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Former United States Men’s National Team defender Alexi Lalas has built a broadcasting career around two things: being in the right place at the right time (1994 World Cup) with a unique, ridiculous haircut and his hot takes.
His latest hot take, as he likely attended, has sparked a bit of a reaction after Alexi Lalas suggested that diversity is what’s holding the United States Men’s National Team back at the international level.
Lalas’ comments about diversity within the USMNT comes as the team is in the midst of a difficult moment both on and off the field, with key players sitting out the Gold Cup and former USMNT icons calling them out for it, with a particular beef between Christian Pulisic (and his loudmouth father Mark) and Landon Donovan.
“We often talk about our diversity and we talk about it as one of the advantages we have. But with diversity comes diversity of thought. If I go and ask a hundred soccer people out there on what’s beautiful soccer? I’m going to get a hundred answers,” Lalas said on the Fox Sports 1 talkshow First Things First.
“It may be based on ethnicity, where you grew up, even geography. All of these different things. So I’ve argued that the homogenous nature of some other countries and cultures just in population in terms of size are much more manageable. There is a collective understanding and more importantly, an agreement in this is how we’re going to play. But getting 11 men to represent this great country of 350 million people and all be on the same page, that is very very difficult,” he continued.
“I’ve argued before that maybe our best route to actually being better from a men’s perspective in soccer is actually being more exclusive, not being inclusive… This melting pot fallacy that I’ll be the first to admit, I bought into. I’m not saying it can’t happen. It just takes a lot longer and with a lot more work. And especially when it comes to a national team, you don’t have time to be able to do that.”
One suggestion that Lalas put forth was to strictly take players from certain areas, like New York or Southern California.
“If you went to the New York metropolitan area or Southern California and took players that all grew up in the same area, that would be better in terms of an understanding,” Lalas argued.
Unsurprisingly, Lalas’ take on the effect of diversity on United States soccer has resulted in some accusing the controversial analyst of blatant racism.
The best clubs in the World have players from different countries, ethnicities, religion, background… which by definition is diversity.
But apparently the USMNT 🇺🇸 needs 11 guys that look like cousins and share the exact same ideas to be successful. https://t.co/eG8IDZi5kv
— Tactical Manager (@ManagerTactical) June 16, 2025
This is just blatant racism, no? https://t.co/fn2b3i2UqR
— American Ultras Talk (@usmntaut) June 16, 2025
Blaming your country being bad at soccer on blacks and browns like they don’t carry the little remnants of the sport in America as it is lmaoooo https://t.co/dU1njvvPWw
— YBG Dom (@KnowerOfBans) June 16, 2025
The USMNT, without the service of its stars such as Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Yunus Musah, and so on, will continue their Gold Cup group stage play on Thursday, June 19 against Saudi Arabia. They won their first match of the tournament by a score of 5-0 against Trinidad and Tobago.