Alexi Lalas

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Alexi Lalas
Lalas in 2010
Personal information
Full name Panayotis Alexander Lalas
Date of birth (1970-06-01) June 1, 1970 (age 53)
Place of birth Birmingham, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Position(s) Defender
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1991 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1995 Padova 33 (3)
1995–1996 → Padova (loan) 11 (0)
1996–1997 New England Revolution 57 (3)
1997 → Emelec (loan) 10 (0)
1998
MetroStars
 25 (2)
1999
Kansas City Wizards
 30 (4)
2001–2003
Los Angeles Galaxy
 69 (7)
Total 235 (19)
International career
1992 United States U23 1 (0)
1996 United States Olympic (O.P.) 3 (0)
1991–1998 United States 96 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Panayotis Alexander Lalas (

soccer player who played mostly as a defender. Lalas is best known for his participation with the United States men's national soccer team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where his appearance made him a standout player on the team with his distinctive long beard and hair. After the World Cup, Lalas went on to become the first American in Italy's Serie A as a member of Calcio Padova.[1][2]

Lalas would later return to the United States in 1996 to take part in the newly formed

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and MLS Cup before retiring in 2002.[3] Lalas' playing style was characterized by physicality and endurance.[4]

Following his playing career, Lalas served as

Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. He was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2006.[5] He currently works as an analyst for Fox Sports.[6] He also was a reporter at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
.

Early life

Lalas was born in Birmingham, Michigan, United States, to a Greek father, Demetrios Lalas and an American mother, Anne Harding Woodworth. His father was a professor who later became the director of Greece's national observatory, while his mother is a widely published poet. Lalas speaks Spanish and Italian in addition to his native English and Greek. Lalas is married and has two children.[7] His younger brother, Greg Lalas, is a former professional soccer player and currently the Chief Marketing Officer at United Soccer League.

Club career

High school

Lalas attended

Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Even though he did not begin playing soccer until he was eleven, he had developed his skills enough to be named the 1987 Michigan High School Player of the Year by his senior year. In addition to playing soccer, he was a member and captain of his high school hockey team, which won the state championship. Lalas was rated for the Ontario Hockey League Midget draft in 1987, but was ultimately not selected.[citation needed
]

College

Lalas attended

National Championship Game in 1990.[8]
Lalas was named a third-team All-American in 1989 and 1990. In 1991, he gained
first-team All-American recognition and was selected for both the Hermann Trophy and the Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year award. As he did in high school, Lalas also played hockey in college, leading the team in scoring in 1989.[9]

Lalas left Rutgers in 1991 to focus on the U.S. national team despite being interested in finishing his degree. He resumed his education in 2013, when Rutgers began offering enough online classes to fulfill what Lalas required to graduate. Lalas took 12 classes and 36 credits over 10 months to finish what he jokingly called "a 26-year plan", earning a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in music in May 2014.[10]

After college and the

Bora Milutinovic invited him for the United States tryouts in Mission Viejo, California.[12]

Padova

After the

Internazionale), Padova finished the 1994–95 season 14th in the table. Only after winning a relegation play-off on June 10, 1995, did the team ensure its survival in the top ranks for the next season. On June 25, 1995, Major League Soccer (MLS) signed Lalas to play for one of the new league's teams. While MLS had intended to begin playing in 1995, it had run into difficulties and so delayed the first season until 1996. In order to allow Lalas to maintain his match fitness, MLS loaned him back to Padova for the 1995–96 season
. Lalas last played for Padova in a home game against Lazio on February 25, 1996.

Major League Soccer

Before the inaugural

Kansas City Wizards for Mark Chung and Mike Ammann
on January 28, 1999. Lalas spent one season with the Wizards before announcing his retirement on October 10, 1999.

Just over a year later, he returned to playing when he signed with the

Los Angeles Galaxy as a discovery player on January 14, 2001. Nearly three years later, he retired again, this time permanently, on January 12, 2004.[13]

International career

Lalas earned 96

U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. He also scored in a game against Saudi Arabia, in which the United States had their biggest comeback in their history (from 3–0 to 4–3; Lalas scored the first goal for the United States). While Lalas was on the roster for the U.S. at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he never entered a game.[16] His last cap had come in the final U.S. tuneup for the finals, a May 30, 1998, scoreless tie with Scotland where he was a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart
.

Lalas was part of the United States Olympic soccer team for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Spain. He was also selected as overage player on the United States Olympic soccer team at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Post-playing career

Lalas at a United States vs. England women's soccer game in Nashville in 2019

Lalas served as president and General Manager of the San Jose Earthquakes during the 2004 and 2005 MLS seasons. He served as a General Manager of the MetroStars/New York Red Bulls from 2005 to 2006.[17] Lalas served as President of the LA Galaxy from 2006 to 2008 during which time the club signed David Beckham.[18] Following his time at the Galaxy, Lalas spent six years as a commentator for ESPN before signing a commentary deal with Fox Sports.[19] He also appeared in both FIFA 16 and FIFA 17, by EA Sports, as a legend card having an 86 rated center back card in both iterations of the game. Currently Lalas, alongside pundit David Mosse, hosts the podcast State of the Union, dedicated to discussing American soccer.[20]

Personal life

Lalas is a Republican and endorsed Ron DeSantis in the 2024 United States presidential election.[21][22]

