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Fox Sports
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Alexi Lalas' Best U.S. XI: Why Turner still starts in goal over Freese
Trying to build the best 11-man squad for a full-strength U.S. men's national team is an interesting little exercise — and one that coach Mauricio Pochettino is hoping he'll have the opportunity to do in the next international window. We're coming off of a Gold Cup where a lot of people were excited, or at least enticed, to be back in the U.S. men's national team tent, and with that excitement comes curiosity about who will start for the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Let's start in goal. There's been so much talk about Matt Freese, who had a viral moment with his penalty saves against Costa Rica in the Gold Cup quarterfinals. But other than that, he didn't stand on his head in any of the games (though, to be fair, he wasn't challenged in a lot of the games). In the Mexico game, I don't think he could have done anything, and he was dependable other than the mistake that he made in the group stage. But you need to more than dependable — you need to have that moment where you establish yourself. I still think he'll get called in, but I also think that, maybe, Matt Turner's sitting on the side like, 'Yeah, how do you like me now?' If there was a game tomorrow, I'd go with Matt Turner in goal, as much as it pains me. But I still think there's a competition. The wild card is Zack Steffen, who I think, if/ when healthy, will legitimately challenge for that goalkeeper position. For now, it's still Matt Turner's to lose. Here's my full post-Gold Cup XI for the United States: 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 Item 1 of 3 Get more from the United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Alexi Lalas' Top 5 U.S. Players At Gold Cup: Luna And Tillman 'Real Stars'
To make the final of a tournament, you have to have some standout performances and, certainly, standout players — this is my best five for the United States at this year's Gold Cup. As you've seen through the tournament with my power rankings, a player could move because they increased their stock, or it could just be someone who has brought it every day. I put Diego Luna at the top because when you talk about stars, it's about the ones that everyone comes to see, and I think, right now, Diego Luna is as big as a star as this U.S. team has had in a long time. Malik Tillman and Diego Luna are the two real stars of the U.S. men's national team. Chris Richards has been wonderful throughout the tournament. I think he's a starter not just this summer but come the World Cup next summer unless something happens. He started every single game and we know this U.S. team needs a striker. I think he's put himself at least in the conversation for future camps. We know what he can do with his set piece prowess. That is important going forward and really a consistency that is going to keep him in the conversation. 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
11-06-2025
- 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
