Conversation with Carli Lloyd and Alexi Lalas of Fox Sports

Former U.S. National Team players Carli Lloyd and Alexi Lalas sat down with me at the annual United Soccer Coaches Convention for SiriusXM FC. We all have one thing in common - Rutgers University. Lalas played for the Scarlet Knights from 1988-91 and helped them reach the National Finals in 1990. Lloyd played for me on the women’s side where she remains the schools all-time leading scorer and led RU to its first NCAA Sweet 16 in 2001.

Lalas had 96 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team while Lloyd is a two-time FIFA World Player of the Year with two World Cup titles, two Olympic Gold Medals and that historic hat trick in the 2015 World Cup final against Japan.

Both will be studio hosts for Fox Sports coverage of Copa America and the EURO’s this summer.

Here is our conversation which includes discussion about honest opinions and hard feelings. It is slightly edited for clarity.

Glenn Crooks: When did you really get to know each other? You knew each other at least as acquaintances as former Rutgers athletes and stars, but did you really know each other then?

Alexi Lalas: I think I met you at Rutgers as a matter of fact. At one point we did an appearance there. I think I have a picture of it because I had a real creepy mustache at the time. I think I scared the crap out of her. It was a while ago, and we were just kind of ships passing in the night over the years.

Carli Lloyd: It's funny, because I was a player obviously and now I've crossed over into this TV world and I’m graciously sitting next to Alexi Lalas on the desk. Alexi was always shit-talking, right? He always had something to say – ‘you're not going to win the 2019 World Cup’ or this or that, or ‘Carli is too old.’. There would be bits that I would hear and I'm like, Alright, I'm gonna show this guy, you know. And I think it's kind of funny - people would say, ‘did you hear what Alexi Lalas said?’ And I'm like ‘no,’ but I always embraced that and I always used that as extra fuel and extra motivation. Now [that I’m] coming over onto this side and meeting Alexi Lalas the person.

GC: How does it compare?

CL: He’s got a heart of gold.

GC: Alexi - what exactly did you say about Carli in 2019?

AL: We did an appearance in New York City on a rooftop [as] a send-off type of thing for the women. Carli to her credit came up and we started talking about different stuff and she point blank - you know, she gets into that ice stare of Carli Lloyd, right?

GC: I’ve been there.

AL: And she says ‘how do you think we’re going to do?’ And she knew what I was gonna say. I turned to her and I said, ‘I think you're gonna be great, and then you're gonna bomb out against France.’ So, then the ice turned to icicles, ready to stab me in the heart. To her credit, she just kind of nodded and that was the last we spoke of it. Evidently, the United States Soccer Federation should be paying me for being a motivational speaker and motivating people.

CL: Well, you were not too motivating this last World Cup.

AL: The check didn’t clear. Let me just say something about the great Carli Lloyd - and I've told this to her before - the fearlessness in which she now goes about this job is something that she showed on the field that we both know and that millions of people know. That she has been able to translate that to her business in front of the camera should come as no surprise - but it is a surprise, because there's a lot of people that aren't able to do that. 

I know in a very short period of time, she's already grown and become a huge part of our FOX Soccer coverage of all the different things that we do. I get the privilege of sitting next to her. It's not a privilege for her. It's something she has to work through. I'm sitting next to her and I get to listen to this woman talk about the game that I love, and say things that are so interesting, and so provocative - and again, I don't have to agree or disagree with her, and as a matter of fact, that's some of the best stuff that is out there. I'm just having a really good time working with Carli. There is a persona on stage and in front of the camera, but the people behind it are the ones that you spend most of the time with. You will not find a more gracious, kind, wonderful, intense and passionate person than Carli Lloyd. When it comes to on the field, you've all seen it. When it comes to off the field in terms of the friendships that she has, the things that she believes, and most importantly - and I know you've seen this - the work that she does to be good at the things that she does in her life.

GC: I think one of the criticisms - especially of the former women's national team players - was that when they went on the air they were very reluctant to provide critical analysis, especially if it was deemed negative. You've taken a lot of heat for speaking the truth - and we've communicated on this and I'm in agreement with - for a lot of the things that you went through and what you said. It's not easy sometimes to speak the truth when maybe some of your former teammates and friends are listening, but you do.

CL: Yeah, and I think that you realize the true people through it, as I'm sure you have. People thought of me however they wanted to think of me as a player, right? We were teammates and whatnot. Being on this TV side, you really realize what people are all about when you do say some things on air that many people might not like. I think that the one thing that I've always done is I've always just stayed true to myself. I think that when you do that, there's no act that I'm portraying. I think when you're trying to switch so many different roles with who you are off the camera on the camera - that's not just me. What you see is what you get with me, and this was building towards the end of my career. 

