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Outta Pocket with RG3
Alexi Lalas CLAPS BACK at the critics, isn’t afraid to speak his mind + World Cup
00:47:38
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- [00:00]
A
All right, guys, today we've got a guy who helped kick open the doors for American soccer. He's a World cup veteran, former captain of the U.S. national team, a front office executive, and one of the most outspoken voices in the game today. Love him or hate him, he's never been afraid to say exactly what he thinks about the sport. From the rise of the Major League Soccer to the future of the U.S. men's National Team and what the 2026 World cup on American soil could mean for this country. Welcome to the show, the one and only Alexi Lalas. Welcome. Out of pocket, brother.
- [00:28]
B
Greetings. You look wonderful. You read my intro the exact way that I wrote it. I am coming to you from Los Angeles as we barrel down the tracks towards this World cup this summer. I am, as the kids say. I don't know if the kids say it anymore, but I am cocked, locked and ready to rock, my friends.
- [00:46]
C
All right, let's get to opening drive. Alexi, do you think the US has finally become a real soccer nation or do you think we're still in the faces of pretending?
- [00:55]
B
Look, there is an obvious reality and a practical reality when it comes to our unique history and culture in that soccer is not king and it hasn't been king. And we have incredible competition with other leagues and with other sports, and we have for a long time. However, don't let anybody tell you that we are not a soccer playing nation. Don't let anybody tell you that we don't have a soccer culture. It is vibrant, it is passionate, it's discerning. Yes, it's unique, but. But I think we lean into that. It is American in the best sense. We are part of this global community that loves this game, but we do it in an American way. And I think this summer, one of the wonderful things about this World cup is the world is going to come back to our shores. And I think it's going to see how far we have come. I'm here talking to you beautiful people because of way back in the previous century, back in the 1900s, before you were even born, I was running around in the summer of 94 in the world cup and it changed my life forever. But. But we've come so far. As the saying is, you know, you've come a long way, baby, and we certainly have on and off the field. And I think the world and our own country this summer gets the opportunity to see how far we've come.
- [02:00]
A
What's your fondest memory of the World cup that you had an opportunity to Go out there and play in on
- [02:06]
B
US Soil would probably be the game against Colombia in the Rose Bowl. And, you know, Colombia at that point was being favored and picked by the likes of Pele to win the World Cup. You know, for us, as still a young nation when it comes to the sport, to host, it was an incredible honor, but we also didn't want to embarrass ourselves in front of the world. And so to have that game, to beat Columbia, to beat this favorite team, it was that quintessential American moment, sports moment that I had kind of grown up watching. We all had the flags. And, you know, we've seen it recently with our Olympic hockey teams, our men and women's hockey teams. We've seen it with the baseball. People want to celebrate what I feel is the greatest country in the world. People want to be united, people want to come together. And oftentimes sports does that. And so to kind of have that moment where you're draped in the flag and it's coming off an incredible victory, that was a good day.
- [02:58]
C
Do you think you said earlier that in America, soccer is not king, or maybe not king yet. Do you think if some of the other sports, like American football did not exist, do you think America would actually be a soccer full soccer nation like some other countries like Portugal, Brazil?
- [03:18]
B
Look, if every athlete, and we've had plenty of good athletes, I'm staring at some right now. If every athlete were to participate in soccer in the United States, you know, there would be much more to pick from. We'll say this, though, it's not necessarily the athletes that we revere right now. So, for example, when you see, if you don't know anything about soccer and you see Lionel Messi walking down the street, you wouldn't say, hey, there goes arguably the greatest player ever to play the game. And so some of these, some of these athletes in other sports that we hold up, they might not translate to the game of soccer. Having said that, I would love nothing more than all of these incredible athletes that we have to, from a very young age, be focused on soccer. I certainly think we would be further along, but that's not the reality of the situation. And yet, you know, it's been 32 years since the 94 World cup, and as I said, we've come a long way and I think sometimes we kick ourselves for what we aren't as a soccer playing nation. And every once in a while, I think it's important to kind of pat ourselves on the back for how far we have come. Given some of the challenges and given the unique aspects of our country.
- [04:24]
A
Now, you brought up a good point there. It's like, do you think a guy like LeBron James at 6 foot 8, 6 foot 10, whatever he is, like, do they just height themselves out of soccer? Like, are they too big of an athlete to play soccer at the way that the rest of the world plays it?
- [04:39]
B
Yeah, I mean, I'm trying to think of what the tallest player I ever came up against. That was good. And, you know, once you get, you know, I'm six' three going on, I had six' four, maybe with the hair back in the day, but after that, you have diminishing returns. And especially, you know, when, you know, I played against players like Romario and Zola and they were very, you know, five foot, whatever, and I liken them to, you know, the Barry Sanders or, you know, Emmett Smith, these type of players that, as, you know, that low center of gravity, it's really, really difficult. And where they're able to shift their weight and pivot and cut so quickly, it's very difficult, especially for someone my size. And, you know, I wasn't necessarily fleet of foot, shall we say, to, you know, to keep up with some of these players. So, yeah, I mean, you definitely, from a athletic perspective, taller isn't necessarily better when it comes to soccer. And as I would even argue at times, it is a detriment to being able to, like I said, move and adjust to players that are much more quick.
