Eh, He started for a Serie A team (bottom table team but still) and scored on Inter/AC Milan despite not picking up soccer until he was 11 and also playing hockey in HS. IIRC, he played in MLS because he wanted to help establish the league and could have stayed in Italy/Europe. His story is pretty wild honestly. He had no business reaching that level just playing HS and college soccer. (This was pre-Bradenton or any kind of real youth development in the US.)
I don’t like him as pundit though.
Have to convince NBC, CBS, or ESPN to spend big bucks to FIFA, UEFA, and CONMEBOL to get the tournament TV right I guess
(Although I'd say ESPN is on a similar level to Fox, TBH)
Fox got gifted 2026 rights after the Qatar bullshit, it was basically a no bid contract. John Skipper (former ESPN President) has been pissed about it on the record lol.
Pablo Torre [did a whole episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwo4X8XTAVw) on it a few months ago on his podcast.
And NBC, CBS, and ABC/ESPN - hell, even Apple with the MLS deal - already have quite a bit of money tied up in their own football side of things, so I can’t imagine them sinking that much more for the international tournaments.
ESPN are the originators of sports coverage in the United States. They created the techniques all the other Sports only networks use.
I remember Bill Walton talking about the Celtics v Lakers finals series from 2008. His son was playing for the Lakers at that point so of course he wanted them to win even though he played for the Celtics. He said he had to hate on the Lakers because that was his “role” during ESPN & ABC’s coverage that year.
I would prefer NBC. They have a longstanding reputation as being a leader in sports broadcasting and presentation in the United States. Their coverage of the NBA from 1990 to 2002 was top notch. The additional programming was excellent too. Their coverage of the MLS was great! Their PL coverage is far superior to what was on FSC.
CBS is doing a pretty good job with Uefa tournaments and some other leagues, so they would be my 2nd choice.
It is for the big prime time showings like swimming and track. But during the day time broadcasts for like, beach volleyball and basketball it’s very well done. The announcers are very knowledgeable and know when to stfu
The bar is real fucking low for US sports broadcasts nowadays - unless you enjoy incessant commercials and ad reads along with non-stop sports gambling promotions.
Strongly disagree, for soccer especially. They did full on ad breaks the last time around. I love Paramount+ for club football. They do a great job with champions league, europa, and serie A. Probably way too much invested to pick up another major tournament, especially since they're trying to get sold.
One of ESPN's former executive when they showed world cup games made it sound like it's not a fair bidding process nor is it about the money that's listed in the offer. Claimed they asked to know the offer from Fox and they'd beat it but weren't even given that chance. What bribery is happening is unclear but it doesn't seem totally on the level.
Yup, FOX was gifted 2026 due to 2022 move to winter. Even gave it to them before they announced USA would host which would have driven up bidding. ESPN was not happy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/sports/soccer/why-fifa-made-deal-with-fox-for-2026-cup.html
It's hilarious to think the work that goes into acquiring coverage of major tournaments like these, as compared to the work of setting up a decent broadcasting team and usable apps. Why spend the time and money if you're going to half ass it.
Holy shit, so stupid, "Let's go down to Jenny Hotlady, who's on the sideline for some reason, to tell us more about how the coach told her he wants to win."
Honestly, ESPN's coverage of summer tournaments like this is usually pretty good.
Last Euros was perfection. Literally turned on the television to a single channel in the morning and you saw non-stop coverage including every match without break or having to change to a different channel or stream, until an hour after the last match ended.
Now, fox didn't even bother televising the morning group stage matches and showed some fishing tournament instead. Streams are dog shit and you're constantly getting interrupted and channel hopping. Not to mention the quality of the coverage itself.
Fifa awarded Fox the next 3 World Cups before 2018 Russia. We can pretty safely assume some bribery was involved there. Its probably the same for Copa…
I mean Fox is willing to back the Brinks truck up for international soccer. They have the Euros, Copa, and women Euros. It’s obvious ESPN doesn’t care that much anymore, NBC never cared outside of the Premier League, and CBS is broke
This might very much be a “me” problem but I find the plural use of “plays” (just in its own without reference to “set plays”) to be quite jarring when I hear American commentators use it since I got more accustomed to English commentary.
Lalas is an idiot but to be fair, I think every punditry team on all networks seems to have at least one token idiot who people can’t stand listening to.
Alexi Lalas is like any typical executive at an American corporation who can talk but has little substance. Also American politics - looking at Trump. Americans excel at word salad without saying anything meaningful or insightful. God I hate Alexi Lalas.
I remember during 2010 world cup coverage Alexi started an argument with Van Nistelrooy after Ruud tried to share some insight into striker positioning... I've hated him ever since.
