How Lalas channeled passion into becoming voice of American soccer

Alexi Lalas GFX

The FOX analyst is about to cover his ninth World Cup, and remains the leading voice in American soccer - despite being admittedly controversial along the way

Alexi Lalas knows, by now, that nothing compares to playing soccer. Except maybe one thing.

It is, in fact, something he does almost every day. Whether it be from his home in Los Angeles or a studio, Lalas stares into the camera at FOX Sports and waits for the brief second when the red light turns on. Then it’s time to perform.

When that camera turns on, Lalas feels a familiar burst of energy, the closest thing he has found to the adrenaline of stepping onto the pitch. Back then, he was a hard-nosed center back with signature ginger hair and a headband. In front of a camera, he is now doing much the same.

“I love the feeling when that red light turns on. I love the butterflies and the anticipation. You know, you get those feelings when you're playing on the field. It's just a little bit different,” he said to GOAL.

Lalas is, in effect, American soccer’s sole lasting brand. He has survived, from USMNT to the present day, shaping the conversation, at first on the pitch and later, off it. Back then, it was about ginger hair, a headband, and an impressive goatee - the punk kid who held his own with the best. Now, he’s not really all that different. There’s less hair, but Lalas is as loud as ever.

This summer, he will cover his ninth consecutive World Cup. Others have floated in and out of the space. Lalas has stuck around. To him, it’s all just one performance - whether at center back or in a studio. The question is, when does the performance stop? Over 30 years into his soccer career, Lalas is still looking for the answer - and sticking around in the meantime.

That leads to the question that really defines Lalas’ public persona these days: where does the performance stop and where does the man himself begin?

"I don't differentiate between being a performer and an entertainer relative to being a player or on television. There's a much more traditional performance element of standing in front of a camera and talking. I get that, but I always considered myself a performer,” he said.

Alexi Lalas #22

'The soccer guy'

Lalas was, in effect, America’s first nationwide star when he stepped onto the field in 1994. He was, in his words, “the soccer guy”, recognized by most, loved and criticized in equal measure by all. And he still is.

Most of the rest of the USMNT’s iconic 1994 squad have fallen out of the spotlight or remained on the edge. Lalas stands squarely in the center, embracing every single beam that falls upon him, the only one who remains a national household name. Whether it be playing, helping recruit David Beckham as the GM of the LA Galaxy, or, in recent years, on television, Lalas has survived.

“There's a whole generation that never saw me kick a ball and completely associates me with television, which is great. I take great pride in the fact that a young kid will come up to me and yell at me for, you know, some take that I had,” he said.

It’s basically down to a calculated sort of luck, Lalas admitted.

“I wish I could tell you there was much more intelligence in a way. But, you know, this gets back to life. Timing is very, very important, you know, the sliding doors and all the different stuff that goes on,” he said.

Of course, these things start with football. He didn’t just appear out of nowhere.

“I was a good player. I don't claim to have been a great player, and I feel I have more control. I'm probably better, ultimately, when all is said and done on television than I was on the soccer field. I’m honest enough to admit that,” he said.

Perhaps that does him a slight disservice. Lalas had a pretty impressive soccer career. He broke out in ‘94, and earned himself a move to Serie A - spurning chances to go to Germany and England. After that, he spent seven full seasons in Major League Soccer, won MLS Cup, the U.S. Open Cup, and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

He was a four-time MLS All-Star. He registered 96 caps for his country and was selected for two World Cups. You can make arguments about the fact that the doors might have been a little more open for the American, but his career, especially by the standards of U.S. soccer in the 90s, holds up just fine.

2014 Winter TCA Tour - Day 3

Saved by television?

Lalas was at a bit of a loss when TV first came up as an opportunity. He was on a sabbatical of sorts, as he puts it. He was 29, and after a season with the Kansas City Wizards, Lalas decided it was time to walk away.

“Since the 94 World Cup, I’d kind of been burning it at both ends with on and off the field. I don't regret it. It was wonderful. But it did kind of catch up to me, and I knew that I needed a change. And in this case, I felt the change was to stop doing what I loved and stopped playing,” he said.

He had other interests, after all. And then there was, well, life to consider.

"There’s always a girl involved in stories like these. I chased a woman who ultimately became my wife. It worked out okay,” Lalas said.

And in that time, another opportunity popped up. TV had always been a possibility for Lalas. He’d looked at it here and there. There were offers, interest. He was still the man most people knew from American soccer. It made sense for him to be on television for name recognition alone. ESPN came in with a compelling offer. NBC did the same with the Olympics a few months later.