I saw the direction and the way that the program was going. I played for Vlatko [Andonovski], I played with a lot of those players, so here I am then two years later, a year and a half later on air talking about it. I could have predicted what was going to happen, because I know what it takes to be on championship teams. I know what it takes to have a good World Cup. I can see it in players. I can see it in coaches of who's going to be able to turn that switch and turn it on maybe when they haven't been performing, and it was just a matter of time, unfortunately. I think that I've been the one that has taken a whole lot of criticism that's come with it, because I've been so open and honest about it. I don't think there's a lot of people in the soccer world that want to ruffle feathers, that don't want to have a conversation with somebody they played with, and they feel awkward because they just talked about the way that the team looked and whatnot.

GC: I can tell you this - I communicate with a lot of people who I respect in the game - a lot of coaching colleagues, ex-players. They agreed with you, but a lot of people won't say it publicly. Why is it arrogant to be honest?

AL: It's not arrogant to be honest. I think it's actually part of the world in which we live in. It goes beyond sports, I think that we once - whether it's the American culture, or even the global culture - we were once all so emboldened to be truthful and to be honest, even with the recognition that there could be backlash. Now I think there is a real fear and a feeling of being scared to say things that are honest and open and genuine, for fear of that brush back, for fear of being canceled or certainly being criticized - even at times, fairly criticized - and I get it. 

It can hurt. Despite what people believe, I am a person. Carli is a person. We don't go out hoping to be criticized. It's not something that you want, but it comes with the territory, and you got to have a very thick skin and you got to develop it very, very quickly in terms of doing this job if you're going to do it at any level. 

I do think that to your point, oftentimes when you say something that is provocative that is met with criticism, it is still the vocal minority that are criticizing it. While I'm gratified at times when people come to me or I'm sure Carli or others out there when they say, ‘you know what? I'm totally on board with what you said,’ and then they follow it up with ‘but I could never say that,’ or ‘I'm scared to say that,’ that's where it saddens me that we got that point, because if we can't civilly and respectfully disagree with each other, and vehemently and passionately disagree with each other, then where are we? We're talking about soccer here, but where are we from a cultural perspective if we can't do it either?

CL: I think women's soccer seems to be in this bubble where you can't criticize. In my playing days, there were former players and there were broadcasters and people that would criticize me maybe more than somebody else because they were friends with that person. There is that bias criticism, but I'm just telling you how it is. They bowed out so early that it was a complete disaster. It's not like they went in there and they played unbelievable and here I am going on a rant criticizing how the team did. They have basically blown this whole thing up to rebuild and restart again. I mean, they took several months to hire Emma Hayes. I know that she's going to be coming in and she is a no BS person. She is going to really shake some things up.

GC: So, you think Emma Hayes will have the authority to shake things up?

CL: I think that in being around some US Soccer people, I think that they all need that. I think that there hasn't really ever been a very highly confident person that has come in and really made their mark. You could argue maybe Jill Ellis, but Vlatko was a nice guy. He’s a great coach, I think he's going to do really well in the NWSL again - but I think that US Soccer is gonna let Emma have free reign.

AL: She got to write her ticket on this one - both in terms of the money that she's getting and I think that the power that she is getting. I think that they have given it to her, and they need someone to come in that is no BS, that can clean house, start anew and it's the best possible environment and situation for Emma. She's got to be licking her chops right now, because now you get to bring this team that is not completely horrible, right? There's still plenty to work with there. She gets to bring them back to the mound. She gets to have this resurrection moment if she plays her cards right and become one of those pillars when it comes to people that we think about in American soccer, let alone women's soccer.

CL: I think the pendulum swung a bit. I think that for so long, certain players - the leaders per se - were always kind of in the room of picking a coach and then in the room of firing the coach, and it just created this cycle. Eventually, you kind of get overpowered by the players having all the control. I think the whole equal pay lawsuit - I do want to give Vlatko a little bit of grace here in that he was trending on a slippery slope with the Equal Pay lawsuit [and] the whole Federation not wanting to get sued for something or they say something or they do something. It went so far where the players I feel like had a bit too much leverage, to now where I feel like it's gonna swing back. That’s what they need. They all need to be on their toes. They all need to be on edge.

AL: We’re players. We can tell you: if you give us an inch, we're gonna take a mile. We will wield it, and we might even wield it against you, so you’ve got to be careful to let the inmates run the asylum. I think Emma is going to come in and make it very, very clear that there's a new sheriff in town, her name is Emma, and what she says goes, and that's exactly what this team needs.

GC: Carli, just from any interactions you've had with players that are still currently on the team, are they happy with the choice?

CL: I think so. I've spoken to a few, and I shot Emma a text as well. I played with her for the Chicago Red Stars in 2009. That was her first real big gig. I think it's exactly what the players need. I think this crop of players in particular needs a strong leader. They need a leader that is going to teach them the winning mentality and get the culture back to being what it should be. There's a lot of us generational players like the Shannon Boxxes of the world, the Abby Wambachs, the Christie Rampones. They're not there anymore to show the way, and so Emma's got to come in and lead this group back.