- [05:42]
A
You talked about, you know, if you saw Messi, like, if you, if you didn't know who Messi is, which would be kind of difficult personally, but if you didn't know he was, you saw him, you, he, he doesn't have this stature like a Miles Garrett in the NFL, where when you see him be like, yeah, that guy looks like he could destroy a dinosaur, you know, so why do you think, even though there's the other sports out there that Americans are drawn to, why haven't we been able to produce a global superstar like a Messi, like a Ronaldo, like an mbappe?
- [06:13]
B
Well, you know, we mentioned just the sheer amount of players that are playing, and that certainly would help. But we'll say this, and it gets back to that unique aspect of our country. And you, you guys understand this and Americans understand this. One of the great things about our country is the diversity they have. And with that diversity comes diversity of thought. And so if I get 100 people in America that are into soccer and I ask them, what is the beautiful Game. What is good soccer for you? I'm going to get a hundred different answers. And you know, it can be relative to your heritage, where you grew up, your parents. It can be relative to geography and the type of weather that you play in, the style that you play in, who your coaches were and the diaspora that you grew up around. All that kind of stuff can influence people. And so we, we don't have a collective agreement and understanding as to what our identity is on the field. So for a country of 350 million people trying to get 11 players on the field to represent this country, it's not easy. There's even an argument to be made that if you wanted, for the national team, for example, you just took players from, I don't know, Southern California or the New York metropolitan region or you know, the Dallas area with, with their shared experience growing up, maybe that would be, that would be better. Because, you know, one of the, like I said, the most difficult thing is to put together a group of players that are like minded and agree on everything, Especially from a country like ours where we have such divergent paths and different paths going forward. It's not, it's not an excuse, it's just the reality of our country.
- [07:44]
C
What? I don't even know how to ask this question that I want to ask. But like you take, you take youth sports in America, right? And I feel like youth sports, everybody plays soccer.
- [07:55]
B
Yeah.
- [07:55]
C
Like you go out on a Saturday, like There is a 55 soccer fields and they are filled to the top and everybody's playing soccer. Like I feel like you don't see that with like American football, like growing up, but maybe like Texas or whatever. But like what happens between like then and then, like, like college, I would say that makes that not be the case anymore. But I feel like for youth sports, soccer is the most popular sport to play.
- [08:21]
A
I agree.
- [08:21]
B
I mean, soccer is incredibly popular. Boys, girls, tall, you know, sure, it doesn't, doesn't matter, doesn't cost a whole lot. You know, when it comes to just, you know, a ball and a field running around, however, you know, you guys are too young. But you know, remember when that show Cribs came out, right. You know, we are humans and we need incentive. Right? And so when, you know, young boys and girls see athletes and the way that they live, the money that they make, the lifestyle that they have, that's enticing. That can be enticing. We all know a very small percentage ever make it to that point, but in that moment, you are giving them A vision. You are giving them a dream of something beyond the actual. In this case, it will be kicking the ball in terms of that lifestyle. And that is incredibly alluring, especially to young people. Now, that's changed significantly when it comes to the amount of money that you're able to make, the lifestyle that you are, you are able to have. But again, we're still talking even with traditional sports, quote, unquote, traditional sports, a very small percentage. But at a young age, you are incredibly impressionable, as we know, in a lot of different things. It could be music, it could be movie stars, and obviously sports stars. And so if you are playing a sport, sometimes you want that bling, sometimes you want that crib, or at least, yeah, the possibility of that. And for soccer, a long time, that wasn't something that kids saw on a consistent basis. It's changing a little bit.
- [09:50]
A
Yeah, I agree. I think it is changing. And, you know, with the 2026 World cup coming to American soil, I think that that is also a part of it. Because to your point, like right now, if you go on social media and you look at highlights, like, of all the major networks, it's mostly football, basketball, and now the entire world is going to be watching what we call soccer, what they call football. And I think it might actually give an opportunity to the masses to understand that this can also be celebrated. I feel like we know very little about soccer stars in America compared to what we know about football and basketball and baseball stars. So when you look at this World cup, like, how much would a deep run from the US national team in this tournament, how much would that impact this country?
- [10:44]
B
It's not a panacea. It doesn't just change overnight. But look, that's a hell of a shot and almost a steroid, if you will, in the best possible sense of steroids that we would certainly use. And you mentioned, you know, people coming into the tent basically, you know, many, many years ago, in 94, a couple weeks before the World cup in 1994, this is just to give you some perspective. I got on a plane, I sat in my middle seat in economy with the US Men's national team. That's what we did back then. And I sat down next to a older woman, she was from the south, and we struck up a conversation. She said, son, what do you do? I said, I play soccer. She said, son, what's your job? I said, ma', am, I play soccer. She said, son, how do you make money? I said, well, ma', am, I play soccer. And two weeks Later, I'm in front of a billion people. And obviously we've come a long way since then, but there is still an element that this summer is this opportunity and responsibility to bring everybody into that tent. And we recognize that some people are going to just taste test it and some people will leave at the final whistle. That's okay. But some people will stay and they will be infected in the best possible way. You can be infected, and it's very, very difficult to get rid of it. It's a simple game. It's. It's a beautiful game. I think people enjoy the color. I think people enjoy the international aspect of it. And so at the end of this summer, that's the, really, the most important point is when that whistle blows to end this summer of the World cup, what's that legacy? And many, many years from now, when you guys are continuing on, I'm long gone. There will be young boys and girls, hopefully that look back in the same way. You know, when I'm walking down the street today, some people will come up to me and say, man, that's summer of 94. That was awesome. Many years from now, I hope there's a whole nother generation that looks back and says, man, summer of 2026, that was kick ass. We had an awesome time. The games that we saw on the field, the players that we were introduced to, but also the experience that we had because the World cup is a party. America loves to party. And not for nothing, but it's on our 250th birthday. What I feel is the greatest country in the world. So there's a lot to be excited about, there's a lot to celebrate when it comes to this summer, and we can do it through the lens of this World Cup.
