ON THE DL

The State Of American Soccer With Alexi Lalas

The most recognizable man in the history of American soccer -- Alexi Lalas -- joins the show to talk about the US Men’s National Team, the MLS and the state of American Soccer.

(Full disclosure: I spent nearly 15 years at Rutgers, both as a student and working in the athletic department. Lalas is the best player in the history of Rutgers soccer -- with all apologies to Peter Vermes -- so it’s a personal thrill to finally get to talk with him.)

We run down Lalas’ career, as he tries to sell himself as a player with a ‘modicum of talent’ and a lot of hair. He was much more than that, including being one of the faces of the 1994 US World Cup team. Was the 94 World Cup the proudest moment of his soccer career?

For those new to the game, the 94 team was more important than any other team (at least in my lifetime) because American soccer was looked down upon from the international soccer community. With the United States hosting the World Cup, a positive showing from the team was imperative. And that team exceeded expectations by defeating Columbia and advancing out of pool play. Their effort, combined with the unbelievable showing of support by fans around the country, built the MLS.

Fifteen years later, I ask Lalas about the state of US Soccer. The 2002 World Cup was both glorious and heartbreaking for the US, as the team defeated Portugal in pool play to help advance to the knockout stages, beating rival Mexico before failing to take out Germany. The 2006 World Cup was a great disappointment for the US team. But the foundation has been built over the last decade and a half, including what’s been done with MLS. So, as we taped this on Saturday, the US team had a chance to take down Spain and Brazil in back-to-back matches, just a week after needing a miracle (3-0 and a 3-0 Italian loss) to advance in this very tournament. What exactly is the state of American soccer?

“I think it’s healthy. I think what has happened on the field in terms of the players we’re producing and some of the teams we’re producing – whether it’s a national team or an MLS team – is incredible, in terms of growth in the short time that it’s taken.

“And off the field, the infrastructure, when you talk about stadiums being built and new teams coming into the league and the incredible resources that youth players have, whether it be academies or the coaching that has improved, that’s all all positive type of stuff.”

Lalas understands that a generation of US Soccer fans -- and the Johnny-come-lately’s of the American sports world -- want to see more success than the US has shown. But Lalas reminds us all that it’s a process.

“You know, we’re the U.S. and we want things immediately. We want the team to win a World Cup and we sometimes lack a little bit of perspective. And at times we kick ourselves when we should also be patting ourselves on the back for what’s happened.

“I’m real happy and I’m real bullish about the future of soccer. It doesn’t mean that we’re going to win a World Cup next summer and it doesn’t mean that we’re going to suffer some defeats that shouldn’t happen. But it’s all about the growth.

“As we improve technically and tactically, and get better and better players, we can’t lose that heart and that spirit that all American soccer teams – and for that matter American soccer players – have kind of brought. It’s that American sports mentality, because that is going to serve us in a tremendous way.”

Lalas played both internationally and in MLS. For those under a rock, Lalas was a big part of the team that brought David Beckham to the United States. As an executive with LA Galaxy at the time, Lalas was partly responsible for stopping the international sports world on its axis with the signing of Becks. We discuss the move, which Lalas states, ‘there was so much more good than bad.” We also talk about his quote at the time equating the skill of MLS to that in the English Premier League. Two years later (and no longer working for the LA Galaxy) does Lalas still feel that way?

“Look, we do not have a monopoly over here on horrible soccer. It’s played every day all around the world, and many games, if you watch in the EPL are absolutely horrible.”

Lalas isn’t wrong. In any sports league there is going to be high quality play and poor play. Much of the focus of the EPL is on the top few teams, but a match between two of the teams fighting to avoid relegation will not be at the same level as a Champions League match between two EPL squads. Lalas made a point to address that issue as well.

“I still believe that MLS, while maybe not the most entertaining league in the world, is certainly the most competitive because of the salary structure, because of the roster limitations that don’t exist (in EPL). You don’t have your top four teams who have all the money, all the players and win every single – well not every single game – but 70% of their games, and go out on the field knowing that. And I do believe we have the quality to compete.

“It’s not just me pounding my chest or anything like that. I do believe that American soccer players, or players who play in America, get a tremendous foundation when they do play in MLS. And if they were given opportunities to go over, especially to some of the big teams over there, I don’t think they would miss a beat. And if we put a collection of players together I think that it could compete over there.”

Lalas was one of the players the MLS needed to get off the ground and it was widely known that players from the national team were pressured into playing for MLS. While there are many USMNT players playing in MLS, many top players still play overseas. Is that balance incongruent? In other words, does the success of the national team need players to compete at high levels overseas, and therefore hurt the overall quality of player in the MLS?

