Savage…
The World Cup so far has been absolutely incredible. From the play on the pitch, to the viral fan moments, to the camaraderie and celebration going on around North America right now… I’m honestly not sure how it could be much better. Of course, we have all seen the kind of generational run that Freddy, the viral German tourist, is on, but across the States we have European tourists getting a first hand look at American culture, and shattering any preconceived notions in the process. We all know the media (and social media) likes to stir up drama and controversy to score political points, and early in the World Cup we saw some of those narratives start to take off… the United States is racist, the United States is unsafe, Americans don’t care about soccer, there is no buzz… a whole bunch of nonsense.
All these miserable clowns were trying their hardest to make a North American World Cup look like a joke, and then the soccer fans started showing up, and the evidence is inescapable… everyone, Americans included, are having an absolute blast. We got English lads taking over Billy Bobs, sucking down Shiner Bocks and brisket, we have the Scottish drinking Boston dry, Japanese fans going viral for cleaning up the stadiums after the games, Norwegians rowing everywhere and anywhere, Mexican and Koreans were partying together last night… it’s proven once again that sports is the great unifier. People from all walks of life, cultures, races, religions are coming together, completely united under one common goal… to have a good time celebrating their teams. And not to mention the stadiums here are incredible… infrastructure isn’t perfect, but nobody had to build a damn thing to host this giant international tournament. It’s restoring faith in humanity and we’re barely into the second round.
The one singular dark spot has been the American broadcast on Fox. Anchored by Rebecca Lowe, along with an expert panel featuring soccer legends Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimović… they just can’t seem to stand American soccer media personality and former player, Alexi Lalas. The lack of chemistry is downright awkward, and between Zlatan’s trolling and Henry’s bewildered looks, it’s probably time to make a change.
And they did… this morning Alexi Lalas wasn’t at the desk with others, and naturally Zlatan couldn’t help but take one last shot at Lalas.
OOF… brutal. Hello 911… I’d like to report a murder, please?
Soccer fans, both here and abroad have always been critical of Lalas and his “hot takes,” and I’m not even sure how he still has a job as Fox’s lead soccer analyst. Seems like he’s been on TV for decades, but certainly doesn’t have the US soccer resume to match. He certainly couldn’t carry the jock straps of legends like Henry and Ibrahimovic. But you don’t have to be a great player to be a great analyst, you just have to know what you’re talking about, and Alexi seems to favor “hot takes” and bold proclamations (that can go viral) over simple, informative, soccer analysis. Plus, he’s the only clown in town shilling for the insufferable hydration breaks.
But to make matters worse, he told Zlatan that he’d rather have Haaland over him earlier in the tournament… that’s a great way to make your co-host hate you, eh?
Here’s another gem:
Yeah, the tension is STRONG. Zlatan has always been the one to say the quiet part out loud, and God bless him for it.
Rebecca confirmed that Lalas will be back behind the desk eventually, but was instead outside the stadium in Seattle with former U.S. women’s national team star Carli Lloyd and USMNT star Clint Dempsey, mixing it up with the fans. But maybe he should stay out there… let him work the crowd a little instead of calling people “fookin’ wankers” on live TV.
