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You can call it football — just don’t expect Alexi Lalas to do the same.
The former USMNT defender is working yet another World Cup as an analyst for Fox, and he’s once again proven to be a polarizing presence on air.
On Thursday, Lalas brought his brash personality to social media as he responded to a fan asking him to call the sport soccer.
“Alexi we need to talk about you continuing to call the sport ‘soccer’ cmon man.. you could bridge the gap,” an X user wrote. “Even the US players call it ‘football’ in overseas interviews out of respect.”
Alexi Lalas refused a fan’s request to call the sport “football”, calling it “cringe.” FOX Sports via Getty ImagesLalas was having none of the “cringe” request.
“Yeah…that’s not gonna happen. I call it soccer. I own it proudly,” he began.
“I never apologize for it. If you grew up calling it soccer and changed out of insecurity or some misguided belief it makes you more authentic/credible…it doesn’t. It’s cringe. It makes you look like a weak poser.”
The fiery response is not the first headline that Lalas has made during this World Cup.
Ahead of the USA’s debut against Paraguay last week, Lalas and colleagues Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Rebecca Lowe were discussing James Corden hosting a late-night World Cup show for Fox.
Lalas then stunned his fellow panelists as he joked: “What do you guys call them? A full kit w—-, right?”
Lalas and Ibrahimovic have also sparred a bit during this tournament, and the legendary striker jokingly reveled in Lalas’ absence from the Fox studio show on Friday.
“America, you’re welcome,” the former PSG star said.
Nonetheless, there’s been plenty for Lalas to enjoy in this tournament so far, with the USA already confirmed as Group D winners following comfortable wins against Paraguay and Australia.
The USMNT will face Turkey on Thursday in what has become a dead rubber (Turkey are eliminated), before playing a yet-to-be-determined third-place finisher on July 1 in the round of 32.
English (US)