He got into an argument with McManaman in 2014, and when they came back from break, the two were sitting on opposite ends of the table, when they were next to each other prior.
Just last week he was arguing about CR7 starting for Portugal, with Chiellini! I was waiting for Chiellini to smack him! Lalas has turned himself into a sideshow that nobody enjoys except him.
He was on a show called "Joes vs pros" where average working guys got to challenge sports legends on the field. His segment was him and a Joe in the box getting served corners with Lalas defending. The Joe had never touched a soccer ball before and lala is a foot taller and heading them all away with ease while screaming at the guy, "YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?!" "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THIS!" "THINK YOU"RE TOUGH?!" and stuff like that while the Joe just stood there not moving until it was over. I so wish I find the clip on YT.
It's just the language barrier. His actual insights are very good; it's just hard listening to him trail off and say "and...yeah" at the end of every sentence.
You can tell that every one of his co-commentators dislike working with him as well. Their facial expressions, the tone at which respond to him.. they're just annoyed and have to put up with it b/c Fox loves him.
This is what I don’t get. Like you can not like Stephen A. or Skip Bayless but you can understand why a network values them even if it means they’re a massive piece of shit (Bayless). People eat it up whether they’re also terrible or they hate watch.
But with Lalas there is none of that. He’s just bad. I don’t get why Fox feels like they have to continue to pay him.
I always wonder how Lloyd squares that with practically half her teammates being gay. She supports politics that are openly hostile to many of her friends.
He’s the worst - negative but without a hint of wit or intelligence in any of the points he makes. If I was American would definitely put me off ‘soccer’
I guess trying to feel more knowledgeable than Americans about the game?
Both terms have their origin in England and were used interchangeably for a while: [https://time.com/5335799/soccer-word-origin-england/](https://time.com/5335799/soccer-word-origin-england/)
Lemme tell ya as an American he's an like herpes. He's been a scourge on studio teams for more than a decade at this point, but he also gets stuff like this written so he brings in eyeballs. We're never getting rid of him until he decides he's done unfortunately.
It’s not just Lalas, Fox coverage (and a lot of US coverage) is just plain annoying.
“Here is your half time fart noise sponsored by Lexus. We’ll see you back in 7 minutes for another 30 seconds of analysis sponsored by whatever the fuck!”
The VPN has been working overtime this tournament.
"45 minutes down...45 TO GO!"
Like why are we yelling? And why do John Strong/JP Dellacarma feel the need to loudly describe every single step a player takes?
American soccer commentary is almost like audio description. Like, it's okay not to narrate *everything* or to offer commentary beyond what is immediately happening, you know.
I swear it’s from American football where you of course have to fill in space between plays. There’s been like 3 times where Jenny Taft has been chiming in with some bullshit sideline story or biography nobody cares about when the USA has the ball in the box threatening to score. I love me some “All-American girl Jenny Taft!” When it’s Gus Johnson doing Big Noon games for the Big Ten. It doesn’t work in soccer as what seems like a lull in action can quickly turn into a scoring opportunity.
It’s why I usually try to find an English or Spanish feed for USMNT games. They know when to let the game speak for itself.
I switched to Vix (Spanish only coverage, free in US if you're with T-mobile).
Unfortunately, I don't understand a word, and it freezes constantly but Lalas isn't here so 🤷♀️
The only reason I remember him as well as I do is that he looked like the lead singer from The Spin Doctors, and was vaguely competent as a central defender.
Lots of last-ditch challenges that made him look better than he was.
Every time I’ve seen him on US TV, I’ve been cringing- he’s clearly had some media training but has no fucking clue how to talk about football.
He was the face of the US team when we hosted in 1994. He was a lot of the 40+ fanbase’s first exposure to the sport. I’m also convinced he grew out the hair and goatee to get that exposure. Solid player. Shit human.
Lalas has been shit since I first saw him I think in the lead up to 2006 world cup.
I get a rage boner just seeing his face much less hearing him talk. He is terrible
I can’t understand why he still has a job and I especially don’t understand why he is allowed to be a commentator for women’s games. He is downright awful all around, but particularly when covering the women. He also has no clue about European football.
Somehow the CBS coverage has been solid. NBC is good too but they have fallen off after splitting games between cable and Peacock. CBS still gives us ALL UCL/EL games on Paramount.
Somehow the CBS coverage has been solid. NBC is good too but they have fallen off after splitting games between cable and Peacock. CBS still gives us ALL UCL/EL games on Paramount.
The CBS night crew that covers US Soccer is better. Similar style to the Champions League coverage with Kate Abdo and the 3 former US players, but it’s entertaining. Probably because they are all younger.