- [12:52]
C
Yeah, America is definitely the entertainment capital of the entire world. So I think, I think we' do it right. With the team that the US Gonna go send out to represent us this summer. What do you think is the realistic ceiling for the US in the World Cup?
- [13:08]
B
Okay, so this is the biggest World cup in history. Okay, so it's 48 teams, 104 games. When all is said and done, not only is this, I think, going to be the most successful World cup in history, I think it's going to be the most successful cultural event in history. When it comes to the actual competition, we should expect more from our US Team. I don't want to grumpy old man this thing, but the reality that this group of players has been given everything from a young age, pathways and opportunities and resources. And that's a good thing. I am incredibly proud of that. It warms the cockles of my old redheaded heart to see how much they have been given. But with that comes responsibility and heightened expectations. So winning, you know, going to a men's World cup, we've done that plenty of times. Winning the group, getting out of the group, we've done that plenty of times. Now there is a new round of 32. So after your group play, you go into knockout, and so there's a new round of 32. The U.S. should win. Their group should get to the round of 32, and they should beat. In that one game, they should beat whoever it is, because we're going to be better than them. And now we're back to the kind of round of 16 where we've kind of always been. Then you need a little magic. Then you need the soccer gods to smile upon you. But you know what? Nothing better than a World cup, except for one thing. Home World Cup. There is a magic of a home World cup, and if you harness that energy, that can be your proverbial 12th man. And so I think that this team absolutely has the potential to do some things that we haven't seen, because it's not about just going to a World cup, it's doing things that we haven't seen before and living up to this moment.
- [14:37]
A
In that vein, is this the most talented US Men's national team ever assembled?
- [14:41]
B
I think so. I mean, you look at some of the talent that they have and where they are playing, some of the biggest teams, some of the biggest leagues in the world, again, all of the resources that we have brought to bear and, and talked about, but, you know, a talented team, that's all fine, you know, great. And, you know, it's interesting as we're, you know, looking back and we're talking, we had hockey on our mind and all that kind of stuff. I mean, the great Herb Brooks understood that it's not about the best players. It's about the best collection of players. And our coach, Mauricio Pochettino, I think he recognizes that this summer, in order to harness all of that magic that we're talking about here, he needs to find, in this case, it would be the best 26 players, players for that roster and the best collection of players. And there will be some players that are very good that just don't fit into that. And so it's going to be fun to see ultimately, how they respond, like I said, to the opportunity and the platform that's the World cup. But also that home field advantage that I think is going to be in effect.
- [15:35]
C
Now, just to play a devil's advocate for a second, if it doesn't go as well as we think it can go for America in the World cup and they crash out early, do you think this will be just viewed as a major setback for Americans soccer? Just like a disaster.
- [15:52]
B
It'll be, it'll be a failure. It'll be a failure. From a competitive standpoint, the World cup can still be great. And, you know, I want people to have a good time, and I want people to take that message home. You know, it's an advertisement to the world. I want people to be safe, all of those things. But on the field, we want that, we want to, we want to see something that we haven't seen before. And again, people ask me all the time, you know, what is success for this US Team this summer? Yeah, I can say, you know, you need to get to the quarterfinals and all that kind of stuff, but really. And it's kind of like the Supreme Court, when they tried to define obscenity. They said, well, I don't know what it is, but I know it when I see it. And you will know it when you see it on the field. You will feel it in your heart. It will course through your veins. You will see it on the field in that you will be proud. Whenever that final whistle is, I want people to look out there and say, you know what? That was awesome. That represented the country that I love, and I saw something that I hadn't seen before make sense.
- [16:45]
A
It does make sense. And, you know, one thing that, you know, constantly has you in the headlines is the fact that you're not afraid to speak your mind. Right? Even if it pisses people off, you're always going to give your honest opinion of what you think is going on, and you never really shy away from that. So, you know, in, in that same regard, you've had moments with star players like Megan Rapinoe, Michael Bradley back in the day, obviously, Christian Pulsic. I think it was last year when he decided to rest and not play in the Gold Cup. And you criticize his commitment to the sport. Why do you think so many soccer fans think you're the villain of American soccer?