“I don’t necessarily buy in to the fact that just because you’re playing in MLS that you can’t have success on the national level and that a team that was fielded with the majority of MLS players couldn’t have beaten the Spain team the other day. I do feel that there are times where playing overseas and getting that experience is the right thing to do, not just from an economic standpoint but from a developmental standpoint for some of these players.”

I bring up a player like Jozy Altidore, who at the age of 19, is already playing his club soccer overseas. Is that path still the right one for young players on the fast track to national team success? Lalas was fortunate enough to play in Italy for years before coming back to the US. Are there still greater opportunities in Europe?

“Jozy Altidore is a perfect example. He’s played very well, and he’s worked himself into form. The problem is that he’s not playing club soccer right now, on a consistent basis. So just because you go over to Europe doesn’t mean that it solves everything. You have to go to the right place where you’re making good money, and you have to go to a place, more importantly, where you’re playing consistently. Because if you just want to go to Europe to play there’s flights leaving every day from JFK. So you’ve gotta find the right situation.”

The conversation of playing in Europe leads to a brief discussion of the problems of racism in soccer. Much was made about FIFA’s efforts to stamp out racism in soccer, so I ask Lalas what it’s really like playing in Europe. We have racism here in the States, so I don’t mean to downplay anything here, but our top athletes are celebrated no matter what color they are. In Europe, many players fear for their safety, both on and off the pitch.

Shifting back state-side, we discuss the economics of the MLS. With so many other sports leagues having financial troubles -- including major layoffs with the NFL, MLB attendance in some cities in the four digits and the NBA needing to take out loans for teams to stay afloat -- how is MLS able to expand? Does MLS have a realistic business model, especially in today’s economic climate?

Lalas points out that the MLS has, in a way, changed the target audience for their product. It’s not about getting people to the stadiums. It’s about getting soccer fans to the stadiums.

“When you talk about Philadelphia coming on line, what’s happened in the past couple of years with some of the teams coming in – whether it’s a Toronto or what they’re doing up in Seattle – they’ve really kind of moved away from the initial phase of making it much more of a family friendly kind of barney environment.

“And I don’t say that MLS games shouldn’t be family friendly, but they’ve really concentrated on making it much more organic and recognizing that there’s people out there who want soccer and understand soccer and we’re not having to explain the game to everybody. That’s important. That’s a great step to take.

“There was a time where we were just trying to gather up as many people, whether they were into soccer or not, and we still have to be able to appeal to them, but we don’t have to dumb it down, which is a great thing.”

Again, we talked on Saturday, so it was hard to know how the US team would fare against Brazil, but we discussed the state of US Soccer moving forward, including the team’s chances for success at the 2010 World Cup. Lalas reminds us how difficult it is to win at the highest of international levels -- even teams that have been there many times can struggle in the World Cup -- but the effort and heart are what’s key for this US National team.

“It’s unrealistic, and unfair to a certain extent, for a team to do well in a couple of games – and very well against some very,
very good teams – and then automatically say that we can win a World Cup.

“We can win a World Cup, but the reality is, tomorrow we can go out and play Spain and lose 5-0. Tomorrow we can go out and play Brazil and lose 5-0. On the day, the team was better than Spain, and that’s what’s the most important. But you also had an incredible perfect storm to get the team to that point. You can’t count on that happening in a World Cup.”

And what, as American soccer fans, and those who hopped on board this weekend to ride the recent success of the United States’ team, should we take from the Confederations Cup?

“I think the best part of this whole thing, in terms of the Confederations Cup, is that we’ve finally seen a positive message sent to not just US Soccer fans, but sports fans in general that even are coming to it late, that this is a team that when playing against the best, can bring a heart and a spirit. For a while, we weren’t quite sure.

“This is the last time we’re really seeing them in as close as we can get to a World Cup. So who is going to show up next summer? The team that comes out and was lethargic and looks like they’re scared and doesn’t play with that heart we’re talking about that you always associate with an American team, or the team that came out against Spain and recognized the situation, did what they needed to do, took their chances and then defended like banshees – needed a little bit of luck here and there, sure – but really made us proud after those 90 minutes. It remains to be seen.”

We close with some fun questions, including what Jersey I should buy for my two year old daughter (he sticks with his defensive brethren) and if he’s been back to Rutgers lately. If so, what’s his favorite sandwich at the grease trucks. His answer is better than mine would be.

A really fun and interesting look at the state of soccer in this country. Will soccer ever take over football or baseball? No. But its time is coming. My generation grew up playing the game so our kids are now a second generation of soccer players, and soccer fans. And in terms of the international game, the US is still in its infancy. Good things are coming for American soccer.

My thanks to Alexi for taking the time out of his weekend. And as always my thanks to you. If you’re new to the site, please stick around, subscribe, email us and follow us on Twitter. All that good stuff.