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Ever since he burst onto the worldwide scene at the 1994 World Cup thanks in part to his unmistakable fiery red goatee and flowing locks, Alexi Lalas has been one of the Apostles of spreading the world on U.S. soccer.In the 15 years since the U.S. announced its ambition on the world stage, Lalas has witnessed the gradual steps as soccer awareness in America has slowly crept from the fringes, edging closer to the mainstream.
So when his brother Greg decided to host a soccer-themed film festival -- Kicking & Screening -- earlier this year in New York, he jumped at the chance to help. And when Greg Lalas decided to host another event next week in Washington, well, Alexi Lalas was going to be there to both help his brother and help spread the gospel of soccer.
Alexi Lalas will be part of the second Kicking & Screening festival, participating in a soccer-themed poetry reading (his mother Anne Woodworth is a poet) on Oct. 16 at the Busboys & Poets before the screening of "Sons of Saknin United."
"It's something that's fun to be involved with and is near and dear to my heart," Alexi Lalas said. "At the end of the day it brings soccer people together.
"There is this whole, I don't want to call it a soccer underground anymore, but there's been a whole literary culture with at least a thread of soccer in it."
Lalas, the 1995 U.S. Player of the Year, will be pulling double-duty in the nation's capital next week, both helping his brother promote Kicking & Screening, as well as working for ESPN as a analyst as the U.S. national team wraps its 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with a match against Costa Rica at RFK Stadium on Oct. 14.
For all U.S. supporters heading to the match, including both Lalas brothers, are hopeful it'll be a celebration with the U.S. already wrapping up an automatic berth. For that to happen, the U.S. needs to either win at Honduras Saturday night or get a result and hope Costa Rica stumbles against Trinidad & Tobago.
Alexi Lalas -- a veteran of numerous qualifying battles in Central America -- figures the U.S. will have its hands full with a tough Honduras team, which can put itself on the precipice of booking a place in South Africa next June with a result against the U.S. (Honduras would automatically qualify with a win and Costa Rica loss.)
"(Honduras) is like a lot of places in Central America where it's a crazy environment from when you touch down at the airport to the time you leave," he said. "They'll have their hands full with the environment and a Honduras team that's playing with incredible confidence who can see the light at the end of the tunnel in their grasp and who believes they're a better than the U.S. team."
Throw in a shaky political situation -- Honduras is in the midst of a political coup -- and Bob Bradley's team should have its hands full.
"When we started this process not a lot of people were talking about Honduras being where they are," Lalas said. "The U.S. has to play a smart game."
On that note, Lalas thinks the U.S. would be okay leaving Honduras with a draw, but doesn't necessarily think the team's mindset should be playing for a tie from the opening whistle.
"Any time you go down to places like (San Pedro Sula) the first 20 minutes are important to weathering the storm," he said. "At the same time, the U.S. has made a transition from instead of absorbing pressure, they want to establish some offensive rhythm. The days of the U.S. sitting back and absorbing pressure in Central America are long gone."
Unfortunately for Lalas, and most U.S. fans, the game will not be broadcast in America, instead the Honduran Federation sold the rights to a Brazilian media company which tried to sell the match to ESPN and Fox. Both companies balked and as a result it will only be seen on select closed circuit locations across the country.
"This is an unfortunate byproduct of the success of American soccer and ESPN," Lalas said. "The rights aren't held by the U.S., therefore people have to bid. As much as we love soccer, there's only so much people are willing to do. ESPN will not be involved with the broadcast, but it's not like we'll ignore the game is going on. If the U.S. happens to qualify, ESPN will be on top of it."
Lalas also offered some takes on a couple other issues surrounding the U.S. national team.
He isn't too concerned with the lack of playing time for Oguchi Onyewu since he transferred to AC Milan over the summer. As a former central defender, who also played in Serie A, he thinks Onyewu will be ready for both qualifiers.
"From a national team perspective, you want him playing games," he said. "He's also the type of player there his game is pretty straightforward and doesn't change a lot. Playing in Italy you'll get the nuances that would make him better. I still think we'll get a good performance from Oguchi."
Lalas also gave his opinion on one of the enigmas of U.S. soccer -- Clint Dempsey -- who is out for the Honduras game with a shoulder injury.
"The situation with Clint is he hasn't played, as far as I'm concerned, consistently well, but you get that one moment of brilliance and at the highest level that sometimes what you need," Lalas said. "Sometimes we've seen 89 minutes of subpar, uninterested soccer then score a goal. What happens when it's at the highest level in a World cup and instead of 89 minutes it becomes 90 and you don't get that moment and you've wasted it?"
Lalas thinks part of the inconsistency of Dempsey's play in the U.S. shirt is his tendency to drift from his stated right midfield role and into the center of the field. He's also like to see whoever lines up at right midfield to play as a complement to Landon Donovan on the left.
"You can't argue with Clint's ability," Lalas said. "He seems like a different player at Fulham, but that's sort of comparing apples to oranges. Nobody can have a free role any more. If we're not playing with a right side, that's a weakness. If Clint continues to drift, the U.S. will have to find a way to exploit it in a positive sense and hope and pray whoever is at right back is a man among boys."
Lalas likes what he's seen from a possible candidate to replace Dempsey in the starting lineup vs. Honduras -- Stuart Holden -- but doesn't want to put too much pressure or responsibility on a young player.
"The tendency is to push him along faster than he needs to be pushed," Lalas said. "With the World Cup coming everyone wants him to be ready. There's no doubt he's got quality, but I'd hate to have him pushed into a situation he can't handle when we can recognize in eight months from now he might not be the guy, but four years and eight months from now we'll have a hell of a player."
Assuming the U.S. banks the necessary points against Honduras and Costa Rica to ensure an automatic place in South Africa, Lalas says that Dec. 4 is a day all U.S. fans should circle since its the date of the FIFA draw for the 2010 World Cup. That, Lalas thinks, more than anything could determine the fate of the U.S.
"It'll answer some questions, but it brings up very many more," he said. "Right now, for the U.S., I just think that we still struggle to get over the hump of being the underdog to not necessarily the favorite, but on equal footing. It's a hard transition for a team like the U.S. that has played so long as so well as the underdog. I'd like to see them matched up with teams where they're the underdog."
In the end, Lalas is hopeful that the week of Oct. 12 serves as both a celebration for U.S. soccer on the film and soccer cinema in the States around the DC area.
"If it comes down to having to beat or tie Costa Rica at RFK, I like our chances," Lalas said. "If all hell breaks loose and we somehow finish fourth, it doesn't mean we're out, but nobody wants to get to that point."
For more information on Kicking & Screening, please visit it's website.