- [17:28]
B
I don't care if you like me or don't like me. I just don't want you to change the channel. And, you know, look, I, I, it's not that I'm playing a role, but I am in the entertainment business. And as you know, how you say something is as important as what you say. But I'm incredibly comfor in the things that I say and I recognize that people are going to agree and people are going to disagree. You know, it's interesting because, you know, as soccer has grown in the United States, one of the things that also has grown is media. And in order to be taken seriously, in order to have credibility, has to be viewed as in the same light as other sports. And part of other sports is being honest, and part of other sports absolutely is at times being critical. Not being critical just to be critical, not being critical just to get clicks or anything like that. But if and when you see something that you believe you have to have, you know, the honesty. And I guess it's not bravery. I mean, there's. But you know, you have, you have to have the balls, I guess, to be. To say that it's easier as you get further and further from playing because you don't have that connection necessarily with the players on the field. But look, I have had ears, players, wives, players, girlfriends, players, wives and girlfriends, parents, grandparents, everybody at some point come up to me and they need to vent because I have said something. Usually it's something I've forgotten along the way because I say a lot of things and they tell me either what a horrible person that I am, but usually when it's face to face, it's much more about how much I disagree and how much you were wrong. And that's okay. I enjoy that about the sport. I enjoy that about life. I hang out with people that I disagree with, vehemently disagree with. It makes it more interesting. And when I'm watching television, I want to see things that are interesting and entertaining. Not necessarily that I agree with, but that are interesting and entertaining. And so I don't apologize for it. And I think it's important for this sport, that sport, to have it. I make mistakes along the way, absolutely, like anybody else. I'm still learning, I'm still growing like everybody else, but I love what I do. They can pry it from my cold, dead, redheaded hands. And all the youngins are coming, as we, as we know. But it's a wonderful, wonderful job. And now 25 years on since I've kicked a ball, I'm still involved in the sport. And so I take pride in that.
- [19:42]
A
Do you, do you think, has there ever been a conversation with a mom, a wife, a dad, a grandma, even a kid that has, that has actually made you change your approach in how you discuss the sport or is it, has it always just been water off the duck's back?
- [20:00]
B
Yeah. Not change my approach. And again, a lot of times it's just they have to get it off their chest. And I tell you, sometimes I've had these conversations and they've been adamant and angry about things that I said. And then we're having drinks at the bar. And again, it's just a cathartic type of experience. I'm saying it doesn't mean that I don't think about things differently. And as we know, context and nuance is not something that oftentimes translates to TV because of the limited amount of time that we have. So at times to get that context and get some of that nuance, maybe that does inform the things, things going on. And you also, you always have to remind yourself, if you get too far away from it that these are human beings and these are men and women. And we talk about, obviously in Soccer It's a 90 minute game, so we talk about that 90 minutes and that's what we're focused on. But there's another 22 and a half hours that all sorts of things are happening that can form what happens in that, in that 90 minutes. But my job is to give my opinion and my job is to give my opinion. Whether people agree with it or not, or whether it ruffles feathers or not, I enjoy that. I enjoy at times recognizing that what I say will be provocative. But you know, to me that's, that's entertaining television and that's entertaining sports.
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C
Do you think as media, when you are entertaining and you create headlines, it brings good attention to the sport? Do you think it sometimes pulls away from the actual sport?
- [21:26]
B
I think it creates good. No, I think it's fine. I think, you know, there's sometimes people that aren't even into soccer that if and when a, you know, a controversial soccer topic comes up, people, more people are interested in it. You know, I've, I've always considered myself a performer. You know, whether it was as a player or now in, in terms of television, you know, I, in any type of capacity, you, you rehearse, right? Which is the same thing as practice. You go out onto a stage, which is the same thing as a field. You put on a, a costume, which is the same thing as a uniform. And you go out in front of a, a crowd, which is the same thing as an audience. And so you are performing. And sometimes people don't understand that. And it doesn't mean that you're not truthful, and it doesn't mean that you're not authentic, but there is a recognition that there's lights and there is a camera and there are people out there that have a choice, especially nowadays, to click to a million other places, and you want to grab them and you want to interest them and you want to entertain them in the things that you're doing. And I think if you don't see that as part of your job, then you're doing a disservice to your employers, to the audience, and ultimately you probably won't be around very long.
- [22:41]
C
You know, what I said is true. Like when sometimes we haven't even known that a sporting event is going on, but because somebody said something so outrageous or so crazy, we're now actually researching the event and we're actually now looking at the event, which otherwise we would have probably not known even about it.
- [22:56]
A
Yeah, it's a guy.
- [22:57]
B
We had curling. We were watching curling the other day. Curling and, you know, sports that we never care about, you know, and some Olympian says something that people disagree with.
- [23:06]
C
Yeah, that's true.
- [23:08]
A
It's. It's like a guy. Eazy, you know, said there's no such thing as bad publicity. And I think that that is kind of where the media space has. Has moved, Alexi. And you've seen it over the past 25 years of. Of how it's changed. And it's almost like if you don't adapt to that change, you kind of get left behind. And, you know, with you, the World cup is such a big event, and like, if. If the US Team does well, do you personally see that as an opportunity to re. Endear yourself to American soccer fans, or do you simply just not care about how they feel about you as long as they watch?
