Alexi Lalas echoed the frustrations of millions of American soccer fans after the men’s national team bowed out of Copa America with a 1-0 group loss to Uruguay.
He stopped short of calling for Gregg Berhalter’s firing, but Lalas made one thing clear: The clock is ticking for the US to improve before hosting the 2026 World Cup.
‘You talk about learning from losing, OK?’ Lalas told the Fox Sports panel after Monday’s loss in Kansas City. ‘I think what we have learned from these cycles is that this team is not able to do anything better than it has done in the past.
‘That hurts to say, because that’s not what was promised. Because if this is as good as it gets, it’s not good enough. There’s plenty of excuses, but they don’t matter.’
And Lalas didn’t exactly let the team’s embattled coach of the hook.
Alexi Lalas echoed the frustrations of millions of American soccer fans on Monday night
He stopped short of calling for Gregg Berhalter’s firing, but Lalas said the clock is ticking
‘When it comes to Gregg Berhalter,’ Lalas began, ‘I know there’s a sport in firing coaches in all professional sports, and I know the knives are out, and they should be, because this is not good enough from Gregg Berhalter.
‘And you have to ask yourself, with 2026 coming barreling down the pike, it’s going to come real quick, we can’t afford to waste it, we can’t afford to be embarrassed, we can’t afford to arrive in the summer of ’26 with a team that has not progressed, that has not evolved and that has not improved.
‘Now I’m sure that if Gregg Berhalter was here he would say, ”Oh, but you don’t see what is happening inside.”
‘I don’t give a crap what is happening inside. I don’t care about the dynamic, I don’t care how much your players love you, I don’t care how kumbaya it is, all I care about is I see a US Men’s National Team that is better than before, and we haven’t seen that, and that’s a problem going forward.’
Christian Pulisic reacts as he leaves the pitch after losing 1-0 to Uruguay in Kansas City
In other circumstances, Lalas’ message may not have been well received.
He’s not the most popular analyst among USMNT fans, and recently told The Athletic ‘I don’t care if you like me or you don’t.’
But on Monday, with fans chanting ‘Fire Berhalter’ on their way out of Arrowhead Stadium, and a similar hashtag, ‘#BerhalterOut,’ trending on X, Lalas seemed to hit the right note.
‘I don’t agree with Alexi often but he hit the nail on the head post-game,’ wrote one fan. ‘This is the most talented generation, but do they display the same grit and fight as the teams even a decade ago…no. Culture starts at the top.’
‘Everyone hates on Alexi Lalas but personally I think him and Taylor Twellman are a breath of fresh air,’ another wrote, referring to the Fox analyst and his Apple TV counterpart.
‘In a world and sports media that’s increasingly politically driven and all about not stepping on toes those two guys just tell it like it is. We’re not good enough. Period.’
