Alexei Lalas is someone with candid opinions that I always enjoy hearing. The FOX studio analyst and National Soccer Hall of Famer might just be the finest American home grown soccer commentator around.
Panayotis Alexander “Alexi” Lalas is as candid and as entertaining as it gets.
Happy Independence Day everyone!
Every summer the sport gains more momentum and this Women’s World Cup will continue the movement.
Alexei Lalas is in a unique position to speak authoritatively on the topic as he covered the Men’s World Cup for ESPN last year and will cover the Women’s side this year for FOX. He said Bristol set the bar last year, and with no offense to the World Wide Leader, FOX has zipped right past it this year.
Lalas said: “the difference between last year and this year is that the U.S. has a chance to win the World Cup and it doesn’t matter whether you’re a die hard soccer fan or somebody who’s just coming to the game, the opportuinty to sing the national anthem, to raise the flag, to scream U-S-A! for a team that has the potential to win because we know that’s what america is about, and that’s something pretty special.”
“So we’re going to make sure we have a big tent, and that we entertain people and that we do it in the right way with respect to the teams and the players and the sport.”
Alexi Lalas says U.S. fans should expect their team to win the World Cup:
“No one has put more resources, money, attention or focus into their women’s program than the United States. With that, we expect results. If you’re a U.S. fan, you should expect this team to win the World Cup. Anything less, maybe you could consider it a failure. They care about winning and they expect their team to win. That type of pressure is engrained. We’ve said this since 1999, and it’s certainly time to change that, but it’s not time to change the expectation. Expect your team to win this summer because of the talent that they have, because of the resources that they are given and because of the success that they have had.”
Merica! or Murrica! U-S-A! U-S-A! But seriously folks, the U.S. has been a favorite or co-favorite in every World Cup played since 1999; the last time they hoisted the trophy. Last time out in 2011, they lost to Japan in a tightly contested final match. If they do win it all this time; it will happen on July 5th- the day after America’s 229th birthday.
Happy Fourth of July everybody!
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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