- [23:50]
B
Oh, this is, you know, this is the interesting thing. We were talking about this yesterday with a friend of mine. The soccer people are going to watch, okay? And they're going to. They're going to yell and scream and they may, like me, they might disagree. All that kind of. That's not who I care about, to be quite honest with you. I care about getting everybody into the tent or as many people as possible into the tent. When it comes to a World cup like this, you know, there's the. There's the week in and week out type of soccer that we do, and those. And those are soccer people. Don't get me wrong. I love the soccer people. But it's interesting, in a World cup, it's much more of a marathon than A sprint. But it's the best Groundhog Day ever. But it's day in and day out and hours and hours and hours. And one of the greatest compliments that I can get when somebody will come up to me, say, heard you say the same thing that you said four hours ago and you repeated it over here. Here's the thing. You. Cause you're the one that's watching all of it.
- [24:47]
A
Okay?
- [24:48]
B
Right, Right. Reality is that people are dipping in and out. And, you know, in television, if it's good, then it bears repeating. So rinse and repeat. When it comes to. When it comes to the good stuff, the soccer people, like I said, they're going to. They're going to pull up a chair and they are going to gorge themselves. That's wonderful. But I want the people that don't necessarily watch soccer to come in, and when they do, I want it to be inviting. I don't want to gatekeep. All right. When, you know, when it comes to soccer and sometimes we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to the soccer, you know, community out there. We want to be inclusive. We want to embrace people. It's a simple game. You'll get it, and I think people will enjoy it. But that's part of my job is to make sure that people come. To make sure that people come in. And if they're talking about it, that's great. And this summer, obviously, is a huge, huge opportunity.
- [25:34]
C
What are your plans for coverage in the summer as. As a media member now? Like, what do you plan on doing?
- [25:40]
B
So, you know, I work for Fox, and we are broadcasting the World cup, and we will give you every single day this buffet of soccer. So, like I said, pull up a chair and gorge yourself. It's going to be fun. Whether you're into soccer or not. I think you will find something. The interesting thing is, you know, with this. With this World Cup, I mentioned how big it is. We have even debutantes teams, countries that have never even been to the World cup. Countries, small countries, and everywhere in between, you know, for example, Cape Verde. Okay. Or Curacao or Uzbekistan. You know, these types of countries that many people can't even point out on a map are going to be here. But with our communities and with our international and global aspect of our country that's inherent in our country, the diaspora that we have. I think part of the story this summer is going to be the crowds and the celebration. A couple World Cups ago, for example, one of the great things in soccer is we have this national Anthem and the camera always pans down as the players are standing there singing the national anthem. Panama qualified for their first World Cup a couple World Cups ago, and I'll never forget the camera panning down in tears streaming down the Panamanian players face. It wasn't about scoring goals. It wasn't about winning. It was in that moment on the global stage, these players had the opportunity to see the pride that they had with that opportunity of being. Being in that. In that platform and having their country being broadcast around the world. That was. That was wonderful. I think we'll see a lot of those types of stories. Yeah, we'll see the great goals and the winning and losing and all that kind of stuff. But I think there's also going to be great stories on and off the field that tell this story of the world kind of coming together.
- [27:17]
A
It's beautifully said.
- [27:18]
C
That's. That makes me so sad because he's naming all the small countries that made the World cup, and Estonia still didn't make it.
- [27:23]
A
Sorry to hear that.
- [27:24]
B
She is some point. Don't you worry. Don't you worry. We'll get Estonia.
- [27:28]
C
Oh, my God. We really should. Okay, we have a segment called the Hot Seat, which I think you'll just kill it. I. Who in the soccer media do you disagree with the most right now?
- [27:40]
B
Anybody with the British press, usually. I mean, listen, here's the deal. When it comes to England, okay, I don't care who wins the World cup this summer, but it cannot be England. All right? Can you imagine England, who hasn't won, by the way, a World cup since back in the 60s, if they were to come to our shores, oh, by the way, on our 250th birthday, and they were to win the World Cup. You think the English are insufferable. Now, you imagine if they won the World cup this summer. So it's usually, you know, some elitist, snooty, snobby type of British press member out there, and that's kind of redundant anyway, so, yeah, usually that's who. It's who I have problems with.
- [28:21]
A
Okay, what's a soccer opinion that you have that would get you booed in any stadium in the world?
- [28:26]
B
Probably making the goals bigger. You know, people always saying, hey, what would we do to change soccer? And stuff like that? I'd like to see the goals made bigger, really.
- [28:34]
A
So if you were a commissioner of global soccer, that that's the rule that you would change.
- [28:40]
B
That's, you know, that's one of the things that I would certainly look at. But you know, there's a lot of traditionalists and people that think that that's, that's absolutely crazy. But, you know, why make the goals big?
- [28:48]
C
Do you want to make the game more interesting? So there are more, more goals would be scored.
- [28:52]
B
Goals are, goals are good. Obviously it's a very low scoring game. And that's sometimes one of the criticisms of the game is that it's low scoring. Now I don't want it to be complete basketball type of thing where it's invalid. Like points are just kind of flipping and invalid. I want there still to be value on scoring. But I mean, you look at the size of the goalkeepers that we have, the athleticism that we, that we have right now. So it would be interesting to see what it would look like now. Players adjust and the game adjusts. So I don't know how much change it would make, but it would be interesting to see because now you have to start defending further out because the opportunity for them to shoot and there's more space for them to shoot. So it'll be interesting tactically too, to see how players and teams adjusted.