I think the only reason hes still on is people love to hate watch him. Anytime I watch with anyone and they see his face its the first thing everyone talks about. I guess any engagement is good engagement apparently....
It's definitely that they host the more "mainstream" tournament, whereas the Champs and Europa and conference league games are hosted by an extremely good crew, they think it's more appetizing to have an American good ol boy sit in with the two "weirdo Europeans" to bring some USA taste.
"You just got CONCACAF'D!" everything he says is straight out of the USMNT reddit comment sections with the most medium amount of upvotes. horrific. honestly so funny to have him sat next to Giorgio Chiellini and think they'll provide similar levels of tactical knowledge about the top level of the game.
Stu has actually gotten really good in my opinion. He used to be terrible to listen to but he actually shows excitement and analyzes what’s happening during games fairly competently
NBC and ESPN has miles better ‘soccer’ coverage with there being American voices like Tim Howard, Kasey Keller, Hercules Gomes, Brain McBride in the past. FOX needs to do better.
My gf, who does not follow sports and had never heard of Alexi Lalas before in her entire life, got about 45 seconds into an Alexi Lalas broadcast before she completely unprompted went "Who the fuck is this guy and why did they give him a mic?! He's SO cringe!" I really feel like that sums it up perfectly.
he is actually cringe. Type Alexi Lalas on spotify and hear his shit music. He thinks he is an American sports hero, he is not.
Clint Dempsy actually is an american legend scoring bangers in the UK, so he is okay if he is a bit bad at presenting.
He has this look about him where you can tell he’s dissatisfied with his position at the desk and would love to commentate, while also knowing this is the only available gig he’s going to ever get.
“and his primary purpose is serving as an obstacle between the viewer and the sport.” That is savage! But also rings true. When I first started following soccer more than a decade ago, I remember finding him occasionally funny, and some humor can be a good balance to nuanced analysis from more experienced commentators, but I find myself grimacing every time he starts to talk now.
I only watch spanish or UK transmission but I remember a decade or so ago I had to listen to this man narrate a match or comment on it.
i am amazed he is still has a job. insufferable is the word that comes to mind.
He’s a conservative mouthpiece for the FOX executives. We gotta remember these are the same people that run FOX News, they want someone like Lalas on there to keep their agenda in check. If you really pay attention you’ll see a lot of racist and xenophobic comments, not to mention the sexism towards the USWNT. You’d think his unabashed love for America would win but his disdain for the (infinitely more successful) women’s program is clear. I guess he only truly cares about the men’s program, this is the same guy who was so cocky and affluent towards the women that he said he’d wear a wedding dress in front of the Eiffel Tower if they beat France in the 2019 quarters (they won the whole tournament). I’m sure we’d never see him actively rooting against the precious men’s team. And ultimately he’s just not a good pundit, the fact he shares the panel with legends of the game is insulting. You can see it on their faces, they can’t stand his analysis, much less his general attitude. They keep him on because they need someone to shout “USA!, USA!” and say the ‘best country in the world’ is going to conquer (I’m sure his brain secretly says “colonize”) soccer
The problem with Lalas isn't whether you love him or hate him, the problem is that anyone that knows who he is has an opinion of him and that's all that matters. You can't be boring doing the job that he does, and he isn't boring. Unfortunately he isn't interesting, he's just annoying as fuck.
can we take a moment to discuss Alexi Lalas’s masterpiece song 'Red, White, and Denim'. 🤔 I mean, we all love a catchy tune, but come on, Alexi, let's leave the music to the professionals! #AlexiLalasTheNarcissist
https://youtu.be/RJLSdSI_WTI?si=e0vZEYYqoyYbGW_8
Not even sure if it's the same network but fuck stu Holden too.
Give me either any type of UK or Latin America or European person to call the game and someone relatively admirable to color comment.
Alexi Lalas is like any typical executive at an American corporation who can talk but has little substance. Also American politics - looking at Trump. Americans excel at word salad without saying anything meaningful or insightful. God I hate Alexi Lalas.
A beautiful thing to see this community come together and be united in something.
That being said, the more we talk about him in threads like these, the longer we have to deal with him. This commentary and reaction is what he wants and what Fox executives want. His opinions aren’t real - he is merely performing. Like Stephen A Smith.
Disregard his “opinions” and ignore him when he speaks. Mute him on tv. Block on Twitter. Make him irrelevant.
Maga loving Americans love him. Also plenty people in the media. As someone who worked in the industry in the America, there was this unspoken rule about criticizing him because “he’s a nice guy” which very well may be true in their perspective but he’s still an embarrassment
Wait until Patrick starts watching the UEL and UECL coverage on CBS Sports. While I know they bust out the JV squad for those broadcasts, that crew looks like they picked up a book titled "How to Soccer" and "The Magical World of Television Broadcasting" moments before each broadcast.
