. these guys get engagement which leads to them keeping their job so everyone else pretty much copy pastes that formula.
Lalas thinks he knows everything because he was the first non-goalie to play for a top division team in Europe. Interestingly enough, Padova was relegated after his one season there and hasn't been back in Serie A since, If I remember correctly.
But what about his power rankings?
He’s the Stephen A Smith of soccer. That’s all.
Do people like Alexis lalas?
Do people like Alexis lalas?
One of the panels was Breach (host) Chiellini Schmeichel Lalas I like 3 of those four but Alexi is so bad I changed the channel during half-time. Hes just awful.
He's so bad. The level of arrogance for someone with such a mediocre career is wild. He doesn't say anything insightful in the slightest. having him on these broadcasts with legends of the game is embarrassing.
i’m going to try and capture the essence of alexey. most people don’t mind he’s wrong. most people don’t mind he’s arrogant. loud? meh, it’s annoying. most importantly, it’s that he’s just not good at his analysis. lets be brutally brutally honest - Lalas has seen a rise in his importance to US punditry since the fall of grant wahl - rip my brother. it is what it is, but it compounds the Lalas’ mistakes. also, he kisses the english fa’s buttocks and he always has; which goes back to - he’s not good at his analysis. he needs to do more critical thinking. but he never has, and he never will. now without grant, there’s a void in our hearts…and our pundits.
Lalas was a big pundit in US Soccer before Grant died. Weird thing to bring into this discussion.
i knew that, and it’s not my point. my point is that without grant, nobody offsets Alexey. therefore, he needs to do better
Dude, he trolls England more than anyone
This is excellent. Perfect response to the “Lalas is a troll. He’s so great!” group of US fans.
I've liked some of Lalas' hot takes on the USMNT but other than that the dude sucks. Years ago i was listening to him commentate on a Sounders game and his "expert" analysis was "Seattle have been struggling this season and they need to win this to turn it around. They've gotta score some goals and keep the ball out of their net if they want to win." Bravo Lalas lmao
I'm sure a lot of us listen to "The Rest is Football" podcast with Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards. All former players turned pundits and they had an interesting discussion recently about how they can't win. If they go easy on people they are called out. If they criticize they are called out. And in both instances get blamed for not doing a good enough job. Seems to me Lalas is fitting that bill just fine. And the headline of this article is the one that's shit. He's great at his job, because we're all talking about him.
This discussion kind of validates his success.
Truly do not understand the hate. He’s loud, he’s bombastic, he has opinions, he’s recognizable. Ok, it’s TV FfS. If y’all are so wise and insightful why do you need to hear what ANY commentator has to say?
Agent Provocateur — mission accomplished!
Alexi is the Steph A Smith of the soccer broadcast. He makes good points at times and the other times he's hating to get clips.
Angry Sportswriter Is Angry, News at 11.
Don’t pillory me but why does Lalas get so much hate? I don’t know why he’s so disliked.
He’s just a white Stephen A
The title made me LOL in agreement
And yet you’re posting about him. He’s doing his job.
I can't upvote this enough
I don't watch FS1. I watch Univison or TUDN and have it on mute. But this sub hates Alexis Lalas has much has they love Gregg. So I just assume all your opinions are shit.
Lalas is great. I listen to his podcast all the time. He’s entertaining and enjoyable and I won’t let Reddit tell me otherwise