- [29:33]
C
Have you ever held back a take because it might start the war online?
- [29:38]
B
Oh, listen, I mean, I, I don't know if you're like me, but I would love nothing more than to have, if I had power to hit one button, everybody's draft posts were to go out into the world. Oh, that would be awesome. I, you know, I always take a breath before I hit send. You know, my drafts are, you know, scorching, if you will. And you know, in the light of a new day, sometimes you think, ah, I probably shouldn't say that or anything like that, but in my older age, I hold back less just because I, you know, whatever. What's the worst thing that could happen? Someone screams and yells at you for a little bit and then they move on to the, Onto the next story. But yeah, I've definitely held back some different things. But when it's, when we're in a World Cup, I mean, there's so many hours of television that we're doing, you just kind of have to empty it, empty the bucket, whatever you got.
- [30:32]
C
But do you think there's some things that are off limits? Like, are. Do you as a media member, do you view as like, let's take some NFL reporters, right? Or analysts, like, they feel like some things are not. Nothing is off limits. Like, you can talk about the, like, talking about the game is one thing, but talking about now the person's Character and their. Who they are. Exactly who they are. As a man, who they. Who's their. Their family. Now you're criticizing, like, everything about their life. Like, do you, as a media member, feel like some things are off limits?
- [31:03]
B
No. I mean, I think it's. I think it's all fair game. I do it hopefully with a level of respect. Not respect in that you like what I'm saying, necessarily respect that. It applies to what we're talking about. You know, for example, you know, when we're. When we're doing. We're broadcasting this summer, we want to make sure that as many people are watching as possible. We don't want to turn off anybody by the things that we are saying. But there are, you know, there are stories that go well beyond the actual kicking of the ball, and we will cover them. This is obviously an international event, you know, so politics and geopolitical types of situations, those are always part of what's going on. But a lot of people tune in to sports as an escape, and we want to make sure that we respect that without completely ignoring stories and completely ignoring narratives out there that can inform the game that you're watching.
- [31:55]
A
No, no, I get what he is saying. I get what you're saying as well. I think. I do think there's certain things that are off limits when it comes to the families, the wives, attacking wives and children and all stuff like that. But I don't think that's what Alexi is alluding to. There are interest stories around the game that do have an impact on the actual game. And I do think that those. Those are all fair game. This one is coming from the U.S. women's National Team and their fans. They asked, why do you hate us?
- [32:31]
B
Hey, man, I don't hate you. The truth hurts. So, you know, when I'm Talking about the U.S. women's National Team, which, by the way, is the most successful U.S. national team, or national team for that matter, when it comes to what they have, what they have done, and they have, you know, decades of incredible success. And what that does is means we expect great things from them. And so if and when they fail, as they did in the last World cup, yeah, somebody's got to call them out. And the reasons why I think they failed, you may have different reasons, but these are my reasons. And if you want to go talk on television, good luck with that. You know, you can. You can. You can take my job. Everybody else wants it, so. No, I love women's soccer. I love what women's soccer has done for soccer globally and I love what women's soccer has done for American soccer. And keep in mind we had an incredible head start because as a country we legislated for it and we gave our women spaces and these wonderful opportunities to be the great players and the great teams that we have seen and that made all the difference. Now keep in mind, the rest of the world is starting to catch up and that's a good thing. Competition is a good thing going forward. So if you want it on the record, no, I don't hate you collectively. I don't hate you individually. As a matter of fact, I don't care if it's men's, women's or co ed naked, as long as you're kicking a ball. Let's do it.
- [33:53]
A
Have you had any conversations? I know Carli Lloyd. You work with Carli Lloyd at Fox Sports. And you know, I've had a chance to, to meet her. She's. She's also met my wife and you know, obviously legendary player. But have you had any conversations with the Megan Rapinoe's or those players from back then for the Women's World cup that didn't appreciate some of the things that you said?
- [34:16]
B
Oh, yeah, actually, Carly, speaking of Carly, there was a point where I think I had predicted that they were going to lose. And this just shows you how. It was one of the World Cups, a couple World Cups before a go. I'll never forget, we were at an appearance, you know, some rooftop in New York City and I told her what was going to happen and you could just see the vet and she's one of my good friends by the way, but you could just see the venom in her eyes. And he should pay me or the soccer federation should pay me because they went on to win the World cup and so I obviously motivated her. I'm an incredible motivator, believe me. And as you, as you know very well, don't ever let them tell you as athletes that they don't listen or they don't see any of it. They see and they read every single word. And if they don't, somebody else does. That will all will tell them, whether it's an agent or whether it's a family member out there. So they can say, oh, they don't care and you know, we're bigger than that. No, they're not. They're human beings and they want to see, especially when it comes to people with a big platform or a big voice. I haven't talked to Megan in a while, but here's the deal. I disagree with Megan on. I can't even imagine how many things, when it comes to both on and off the soccer field, I will fight to my last dying breath or to have the freedom to be able to say those things. And that's the type of country that I want. That's the type of country that I think we all want, and that's the type of country that we thankfully live in.
- [35:36]
C
What is the most heated argument you have ever had about soccer?