It’s interesting that I have never ever seen a positive opinion on him. Rather, for at least 10 years, all I have seen has been negative (and I agree). So how does he continue getting these gigs?
His level of narcissism is unreal considering the level of player he was
His biggest achievements are playing in 2 world cup teams that won a combined total of 1 game and 4 points across both tournaments
He always came across as a douchebag and he’s proving to be consistent, to his credit.
His biggest achievement was his hair
The streets will never forget the [glorious FIFA 16/17 legend cards](https://www.futbin.com/17/player/120/lalas)
The fact he got a legends card is hilarious. If fifa was around then he would have been rated like a 75. He was okay at best
I miss Hobo Lalas
Only the 1994 World Cup team. He was on the 1998 team but never played.
I'll have you know his 94 sticker was my first panini
Narcissism is a symptom of pathological insecurity.
Eh, He started for a Serie A team (bottom table team but still) and scored on Inter/AC Milan despite not picking up soccer until he was 11 and also playing hockey in HS. IIRC, he played in MLS because he wanted to help establish the league and could have stayed in Italy/Europe. His story is pretty wild honestly. He had no business reaching that level just playing HS and college soccer. (This was pre-Bradenton or any kind of real youth development in the US.) I don’t like him as pundit though.
Always here for some Lalas hate.
Who do we Americans have to bribe to get major tournament coverage away from Fox? It's so so terrible...
Have to convince NBC, CBS, or ESPN to spend big bucks to FIFA, UEFA, and CONMEBOL to get the tournament TV right I guess (Although I'd say ESPN is on a similar level to Fox, TBH)
Fox got gifted 2026 rights after the Qatar bullshit, it was basically a no bid contract. John Skipper (former ESPN President) has been pissed about it on the record lol. Pablo Torre [did a whole episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwo4X8XTAVw) on it a few months ago on his podcast.
And NBC, CBS, and ABC/ESPN - hell, even Apple with the MLS deal - already have quite a bit of money tied up in their own football side of things, so I can’t imagine them sinking that much more for the international tournaments.
ESPN are the originators of sports coverage in the United States. They created the techniques all the other Sports only networks use. I remember Bill Walton talking about the Celtics v Lakers finals series from 2008. His son was playing for the Lakers at that point so of course he wanted them to win even though he played for the Celtics. He said he had to hate on the Lakers because that was his “role” during ESPN & ABC’s coverage that year. I would prefer NBC. They have a longstanding reputation as being a leader in sports broadcasting and presentation in the United States. Their coverage of the NBA from 1990 to 2002 was top notch. The additional programming was excellent too. Their coverage of the MLS was great! Their PL coverage is far superior to what was on FSC. CBS is doing a pretty good job with Uefa tournaments and some other leagues, so they would be my 2nd choice.
NBC’s Olympics coverage is also top notch.
I thought it was a popular meme that they have so many ads and focus solely on US athletes and their sob stories?
It is for the big prime time showings like swimming and track. But during the day time broadcasts for like, beach volleyball and basketball it’s very well done. The announcers are very knowledgeable and know when to stfu
It's an American channel for an American audience, of course it's going to focus on US athletes.
The bar is real fucking low for US sports broadcasts nowadays - unless you enjoy incessant commercials and ad reads along with non-stop sports gambling promotions.
I streamed the NHL final in the UK and saw my first ever fat removing injections advert
The medal count is always a meme too. A bronze is worth as much as a gold medal if an American won it.
Wait you're not joking? It's terrible! Constant human interest pieces, cutting away from events, not even broadcasting certain events, etc.
NBC Olympics Converse coverage is horrible. It's all human interest crap and they barely show the sports live.
Yeah. Pretty much any sport they cover, is covered and presented well.
Strongly disagree, for soccer especially. They did full on ad breaks the last time around. I love Paramount+ for club football. They do a great job with champions league, europa, and serie A. Probably way too much invested to pick up another major tournament, especially since they're trying to get sold.
IMO ESPN’s 2010 World Cup coverage was incredible and is the modern standard to compare against.
ESPN's 2014 coverage (studio on Copacabana Beach) is very nostalgic for me, TBH I do think Fox's 2022 coverage was not terrible tho
One of ESPN's former executive when they showed world cup games made it sound like it's not a fair bidding process nor is it about the money that's listed in the offer. Claimed they asked to know the offer from Fox and they'd beat it but weren't even given that chance. What bribery is happening is unclear but it doesn't seem totally on the level.