He returned to soccer after - but something had been awoken.

“It had fueled something and introduced me to something that ultimately I gravitated to later on,” he said. “It actually worked out great, because I got the whatever the rest or rejuvenation that I needed, whether it was mental or physical from stepping away.”

Whether he admits it or not - and Lalas is reluctant to take any credit for the platform he has since developed - there is no denying that he was good at this thing.

Alexi Lalas

Inspired by MTV

The inspiration came from music - in a way. Lalas was a kid of the 80s, raised on MTV. Growing up, he watched performers, well, perform. Music became visual. He understood the transition, and whether consciously or otherwise, harnessed a bit of that energy in whatever he did.

“I grew up in the 80s, when MTV came about. The pictures and the images and the aesthetic were as important as the song,” he said.

Lalas might know a bit about that, too. He has released eight studio albums to date. According to Spotify, he has 275 monthly listeners. But getting people to tune in has never really been the point.

“I love it. It's not for anything else other than I have to do it. I enjoy doing it,” he said.

Of course, he is still working away in the studio when he can. In fact, Lalas has just released a new single. It’s titled Kicking Balls - yes, that’s an actual name for a song - and is a new version of a track he first released at 18-years-old (Lalas describes it as “very on the nose”.)

Atlanta United v Nashville SC

'Do you believe everything you say?'

Lalas knows he has been afforded opportunities in music that most people never get. He has been let into rooms that thousands of others have spent years trying to enter. But the barriers to entry are lower now, in music and in soccer media.

Everyone can make music. Everyone has a recording studio in their pocket. The same is true of soccer coverage. What was once largely reserved for legacy media, former players and traditional journalists has opened up to anyone with a platform and an opinion.

That only makes it harder to cut through. And, in a crowded space, Lalas’ ability to remain part of the conversation is part of what has kept him relevant.

“The good news is everybody can do music. The bad news is everybody can do music. And the same thing applies for media in general, and certainly when it comes to soccer media. But I love the grassroots coverage of the game. I love the fact that somebody can get up and broadcast what they think about the game,” Lalas said.

That shift has made soccer media louder, more crowded and more combative. Cutting through often requires a sharper edge. Lalas’ advantage? He has always been that guy.

Whether it be his vocal support of right-wing politics, frequent arguments with other prominent voices in American soccer media, or the comfort of debate with the everyday fan, Lalas has never shied away from controversy.

“The question that I get the most from anybody relative to my TV performances is, 'Do you believe everything that you say?' 100 percent, I believe what I'm saying. It doesn’t mean that I can't put myself in other people's shoes. It doesn't mean that I can't look at another side and even argue that side. But people will suss you out pretty quickly,” he said.

Lalas understands how that principle can work both ways, though. That means hearing people out - no matter what.

“I don't have to agree with it, but if it's interesting, and I can see your logic, and it's done in an articulate way, I always make a point of listening - it doesn't matter your background,” he added.

Germany v United States - International Friendly

'I remind myself every day about what 1994 did'

So, what does Lalas see? Some have criticized the rate at which MLS has grown. There is a school of thought that American soccer really should be bigger than it is. Ahead of a home World Cup, though, the former U.S. stars think the opposite is true.

“Sometimes we kick ourselves for what we haven't done as a soccer-playing nation. We also have to take a step back and pat ourselves on the back. And maybe this summer is that celebration,” he said.

And he will be there as part of the party. The rise of content creators, the saturation of media, and the ever-increasing knowledge of the game are true. But the fact is Lalas’s State of the Union is among the most widely consumed soccer podcasts in America. And there is a reason that he has been enlisted to cover the World Cup yet again. Of course, it all roots back to the 1994 World Cup. And yes, that is always on his mind.

“I either remind myself or am reminded each and every day about what 1994 did. I mean, let's be honest. I am talking to you today because of the summer of 1994,” he said. “I fully recognize that I lived the power of a World Cup and what it can do to an individual. It changed my life forever.”

Since then, it’s been about pivoting, surviving, and constantly talking - no matter what anyone thinks. So, when does the performance end and the real Lalas kick in? Perhaps that doesn’t really matter. And that’s the point.

“I certainly don't have all the answers, and I certainly continue to make plenty of mistakes, but I like to think that I've gotten better over time. And I like to think that it's resonated,” he said.