- [35:40]
B
I've had some, you know, I've had some good ones over the years. You know, public on, you know, on air. A lot of times it's relative to what we have just seen and whether this was. A lot of times it ends up being penalties or fouls that are called. And is this foul. The interesting thing about soccer is oftentimes, and I think fairly so, we'll say, oh, it's soccer. And they're embellishing and they're faking and they're very theatrical and raise your hand as soccer people. Absolutely, they are. Although basketball's, by the way, coming in a close second with some of the stuff that I've seen when it comes to basketball, you know, it's also interesting because of the cultures, and so sometimes the arguments will be over. I see something completely different. And I would look at it as, you know, he's. He's faking, and therefore he is, you know, bringing the game into disrepute, and it's disrespectful what he's doing. And, you know, my country and my culture would never do that. Another culture might see it as, that player is incredibly smart.
- [36:42]
A
Yeah.
- [36:43]
B
The way that he is using his body and the way that he is doing things to get the outcome that he or she wants. And so it's sometimes amazing how these clashes of cultures and how we view the same thing very, very differently play out. It's one of the things what I love about international soccer. We have referees from all over the. All over the world. Some of them see the game in very, very different ways. But you have to get on the field, and so you have to suss it out really, really quick as to who the referee is, what he or she is doing or has done that might make you act differently than your week in and week out type of performance that you have in whatever country that you play for. So oftentimes it's about plays on the field, oftentimes penalty kicks in particular.
- [37:24]
A
Understood.
- [37:25]
C
There used to be an international referee that I used. I used to have nightmares about him. He was the bald guy with the big eyeballs.
- [37:31]
B
Lena. Yeah.
- [37:32]
C
Oh, my God. That man used to just. I literally used to seem nightmares about this guy.
- [37:38]
B
Legendary is legendary. He is legendary.
- [37:41]
A
You know, speaking of, you know, legendary players, in your opinion, is Christian Pulisic the greatest American player ever?
- [37:49]
B
Not yet, but I think he is well on his way to becoming the greatest male American soccer player ever. I mean, the things that he does and the things that we are going to need him to do this summer are at a whole nother level. Obviously, what he has done with his, with his club career and you know, the way that he has played in multiple leagues now and excelled in multiple. Multiple leagues. Yes, he's played in a World cup in the previous one, but I think if he were to have a big time World cup this summer, I think it would certainly elevate him. And that gets me to another point. Some of these players that we will be introduced to this summer, they, you know, they're, they're, they've been playing well, whether it's your Christian Pulisics and your Western McKinney's and the list goes on and on. They're playing at some of the great clubs and great leagues in the world. They're making a lot of money and they're very famous within the leagues and the countries that they're playing for. But they are going to be introduced to a whole new market, if you will, this summer. And so, you know, back in the day, we didn't call it brands, but really that's what it was. You know, I had a lot of hair back in the day and the character that I was on the field was a brand. I was incredibly comfortable, but I recognized how it would play and how it would resonate. Again, it goes back to being that, that performer for a lot of these players, including Christian Pulisic. He's going to be introduced to a whole new market here in the United States that is going to meet him for the first time. And so what he does this summer, I think is much more important than what he certainly did last World cup or even what he's doing from a club perspective. You, you have a good World cup and brand, if you will, explodes and you have that whole market that isn't necessarily into soccer now, knowing who you are.
- [39:22]
A
Yeah, I totally agree. If, I mean, if the US can go on a run and win the World Cup, Christian Pulisic or Pulisic becomes a much bigger global brand.
- [39:36]
C
Hell yeah.
- [39:36]
A
And I couldn't agree with you more there. Speaking of global brands, who, who in your opinion is. Is the greatest soccer player of all, of all time? And is it Messi or Ronaldo?
- [39:49]
B
So I'm an old school guy and, you know, I like t heroes, I like villains, I like cowboys. So I always, I don't know, do the kids say Stan anymore? But anyway, it's like for me, it's Diego Maradona, the Argentinian. He was one of the first stars that I was able to see. Yes, there was Pele, but Diego was something different in that he was counterculture and he certainly marched to the beat of his own drummer when it came to what he did. But on the field, he did stuff that nobody had ever seen before, as plenty of people have, including Pele, including Cruyff, including Beckenbauer, obviously. Messi and Ronaldo going back and forth, by the way, if you ask me, between Messi and Ronaldo, I like my stars big, bold, over the top. And so I'm always going to be a Cristiano Ronaldo fan, but I recognize how incredible Messi is. And maybe part of what makes him incredible is that he is so unassuming. But I'm always going to go for Maradona.
- [40:49]
A
That's. That's okay.
- [40:50]
C
What about the players that are playing right now? Would you say Ronaldo is the best player in the world?
- [40:56]
B
I think Ronaldo is the best player. Well, the world right now. He's obviously gotten much older. It's going to be interesting with him in Portugal this summer and how he kind of functions as, you know, maybe not a starter going forward, but yeah, if you ask me, between Messi and Cristiano, I'm always going to go for Cristiano Ronaldo. I know people will. The comments, I'm sure will be, you
- [41:15]
A
know, kind of, they love that debate between Ronaldo.
- [41:19]
C
They do. But what about, what about the young guys that are all coming up? Who's your favorite, who's your favorite guy to watch right now?