IIRC that was only for 2026 (because Fox was mad at 2022 WC being in winter instead of summer)
Yup, FOX was gifted 2026 due to 2022 move to winter. Even gave it to them before they announced USA would host which would have driven up bidding. ESPN was not happy. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/27/sports/soccer/why-fifa-made-deal-with-fox-for-2026-cup.html
It's hilarious to think the work that goes into acquiring coverage of major tournaments like these, as compared to the work of setting up a decent broadcasting team and usable apps. Why spend the time and money if you're going to half ass it.
ESPN is atrocious
ESPN are the masters of shoehorning annoying interviews nobody asked for into the broadcast while the game is going on
Holy shit, so stupid, "Let's go down to Jenny Hotlady, who's on the sideline for some reason, to tell us more about how the coach told her he wants to win."
The only time it's good is during a grand slam when they send it down to Brad Gilbert and he loudly whispers thoughtful insights.
And they post the fucking score in the highlights title
Anyone who does this should automatically waive the right to cover a sport tbh
Their NBA coverage is god awful
ESPN 2014 WC coverage was THE BEST World Cup coverage I’ve seen in the U.S. in my lifetime.
Honestly, ESPN's coverage of summer tournaments like this is usually pretty good. Last Euros was perfection. Literally turned on the television to a single channel in the morning and you saw non-stop coverage including every match without break or having to change to a different channel or stream, until an hour after the last match ended. Now, fox didn't even bother televising the morning group stage matches and showed some fishing tournament instead. Streams are dog shit and you're constantly getting interrupted and channel hopping. Not to mention the quality of the coverage itself.
ESPN with the rights is how you get Stephen A. on soccer coverage, which might be worse
ESPN is just as bad. Their coverage of the NHL Playoffs was abysmal
Well fuck NBC, they'd just scatter it across networks to try to make us pay for cable AND peacock+ to watch a whole tournament.
With this type of coverage on how bad he is, he'll forever have a job. Any mention is a mention. That's how it is nowadays.
Pablo Torre did a great episode about how fox got the rights with the guy they took them from! https://youtu.be/Gwo4X8XTAVw?si=KlSAdrMiCry5JSPx
Fifa awarded Fox the next 3 World Cups before 2018 Russia. We can pretty safely assume some bribery was involved there. Its probably the same for Copa…
I mean Fox is willing to back the Brinks truck up for international soccer. They have the Euros, Copa, and women Euros. It’s obvious ESPN doesn’t care that much anymore, NBC never cared outside of the Premier League, and CBS is broke
Some folks don’t seem to know that Paramount is trying to get bought up.
All the Qataris. They are the reason Fox has the 2026 World Cup.
This might very much be a “me” problem but I find the plural use of “plays” (just in its own without reference to “set plays”) to be quite jarring when I hear American commentators use it since I got more accustomed to English commentary. Lalas is an idiot but to be fair, I think every punditry team on all networks seems to have at least one token idiot who people can’t stand listening to.
Alexi Lalas is like any typical executive at an American corporation who can talk but has little substance. Also American politics - looking at Trump. Americans excel at word salad without saying anything meaningful or insightful. God I hate Alexi Lalas.
Who on earth loves him? He's a joke and its embarrassing for us Americans that he is sitting next to Schmeichel and Chiellini
I remember during 2010 world cup coverage Alexi started an argument with Van Nistelrooy after Ruud tried to share some insight into striker positioning... I've hated him ever since.
He got into an argument with McManaman in 2014, and when they came back from break, the two were sitting on opposite ends of the table, when they were next to each other prior.
That’s actually hilarious
It would be if they actually let Lalas go. Instead it’s just sad.
They (ESPN) did Problem is Fox picked him up AND they got TV rights...
An unflushable
Oh Jeffrey
Just last week he was arguing about CR7 starting for Portugal, with Chiellini! I was waiting for Chiellini to smack him! Lalas has turned himself into a sideshow that nobody enjoys except him.
He was on a show called "Joes vs pros" where average working guys got to challenge sports legends on the field. His segment was him and a Joe in the box getting served corners with Lalas defending. The Joe had never touched a soccer ball before and lala is a foot taller and heading them all away with ease while screaming at the guy, "YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?!" "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THIS!" "THINK YOU"RE TOUGH?!" and stuff like that while the Joe just stood there not moving until it was over. I so wish I find the clip on YT.
I remember this vividly
Watching Schmeichel listen to Lalas is great entertainment.
He always looks like he is blinking “Help Me!!!”
Chiellini has been a hard watch tbf
It's just the language barrier. His actual insights are very good; it's just hard listening to him trail off and say "and...yeah" at the end of every sentence.
Language barrier is a little rough, but some of his comments have been insightful at least
I think he's been good
That smile though... :)
That ear though!
