Alexi Lalas, the outspoken Fox soccer analyst and former U.S. national team player, has harshly criticized American players for discussing the pressure of playing in a home World Cup. Speaking at a Fox event to promote their 2026 World Cup coverage, Lalas dismissed the notion of pressure, saying, "Cry me a river, OK, when it comes to the pressure. Bunch of whiners, that they’re whining about the pressure."
Lalas, 55, who played for the U.S. during the 1994 World Cup hosted in the United States, has been Fox's lead soccer analyst since 2014. His comments come as the U.S. men's national team prepares for the 2026 tournament, which they will co-host with Mexico and Canada. The Americans are aiming to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.
While U.S. players have acknowledged the pressure, they have not complained. Christian Pulisic, the team's star attacker, said in March, "There's pressure, I feel it. Yes, it's there, but it's nothing that I can't handle. I'm going to attack it head on."
Lalas, however, took a grumpy old man stance. "Allow me to grumpy old man a little bit here," he said. "This is a generation that has been given absolutely everything both on and off the field in terms of resources, opportunities, and pathways. I don't think I'm being unrealistic or unfair by saying we should expect more from this group. We should expect this team to win this group."
Regarding Pulisic, who has struggled recently with no goals in 18 Serie A matches for AC Milan since December and a career-worst eight-game scoreless streak for the U.S., Lalas offered a mixed assessment. He called Pulisic "well on his way to becoming the best male American soccer player in history" but added, "He's a fascinating player in terms of his talent. He's a frustrating player in terms of his personality." Lalas believes Pulisic will find relief when he joins the national team. "He's never going to be the leader that people want him to be, and that's OK because I think there's others that can do that, but he needs to be the star that this team needs."
Lalas predicted the U.S. should advance from the new 32-team group stage and reach the round of 16, where they were eliminated in 2010, 2014, and 2018. With home-field advantage, he said the team could hope to reach "kind of rarefied air." He emphasized the opportunity for players like Pulisic, Weston McKinnie, and Diego Luna to build their brands. "If you star this summer, and this team does well, you will be remembered forever."
Lalas spoke alongside fellow analysts Stu Holden, Carli Lloyd, and Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, as well as studio hosts Rob Stone and Rebecca Lowe. Fox will broadcast 70 games on its main network and 34 on FS1 during the tournament from June 11 to July 19.
Predictions varied among the panel. Hernández picked England or Mexico to win, Holden and Lloyd chose France, Stone selected Spain, Kenworthy backed Portugal, and Lowe went with England. Lalas said he was rooting for "anybody but England," especially given the 250th anniversary of American independence. "You think they are insufferable now? Can you imagine if they came over and won that World Cup and it's coming home through our country? As much as it pains me to say, they are very, very good, and the soccer gods have a wicked sense of humor."
Stone suggested the quarterfinals might be the U.S. ceiling, but home-crowd patriotism could push them to a semifinal. "I would love a 'Miracle on Ice' moment," he said. "I think that's just too far and too soon."
Retired Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimović, a new Fox analyst, joined by video and criticized the lack of boldness in U.S. predictions. "You don't have the courage to say U.S. is going to win the World Cup," he said. "Show some courage and say, 'We're going to win it.'"
Mexico and Canada are co-hosts, and Hernández acknowledged the pressure on El Tri players. "They say I think we can win a tournament, they all call us crazy," he said. "But then the first game happens, and they expect you to play as if you are going to win the tournament."