Musical career

Lalas has released eight solo albums over the past three decades: Far from Close (1996), Ginger (1998), So It Goes (2010), Infinity Spaces (2014), Shots (2016), Sunshine (2018), Look at You (2019) and Melt Away (2022). With a noted affinity for

Hootie & The Blowfish during a European tour in 1998.[23] The Gypsies were featured in a self-produced, self-distributed album Woodland, released by Lalas during the 1994 World Cup.[12][24]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[25]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Padova 1994–95 Serie A 33 3
Padova (loan) 1995–96 Serie A 11 0
New England Revolution 1996 Major League Soccer 25 1
1997 30 2
Total 55 3
Emelec (loan) 1997 Ecuadorian Serie A 10 0
MetroStars
 1998 Major League Soccer 25 2
Kansas City Wizards
 1999 Major League Soccer 30 4
Los Angeles Galaxy
 2001 Major League Soccer 11 2
2002 26 4
2003 22 1
Total 59 7
Career total 223 19

International

Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lalas goal.
List of international goals scored by Alexi Lalas
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 May 8, 1993 Miami, United States  Colombia 1–0 1–2
Friendly
2 June 9, 1993 Foxboro, United States  England 2–0 2–0 1993 U.S. Cup
3 June 22, 1993 Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Ecuador  Venezuela 2–0 3–3 1993 Copa América
4 July 17, 1993 Dallas, United States  Honduras 1–0 1–0 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup
5 November 7, 1993 Fullerton, United States  Jamaica 1–0 1–0 Friendly
6 January 29, 1994 Seattle, United States  Russia 1–1 1–1 Friendly
7 July 14, 1995 Paysandú, Uruguay  Argentina 2–0 3–0 1995 Copa América
8 October 8, 1995 Washington, D.C., United States  Saudi Arabia 1–3 4–3 Friendly
9 February 1, 1997 Guangzhou, China  China 1–0 1–1 Friendly
10 June 17, 1997 Jacksonville, United States  Israel 1–0 2–1 Friendly

Honors

Los Angeles Galaxy

Rutgers

Individual

References

  1. ^ Lalas, a rock n' roll star
  2. ^ This essay on U.S. soccer history Archived May 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, however, indicates that other two American-born players, Alfonso Negro and Armando Frigo, appeared for Serie A teams in the late 1930s, making Lalas the third American-born player in the Italian top league.
  3. ^ Alexi Lalas – USMNT
  4. ^ "The Most Influential XI as U.S. Soccer turns 100". espnfc.com. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  5. ^ "Alexi Lalas - 2006 Inductee | National Soccer Hall of Fame". Alexi Lalas - 2006 Inductee | National Soccer Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas opens up about decision to leave ESPN for Fox". si.com. December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  7. ^ "ESPN_ Serving sports fans. Anytime. Anywhere". www.espn.com.
  8. ^ "Rutgers History". Scarletknights.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  9. ^ a b c "Alexi Lalas profile". Soccertimes.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  10. ^ Politi, Steve (May 15, 2014). "Alexi Lalas returns to Rutgers for 'unfinished business:' His college degree (Politi)". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  11. ^ Mooney, Kevin. "Lalas in London". USA.Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  12. ^ a b WORLD CUP '94 / 25 DAYS AND COUNTING : A SOCCER ROCKER : Lalas Plays to Own Beat : U.S. Defender Is a Hit With Fans but Hits Sour Note With Game's Purists
  13. ^ "MLS timeline". Sams-army.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  14. ^ "USA - Details of International Matches 1990-1994". Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  15. ^ "Sports Illustrated". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  16. ^ "Team Roster". Fifa.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  17. ^ "Alexi Lalas resigns as President and General Manager of Red Bull New York". Major League Soccer. January 22, 2010.
  18. ^ Serrano, Adam (April 17, 2014). "Alexi Lalas reflects on the lessons of his tumultuous tenure as LA Galaxy General Manager". LA Galaxy.
  19. ^ Deitsch, Richard (December 16, 2014). "Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas opens up about decision to leave ESPN for FOX". Sports Illustrated.
  20. ^ "Alexi Lalas' State of the Union Podcast on Apple Podcasts". July 18, 2023.
  21. ^ @AlexiLalas (May 24, 2023). "Thought @GovRonDeSantis ultimately came off as a candidate of competence, confidence, and common sense...and it will be lost in the technical disaster of Twitter Spaces" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ @AlexiLalas (March 15, 2023). "I like POTUS" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Alexi Lalas interview: Solace in sound springs eternal for former US international
  24. ^ "Alexi Lalas". Spotify.
  25. ^ "Major League Soccer: History: All-Time MLS Player Register". Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
  26. ^ "CCL stats". LA Galaxay. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  27. ^ "Alexi Lalas runs the hill during the 2001 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup". LA Galaxy. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  28. ^ a b c d "Alexi Lalas – USMNT". ussoccerplayers.com. April 2, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  29. ^ "Anschutz, Lalas called to soccer's Hall". MLS Soccer. January 23, 2010. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  30. ^ "2018 New England Revolution Media Guide – Stats and Records" (PDF). pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  31. ^ All-Star Game flashback, 1997 at MLSsoccer.com
  32. ^ "1998 MLS All-Star Game". MLSsoccer.com. August 2, 1998. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  33. ^ "1999 MLS All-Star Game". MLSsoccer.com. July 17, 1999. Retrieved July 27, 2023.

External links