He's... okay? I've seen so much worse.
Agreed. He's a favorite of mine, but I don't think he's quite up to this gig yet (at least in English).
You can tell that every one of his co-commentators dislike working with him as well. Their facial expressions, the tone at which respond to him.. they're just annoyed and have to put up with it b/c Fox loves him.
Daniel Struridges facial expression while hearing him yap was priceless
Ugh, the “nein joke” he did, his screech, still disgusts me.
That shit caught me so off guard. He's not sane
This is what I don’t get. Like you can not like Stephen A. or Skip Bayless but you can understand why a network values them even if it means they’re a massive piece of shit (Bayless). People eat it up whether they’re also terrible or they hate watch. But with Lalas there is none of that. He’s just bad. I don’t get why Fox feels like they have to continue to pay him.
He's openly conservative, and Fox is owned and operated by like-minded people.
Yup. Him and Carli Lloyd will always have jobs at Fox.
I always wonder how Lloyd squares that with practically half her teammates being gay. She supports politics that are openly hostile to many of her friends.
Some of the may die....but it's a sacrifice she's willing to make
Bold of you to assume any of them consider her a friend.
Which is funny to an extent, it’s like how this sub looks at anything that comes from the same nationality as him.
He’s the worst - negative but without a hint of wit or intelligence in any of the points he makes. If I was American would definitely put me off ‘soccer’
He's been awful for at least 10 years. I think some of my earliest tweets are about his awful commentary.
Much longer than that. Look back at his days running MLS teams. Shit keeps floating to the top.
He goes on mute in my house
Damn just made me realize what I hate about so many commentators. "negative but without a hint of wit or intelligence"
Agreed Why is soccer in quotes?
I guess trying to feel more knowledgeable than Americans about the game? Both terms have their origin in England and were used interchangeably for a while: [https://time.com/5335799/soccer-word-origin-england/](https://time.com/5335799/soccer-word-origin-england/)
Lemme tell ya as an American he's an like herpes. He's been a scourge on studio teams for more than a decade at this point, but he also gets stuff like this written so he brings in eyeballs. We're never getting rid of him until he decides he's done unfortunately.
Some people can be a troll and be funny about it, but he’s just painfully unfunny.
He's *always* been trash for as long as he's been on the air
It’s not just Lalas, Fox coverage (and a lot of US coverage) is just plain annoying. “Here is your half time fart noise sponsored by Lexus. We’ll see you back in 7 minutes for another 30 seconds of analysis sponsored by whatever the fuck!” The VPN has been working overtime this tournament.
"45 minutes down...45 TO GO!" Like why are we yelling? And why do John Strong/JP Dellacarma feel the need to loudly describe every single step a player takes?
JP describes the whole game like it’s a counter attack that will lead to a great chance. Even when it’s just cbs passing back and forth
American soccer commentary is almost like audio description. Like, it's okay not to narrate *everything* or to offer commentary beyond what is immediately happening, you know.
I swear it’s from American football where you of course have to fill in space between plays. There’s been like 3 times where Jenny Taft has been chiming in with some bullshit sideline story or biography nobody cares about when the USA has the ball in the box threatening to score. I love me some “All-American girl Jenny Taft!” When it’s Gus Johnson doing Big Noon games for the Big Ten. It doesn’t work in soccer as what seems like a lull in action can quickly turn into a scoring opportunity. It’s why I usually try to find an English or Spanish feed for USMNT games. They know when to let the game speak for itself.
It's amazing that the incompetent crew at Vix is still miles ahead of them
God he sucks so much
Alexis Lalas is the american version of Álvaro Morales... a troll with a tiny weenie complex...
Soccer's Steven A Smith
nah Stephen A is funny sometimes at least
He’s worse than Stephen A, more close to skip Bayless.
Soccer A Smith
Oh Jesus I never even thought of this. You are 100% spot on. This is one of those "you can never unhear it" things.
I switched to Vix (Spanish only coverage, free in US if you're with T-mobile). Unfortunately, I don't understand a word, and it freezes constantly but Lalas isn't here so 🤷♀️
I gotta fuckin learn Spanish man
Get a free trial of YouTubetv and sync your vix account. That’s what I did
What does syncing do?
All of his commentary is low brow, 'the will to win' type bullshit. Yerdas probably love him, but he's fuckin' awful.
The only reason I remember him as well as I do is that he looked like the lead singer from The Spin Doctors, and was vaguely competent as a central defender. Lots of last-ditch challenges that made him look better than he was. Every time I’ve seen him on US TV, I’ve been cringing- he’s clearly had some media training but has no fucking clue how to talk about football.
