Alexi Lalas
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| Alexi Lalas | ||
 |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Panayotis Alexander Lalas | |
| Date of birth | June 1, 1970 | |
| Place of birth | Birmingham, Michigan, United States | |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |
| Playing position | Defender | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1988-91 | Rutgers | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1994-1995 1995-1996 1996-1997 1997 1998 1999 2001-2003 |
Padova → Padova (loan from MLS) New England Revolution → Emelec (loan) MetroStars Kansas City Wizards Los Angeles Galaxy |
33 (2) 11 (0) 57 (3) 27 (4) 30 (9) 69 (7) |
| National team | ||
| 1991-1998 |
United States |
96 (9) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Panayotis Alexander (Alexi) Lalas (born June 1, 1970, Birmingham, Michigan) is a retired American soccer defender, who became one of the most famous soccer players in the United States after he played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He became the first modern-era American soccer player to play in the Italian Serie A.[1] In 2006, he was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Lalas is currently the president and general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.
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[edit] Playing career
[edit] High school
Lalas attended Cranbrook Kingswood High School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. While he did not begin playing soccer until he was eleven, he had honed his skills enough to be named the 1987 Michigan High School Player of the Year his senior year. In addition to playing soccer, he was a member of his school’s state championship hockey team.[2]
[edit] College career
Lalas attended Rutgers University where he played on the men’s soccer team from 1988 to 1991. During his four seasons at Rutgers, he led the Scarlet Knights to the NCAA Final Four in 1989 and the National Championship Game in 1990.[3] Lalas was named a third team All-American in 1989 and 1990. In 1991, he gained first team All American recognition and was selected as both the Hermann Trophy and Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year awards. As in high school, Lalas also played hockey in college, leading the team in scoring in 1989.[4]
[edit] Padova
Following the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Lalas signed with Italian Serie A club Padova. While Lalas anchored the team’s defense and scored several goals off set pieces, Padova finished the 1994-1995 season at the bottom of the standings. Only after winning a relegation play off on June 10, 1995, did the team ensure its survival in the top ranks for the next season. On June 25, 1995, Major League Soccer (MLS) signed Lalas to a play for one of the new league’s teams. While MLS had intended to begin playing in 1995, it had run into difficulties and so delayed the first season until 1996. In order to allow Lalas to maintain his match fitness, MLS loaned him back to Padova for the 1995-1996 season. Lalas last played for Padova in a home game against Lazio on February 25, 1996.
[edit] MLS
Prior to the inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) draft in February 1996, the league allocated high profile players throughout the league’s ten teams. As part of this process, MLS placed Lalas with the New England Revolution. Lalas was a regular on the Revs backline during the 1996 and 1997 seasons. In November 1997, the Revs loaned Lalas to Ecuadorian First Division Club Emelec for a month. He returned to New England at the end of December only to find himself traded to the MetroStars on February 4, 1998. He spent the 1998 season with the MetroStars before being traded, along with Tony Meola, to the Kansas City Wizards for Mark Chung and Mike Ammann on January 28, 1999. Lalas spent one season with the Wizards before announcing his retirement on October 10, 1999. Just over a year later, he returned to playing when he signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy as a discovery player on January 14, 2001. Nearly three years later, he retired again, this time permanently, on January 12, 2004.[5]
[edit] National team
Lalas earned 96 caps, scoring nine goals, the U.S. National Team between 1991 and 1998. His first cap came in a 2-2 tie with Mexico on March 12, 1991 in the 1991 NAFC Championship.[6] He gained his second cap four days later in a 2-0 win over Canada. While he started both games, he did not gain another cap until he came on for Fernando Clavijo in a 2-2 tie with Denmark on January 30, 1993. His next game, a start, came on March 23, 1993 in a 2-2 tie with El Salvador. While he became a fixture on the team through the rest of 1993, he did not cement his position as a starter in the U.S. central defense until the beginning of 1994. He went on to start and play all ninety minutes in the four U.S. games of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and was named an honorable mention All-Star. On June 11, 1995, Lalas flew directly from a relegation playoff game with his club team, Padova, in order to appear in the second half of a 1995 U.S. Cup victory over Nigeria.[7] His contributions to the national team led to his selection as the 1995 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. While Lalas was on the roster for the U.S. at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he never entered a game.[8] His last cap had come in the final U.S. tuneup for the finals, a May 30, 1998 scoreless tie with Scotland where he was a second half substitute for Ernie Stewart.
[edit] Amateur
He is playing as a part-time player at the moment for Hollywood United F.C. an American soccer club based in Southern California, known for all the celebrities and the former pro players.
Lalas was selected as one of three overage players on the U.S. Olympic teams at both the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.
Lalas remains something of a folk-hero among Scottish football fans, on account of his goal for the United States in their 2-0 win over England in 1993, as much as for his flamboyant personality.[citation needed]
[edit] Post-playing career
[edit] Broadcaster
During his sabbatical from soccer in 2000, he announced soccer matches on NBC for the 2000 Summer Olympics and co-hosted ESPN2's MLS Extratime. He also performed in-studio analysis for ESPN and ABC Sports coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In addition, he provided color commentary for San Jose Earthquakes television broadcasts.
[edit] General manager
After his retirement from MLS, Lalas took a job as the general manager of the San Jose Earthquakes. In 2005, he was transferred within the Anschutz Entertainment Group organization to become the president and GM of the MetroStars and oversaw their transition to Red Bull New York, as AEG sold the club to Red Bull. In April 2006, he resigned from that position to take over the Galaxy, also owned by AEG.
[edit] Musical career
Lalas was a member (guitars, vocals) of the Gypsies, releasing two albums Woodland and Jet Lag, and opening eight shows for Hootie & the Blowfish on their 1998 European tour. He released a solo album Ginger and single Goodnight moon in 1998 on CMC International records.
[edit] References and notes
- ^ This essay on U.S. soccer history, however, indicates that other two American-born players, Alfonso Negro and Armando Frigo, appeared for Serie A teams in the late 1930s, making Lalas the third American-born player in the Italian top league.
- ^ Alexi Lalas Biography - Plays College Soccer, High Profile Player At World Cup, Played In Italy, Chronology, Played For Mls Team - SELECTED WRITINGS BY LALAS:
- ^ Rutgers History
- ^ SoccerTimes.com profile
- ^ MLS timeline
- ^ RSSSF national team results
- ^ Sports Illustrated
- ^ Team Roster
[edit] External links
- Profile on UsSoccerPlayers.com
- Soccer times profile
- Alexi Lalas Myspace
- Rutgers soccer history
- Padova stats
- MLS stats
- Alexi Lalas at Allmusic
| Preceded by Marcelo Balboa |
U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year 1995 |
Succeeded by Eric Wynalda |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Lalas, Alexi |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Professional soccer player and executive |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 1, 1970 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Birmingham, Michigan |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
