FIFA World Cup begins in less than 100 days
FOX Sports lead studio analyst Alexi Lalas joined 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to preview the World Cup, set to take place in Qatar beginning in November.
The United States men’s national soccer team is back in the World Cup for the first time since 2014.
The Americans are set to bring a group of young, upstart talent to Qatar in hopes they make some sort of impact to show just how far U.S. men’s soccer has come in the last eight years. Players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson and Matt Turner are among those who highlight the current squad. By the time the World Cup starts in November, only two players will be over 30 years old.
Alexi Lalas was on the squad when the team got to the Round of 16 in 1994. It was the first time the Americans had gotten that far since 1934 in Italy. Lalas is set to be one of the analysts covering the World Cup later this month for FOX Sports.
Lalas told Fox News Digital that the first step for the U.S. team is to get out of the group stage before thinking anything about the knockout stage. The U.S. will have to contend with England, Wales and Iran in Group B.
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Alexi Lalas of United States looks on during the FIFA World Cup 1994. (Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
"You gotta get out of the group and this is by no means an easy group with Wales, Iran and England. But this is a group that you should expect your team, even in 2022, even with this young, inexperienced team, to get out of the group. Then, anything can happen. You’ve got to get out of the group," Lalas said.
"That first game against Wales I think is huge. Obviously, the second game against England is going to be big from a competitive standpoint. But also, it’s U.S.-England on Black Friday. Everybody is going to be home, potentially the largest viewing audience from a television perspective in history for a soccer game when it comes to men. I’m a little excited about a lot of these things. I think that it’s worth your time and I think this team is worth your belief. After you get out of the group, then anything can happen."
Lalas said that while the team is very young, they have a lot of "swagger," which may carry the group into the knockout round
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"This is a very young team, but they got swagger. They got a chip on their shoulder. I think they feel a responsibility to kind of set things right after the team didn’t make the World Cup four years ago," he told Fox News Digital. "We got guys playing all over the world in some great leagues and teams. Christian Pulisic at Chelsea, Weston McKennie over at Juventus, Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams just going over to Leeds, who by the way is coached by American Jesse Marsch, Matt Turner, who was just playing for the New England Revolution, now has gone over to Arsenal. The list goes on and on."
Christian Pulisic with the ball during a game against Uruguay at Children's Mercy Park on June 5, 2022, in Kansas City, Kansas. (Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
While their youth may help them at some points, Lalas said their inexperience on the big stage could end up being a weakness. Wales hasn’t qualified for the World Cup since 1958, but a world-class player like Gareth Bale on their roster makes up for the inexperience. England was runner-up in the Euro last year and have recently been shaky in the Nations League. Iran got huge wins earlier in the year over Lebanon, UAE and Iraq to propel them into the World Cup. Iran has made the last two World Cups, but failed to get out of the group stage.
"I guess a weakness would be the inexperience," Lalas said of the Americans. "You’re going to have a lot of players, most of them, that are playing in their very first World Cup. There’s a chance that every singe player when we step on the field against Wales in that first game there’s going to be a player that’s never been to a World Cup. So, yes, there is some inexperience.
"There’s also the arrogance of youth, which at times can be a positive and at times it can be negative. I guarantee you, at some point, they’re going to do something stupid. That’s what we do when we’re young, right? You just hope that it’s not too much. But also there are going to be moments where they’re not going to give a crap about what people say or what’s written or how much money people make or what kind or how famous they are on the other side. They’re gonna go and say, ‘This is my time and I’m going to take it.’ And I love that about this team. and I think it starts at the top with Gregg Berhalter, who I think has used this last four years to really do something different. And a lot of young players like we talked about here but also foster a mentality that anything is possible."
Weston McKennie stands for the national anthem before a match against Grenada at Q2 Stadium on June 10, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
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Lalas said it’s "crucial" for the U.S. to get off to a good start – and it begins with Bale and Wales.
"If you don’t get that win in that first game, or you lose – knock on wood you don’t – that second game against England, which we know is against a very, very good England, it becomes that much more important," he added.
Lalas said there were a handful of Americans fans should pay attention to come November and December.
"We have the usual suspects to a certain extent because it’s still a young team like the Christian Pulisics. I do think a guy like Brenden Aaronson is going to really excite people with his work ethic and the guy will run through a wall, not in a moronic sense, but he’s just got a wonderful heart and grit that I think a lot of people will gravitate to. A guy like Yunus Moussa, a very young player playing in the midfield. That’s going to be something that’s going to be really interesting. You got a guy like Sergiño Dest over there on that right hand side who plays at Barcelona," he said.
"So again, all of these big clubs where these players play, and this is a whole generation now that’s kind of been groomed from a very early age to be soccer players – and whether that’s good or bad that’s for another time to discuss – but ultimately it has produced a generation that, first off, recognizes and feels they belong there, but also I think is equipped with the tools to deal with the pressure on and off the field. And ultimately, as I said, (has) accepted the responsibility to do big things. And for a lot of them, they will have grown up watching World Cups. And so this will be a moment, a moment just to say, ‘Ah, I’m here, I made it.’ Now, do what you’ve been doing since you were a kid and go out there and do some great things for the country."
Fox Sports broadcaster Alexi Lalas works on the field before the match between the Nashville SC and the Atlanta United at Nissan Stadium on Feb. 29, 2020, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
As for who wins, that’s a different story. France is coming in as the defending champions, having knocked off Croatia in the 2018 World Cup.
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"That’s some good money right there because back when they won the World Cup four years ago, they were still very young and they’ve only gotten better," Lalas said. "Problem is it’s very difficult to repeat when it comes to winning a World Cup. And it’s done very rarely in men’s or women’s, although from a U.S. perspective, going to our third when it comes to the women right now, it’s very, very difficult. People suss you out very quickly. But it wouldn’t surprise me in the very least you know with the (Kylian) Mbappes and Karim Benzema, who is just on fire, is probably the best goal scorer in the world right now in terms of form. There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to France and it wouldn’t surprise me if they go on another run."
The 2022 FIFA World Cup begins Nov. 20 and runs through Dec. 18.
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