- [41:26]
B
Just all over the world when it comes to young people, I think everybody's immediately going to point to Spain just as a team. But then Lamina Mal and what he is doing with, with Spain, I mean, the guy, it's so amazing in that he is so quickly still as a teenager able to have us say is he's not a great teen player. He is just a great, some argue, the greatest player in the world right now who happens to be a teenager. And that is an amazing trans to make in a very short period of time. And I Think he has to be licking his chops given the team that he plays with, given how good he is right now with this World cup, you know, on his doorstep. I think, you know, if you didn't know him before, you certainly will after this summer. So I hope he stays healthy. And he's just a joy to watch. And it's not arrogance, it's just sheer talent in the way that he takes players on. And even at times, you know, he's the ultimate star, right? Like, like Messi, like Cristiano. When you, when you expect great things to happen and they still deliver, I mean, that's the definition of a star.
- [42:33]
A
And Alexi just. I have. You can count me in as one of those people who believes that Lamina Mall is the greatest player in the world right now. But you said something there. With your expertise and playing the sport at such a high level, what would make Lamine Jamal a better team player? Like, what can he do to make himself a better team player?
- [42:51]
B
Hmm. It's interesting because, you know, as you know, sometimes coaches or teammates will talk to you about, hey, you need to incorporate your team more and you have to be careful because sometimes greediness is a really valuable attribute in sports. And so sometimes, while you want to kind of have people spread the ball and share the ball and do all that kind of stuff, you also don't want to take away what makes someone like this incredible in his one on one ability. I think what he will learn as he continues to go is that it's not to fight a, you know, live to fight another day, but as he draws all of this attention. And I think Messi is a perfect, perfect example, draws so many players and any coach will tell you you have to have as many players around him as possible. And yet he recognizes that and in that moment, obviously does simple arithmetic and says, all right, I got five guys around me right now, which means there's got to be a handful of players that are wide open right now. And so he uses that attraction to then set up his, set up his teammates. Laminal is much more of a, you know, straightforward type of attacking player. I don't think he's going to run the show necessarily, especially not the way Messi does as he draws players. And you will see this summer, when he gets that ball out wide, putting in on that left foot, two and three players will go to him, which means there's others open. And that's the, that's the danger of just focusing in on one player. But you have to kind of in this case, yeah.
- [44:17]
A
I mean, he's, he's special and we've been able to see it over the years. He's, he's on that trajectory and maybe that part of his game of learning when to balance attacking versus passing and getting his teammates involved, maybe that helps him, you know, score more goals. Have you seen that in your experience watching players over the years and in your own playing experience, that. But when they do share maybe 2% more, they get 10% of more goals.
- [44:43]
B
And obviously with time you become more confident and I would think you become smarter in the game. I mean, for example, our US Team in the previous World cup was the second youngest team. And so it was almost like this was their coming out party. But we really are going to see the finished product now with the maturation of these players. Now, again, Lamina Mala is still a team, but he's done a whole lot. And so he, you know, you're a very different person from, let's say, 14 to 18, which he's going to be right now, as he will be when he gets into his 20s. But think that he, I think, as funny as it is to say, I think we're going to see a much more mature and knowledgeable and smart Lamina Mal this World cup because even from an early age he's been garnering all of this attention, but also all of this experience that I think is going to be in his pocket when he steps out onto the field. And I don't think he's just going to kind of wing it in the way that he did from a very early age, still very young, but I think it's much more selective and therefore much more smart and therefore much more dangerous in terms of the version that we're going to see this summer.
- [45:53]
A
100%. Well, Alexi, we can hear it in your voice. You're excited about this World Cup. We are excited about it. There's, there's so much to look forward to. So many great players are going to be playing on American soil. And we appreciate you giving us the time. Come on the show and breaking down the World cup with us and, you know, just the US Men's national team and just the, the impact that this World cup can have on American soccer. We appreciate you coming on the show. Everybody that listened to this and made it to the end, we appreciate you as well. Go ahead and leave in the comments what you want us to talk about next, who you want us to bring on the show. And Alexi, before you get out of here, who would you want us to bring on the show next to talk about American soccer in the World Cup Soccer.
- [46:36]
B
Let's see here. Well, you mentioned Carly. I think Carly's wonderful. Carli Lloyd. I'd love to see, love to see her. And I just love her. I actually just saw her at south by Southwest this past weekend. We were hanging out there. And she's wonderful because she does not mess around. And you see why very quickly when you're talking to Carli Lloyd, why she was one of the great American soccer players. No, the great soccer players in the world. And why she was so successful. But I want to thank you guys for, you know, having me and talking about this. And, you know, again, when I talk about bringing people into the tent, you need messengers and you need conduits for that to happen. And so your show and you guys, the fact that you recognize this is coming and that you want to celebrate it and expose your audience to that, I really, really appreciate that. You know, this is something I've been doing a long time, something I take great pride in, spreading that gospel. And so thank you for giving me the microphone a little bit here on your show. And we're going to have a fun, fun summer, I guarantee you, both on and off the field. It's going to be a big old party.
- [47:32]
C
Yes.
- [47:33]
A
No doubt about it. We appreciate you coming on and everybody watching. We'll see you all next time. Peace out.
- [47:38]
B
Bye.