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Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Lalas: USA '94 was groundbreaking for soccer — '26 needs to be even better
The 2026 World Cup starts in a year — it'll be here before we know it. This World Cup represents an opportunity and a responsibility for our country. A home World Cup is special. I've lived the power of what a World Cup can do to an individual, and I've also seen how it can fundamentally change a culture. My life changed forever after the 1994 World Cup in the U.S., but soccer in America also changed forever. To this day, I still meet people who point to 1994 as a seminal moment from their youth and a touchstone for when their love of the beautiful game was born and ignited. A few years later in 1999, the women's World Cup produced another legacy moment for the game in the U.S. The reverberations of those World Cup are still felt today. Now we are barreling down the tracks headed for another World Cup in our country. The opportunity the World Cup represents is to once again harness that power and invite people into the soccer tent, hopefully igniting a love that lasts long after the final whistle. The responsibility we have is to make sure we don't screw it up, on or off the field. If we get it right, people will be left with a positive and memorable experience and impression of our country, seen through the lens of the World Cup. The 2026 World Cup is the biggest in history. It has the potential to be the biggest cultural event in world history. Soccer in America has grown and changed dramatically over the past 30-plus years. The World Cup is returning to an American soccer culture that is mature, educated, and discerning. But the opportunity for a positive and lasting impact on another generation is even greater. The 2026 World Cup is the biggest in history. It has the potential to be the biggest cultural event in world history. Regardless of what happens at the 2026 World Cup, history will be written. It's up to us to determine what that history looks like. One year. I can't wait. Alexi Lalas is a soccer analyst for FOX Sports and host of "Alexi Lalas' State of the Union Podcast." He represented the USMNT at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and had a nine-year professional career. In 2006, he became the president of the LA Galaxy and helped bring David Beckham to Major League Soccer. recommended Get more from United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Lower expectations for the USMNT in 2026? Not so fast.
There seems to be a desire by many to adjust and manage their expectations relative to this United States men's national team. It's an honest and understandable reaction, but I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to let these players off the hook so easily. I'm not going to accept that this is as good as it gets. I still believe they can do great things. I still believe they can do things we haven't seen before. It's not delusional or disingenuous. This team doesn't need a cheerleader. It's also not blind faith, although there is an inherent element of faith, given that they haven't done anything special yet. Obviously, I can't simply will these players to be something they will never be. But I think we're settling too soon. We're allowing them to accept being an average U.S. national team. The World Cup kicks off in 445 days. These American players are being given the unique opportunity to play in a World Cup in their own country. Many have already experienced unprecedented fame, fortune, and success at the club level. But nothing will ever compare to the power and impact of doing something special at a home World Cup ... believe me, I know. Yes, there's pressure and responsibility. But there's also glory and opportunity. If I didn't believe that this team is worthy of my high expectations, I wouldn't waste my time. But I don't want to go into the 2026 World Cup just hoping to be pleasantly surprised. So, I refuse to paint this team with the convenient but harmful brush of low expectations that can so easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The 2026 World Cup will come and go. It remains to be seen what its legacy will be. I believe these players have the capacity to do historic things, and things that will be remembered. I acknowledge my red, white, and blue-colored glasses. Maybe I'm Pollyanna. But the alternative is to accept that what hasn't been done, can't be done. I think that goes against everything that America represents, and that this team should represent. This team is undoubtably flawed … all teams are. Its periodic lack of leadership, nastiness, and motivation can be maddening. This may not be a golden generation, or the most talented group this country has ever produced. But I believe they have the capacity to be more than the current sum of their parts. And despite the natural inclination, we do them a disservice by shrugging in apathy. So, I'm doubling down. I'm expecting and demanding better, because I believe they can be. Alexi Lalas is a soccer analyst for FOX Sports and host of "Alexi Lalas' State of the Union Podcast." He represented the USMNT at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and had a nine-year professional career. In 2006, he became the president of the LA Galaxy and helped bring David Beckham to Major League Soccer. recommended Get more from United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