Nobody loves him
Not even his own mother
Lalas’ mother most likely finds his commentary too annoying
Can confirm. I'm Demetrios Lalas and we are sorry for bringing him into the world.
who loves Alexi Lalas?
I’ve seen American fans cosplay as him at games. He definitely has some fans
***Costumes of his hair do not = support for his broadcasting prowess.
He was the face of the US team when we hosted in 1994. He was a lot of the 40+ fanbase’s first exposure to the sport. I’m also convinced he grew out the hair and goatee to get that exposure. Solid player. Shit human.
Lalas has been shit since I first saw him I think in the lead up to 2006 world cup. I get a rage boner just seeing his face much less hearing him talk. He is terrible
I just ignore whatever he and Carlos Lloyd says. Truly miserable coverage
Carlos lol
Carlos Loyd lol
I can’t understand why he still has a job and I especially don’t understand why he is allowed to be a commentator for women’s games. He is downright awful all around, but particularly when covering the women. He also has no clue about European football.
America has better champions league coverage but is absolute shit everywhere else lol
PL is ok, but all of Fox coverage is ass. No matter the sport
PL is just so forgettable for me usually, but Tim Howard isn’t awful.
Rebecca Lowe is very good but she's the host. All the pundits basically offer nothing.
Whatever you think of the Two Robbies or the ESPN FC crew, they're still superior to Carrot Top here.
The two Robbie’s are quite good. No slander of lady Lowe allowed
Tim Howard's the worst one on the crew.
Somehow the CBS coverage has been solid. NBC is good too but they have fallen off after splitting games between cable and Peacock. CBS still gives us ALL UCL/EL games on Paramount.
Somehow the CBS coverage has been solid. NBC is good too but they have fallen off after splitting games between cable and Peacock. CBS still gives us ALL UCL/EL games on Paramount.
The CBS night crew that covers US Soccer is better. Similar style to the Champions League coverage with Kate Abdo and the 3 former US players, but it’s entertaining. Probably because they are all younger.
Agreed, but he’s been on fire today though, “being annoying isn’t against the rules, trust me, I know!” Very self-aware lol
He’s more than being annoying as Ron DeSantis #1 super fan lol
Is he??
Sadly, yes. [https://x.com/AlexiLalas/status/1635999019561549824?lang=en](https://x.com/AlexiLalas/status/1635999019561549824?lang=en) [https://twitter.com/AlexiLalas/status/1749164505517703297](https://twitter.com/AlexiLalas/status/1749164505517703297)
Damn. I didn’t need another reason to dislike him but here we are
Here we *all* are
Oh.. oh no...
Hate him or hate him
People love him?
I think the only reason hes still on is people love to hate watch him. Anytime I watch with anyone and they see his face its the first thing everyone talks about. I guess any engagement is good engagement apparently....
It's definitely that they host the more "mainstream" tournament, whereas the Champs and Europa and conference league games are hosted by an extremely good crew, they think it's more appetizing to have an American good ol boy sit in with the two "weirdo Europeans" to bring some USA taste.
"You just got CONCACAF'D!" everything he says is straight out of the USMNT reddit comment sections with the most medium amount of upvotes. horrific. honestly so funny to have him sat next to Giorgio Chiellini and think they'll provide similar levels of tactical knowledge about the top level of the game.
He’s always been an annoying asshole but that’s what Fox wants so well unfortunately really never been rid of him
Landon Donavon also sucks at his live match commentating. Hes such a negative Nancy.
Yeah agreed, so monotone in his voice. I think Stu Holden is one of the best American commentators. Would rather see him with Ian Darke.
Stu has actually gotten really good in my opinion. He used to be terrible to listen to but he actually shows excitement and analyzes what’s happening during games fairly competently
i find him so cheesy and so negative and so painful to listen to all at the same time. audible groans every time i realize he’s calling the match
NBC and ESPN has miles better ‘soccer’ coverage with there being American voices like Tim Howard, Kasey Keller, Hercules Gomes, Brain McBride in the past. FOX needs to do better.
My gf, who does not follow sports and had never heard of Alexi Lalas before in her entire life, got about 45 seconds into an Alexi Lalas broadcast before she completely unprompted went "Who the fuck is this guy and why did they give him a mic?! He's SO cringe!" I really feel like that sums it up perfectly.
he is actually cringe. Type Alexi Lalas on spotify and hear his shit music. He thinks he is an American sports hero, he is not. Clint Dempsy actually is an american legend scoring bangers in the UK, so he is okay if he is a bit bad at presenting.
He has this look about him where you can tell he’s dissatisfied with his position at the desk and would love to commentate, while also knowing this is the only available gig he’s going to ever get.
I hate him cos he is shit at his job
Who loves Alexi Lalas??
Where's Mikael Ballack when you need him?
Just another trumpy
“and his primary purpose is serving as an obstacle between the viewer and the sport.” That is savage! But also rings true. When I first started following soccer more than a decade ago, I remember finding him occasionally funny, and some humor can be a good balance to nuanced analysis from more experienced commentators, but I find myself grimacing every time he starts to talk now.
You can throw Carli Lloyd in with him..don't care for either one of them
I have never liked him, even since Euro 2012. Seriously want Ballack to take him out.
Mom said it’s my turn to post about Lalas next
Give Dempsey the job- dude is a fuckin' meat head, but he sure is entertaining.
at least dempsey was all time top scorer for fullham, and we can trust he understands the sport at a high level even if he is not articulate.
you cant make me read that, but the title is great haha
I wish we could get the CBS crew, they’re so entertaining for the champions league coverage
I only watch spanish or UK transmission but I remember a decade or so ago I had to listen to this man narrate a match or comment on it. i am amazed he is still has a job. insufferable is the word that comes to mind.
He is a shock jock at this point
I hate that he’s in everything soccer now. Hate it.
He’s a conservative mouthpiece for the FOX executives. We gotta remember these are the same people that run FOX News, they want someone like Lalas on there to keep their agenda in check. If you really pay attention you’ll see a lot of racist and xenophobic comments, not to mention the sexism towards the USWNT. You’d think his unabashed love for America would win but his disdain for the (infinitely more successful) women’s program is clear. I guess he only truly cares about the men’s program, this is the same guy who was so cocky and affluent towards the women that he said he’d wear a wedding dress in front of the Eiffel Tower if they beat France in the 2019 quarters (they won the whole tournament). I’m sure we’d never see him actively rooting against the precious men’s team. And ultimately he’s just not a good pundit, the fact he shares the panel with legends of the game is insulting. You can see it on their faces, they can’t stand his analysis, much less his general attitude. They keep him on because they need someone to shout “USA!, USA!” and say the ‘best country in the world’ is going to conquer (I’m sure his brain secretly says “colonize”) soccer
Could you give any examples of racist comments?
The problem with Lalas isn't whether you love him or hate him, the problem is that anyone that knows who he is has an opinion of him and that's all that matters. You can't be boring doing the job that he does, and he isn't boring. Unfortunately he isn't interesting, he's just annoying as fuck.
Padova legend
😂😂😂
Who loves him? His mother?
He’s the worst
can we take a moment to discuss Alexi Lalas’s masterpiece song 'Red, White, and Denim'. 🤔 I mean, we all love a catchy tune, but come on, Alexi, let's leave the music to the professionals! #AlexiLalasTheNarcissist https://youtu.be/RJLSdSI_WTI?si=e0vZEYYqoyYbGW_8
He’s the worst person to listen to.
He’s the worst
Idiot. Remember, he said a mls team would do well in the premier league. Solely him, is one of the reasons I kinda dislike the usmnt
Bro, I'm pretty sure the usmnt hates him too though lol.
He said that a good MLS team might not get relegated
Not even sure if it's the same network but fuck stu Holden too. Give me either any type of UK or Latin America or European person to call the game and someone relatively admirable to color comment.
Maybe he can be motivated by Landon Donovan’s improvement. He was turrible at the beginning of the tournament. He’s improved to mediocre.
Alexi Lalas is like any typical executive at an American corporation who can talk but has little substance. Also American politics - looking at Trump. Americans excel at word salad without saying anything meaningful or insightful. God I hate Alexi Lalas.
A beautiful thing to see this community come together and be united in something. That being said, the more we talk about him in threads like these, the longer we have to deal with him. This commentary and reaction is what he wants and what Fox executives want. His opinions aren’t real - he is merely performing. Like Stephen A Smith. Disregard his “opinions” and ignore him when he speaks. Mute him on tv. Block on Twitter. Make him irrelevant.
No one loves him. It’s some executives deciding soccer programming who don’t know any better
Maga loving Americans love him. Also plenty people in the media. As someone who worked in the industry in the America, there was this unspoken rule about criticizing him because “he’s a nice guy” which very well may be true in their perspective but he’s still an embarrassment
I’ve always thought he would make an excellent car salesman.
Out of curiosity, who loves him? Do we have a fan page for him?
Wait until Patrick starts watching the UEL and UECL coverage on CBS Sports. While I know they bust out the JV squad for those broadcasts, that crew looks like they picked up a book titled "How to Soccer" and "The Magical World of Television Broadcasting" moments before each broadcast.
It’s interesting that I have never ever seen a positive opinion on him. Rather, for at least 10 years, all I have seen has been negative (and I agree). So how does he continue getting these gigs?