 Lalas in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Panayotis Alexander Lalas | ||
| Date of birth | (1970-06-01)June 1, 1970 (age 55) | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, Michigan, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1991 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1995 | Padova | 33 | (2) |
| 1995–1996 | →Padova (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | New England Revolution[1] | 55 | (3) |
| 1997 | →Emelec (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 1998 | MetroStars | 25 | (2) |
| 1999 | Kansas City Wizards | 30 | (4) |
| 2001–2003 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 69 | (7) |
| Total | 235 | (19) | |
| International career | |||
| 1992 | United States U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 1996 | United States Olympic (O.P.) | 3 | (0) |
| 1991–1998 | United States | 96 | (10) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Panayotis Alexander Lalas (born June 1, 1970) is an American formersoccer player who played as acentre-back. He is best known for his participation with theUnited States national team in the1994 FIFA World Cup, where his appearance made him a standout player on the team with his distinctive long beard and hair. After the World Cup, he went on to become the first American in Italy'sSerie A as a member ofCalcio Padova.[2][3]
Lalas would later return to the United States in 1996 to take part in the newly formedMajor League Soccer, as a member ofNew England Revolution. He also played withClub Sport Emelec of Ecuador, and the MLS squadsMetroStars andKansas City Wizards, but his most successful period was withLos Angeles Galaxy, with whom he won theCONCACAF Champions' Cup,Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup andMLS Cup before retiring in 2003.[4] His playing style was characterized by physicality and endurance.[5]
Following his playing career, Lalas served asgeneral manager of theSan Jose Earthquakes,New York Red Bulls, andLos Angeles Galaxy ofMajor League Soccer. He was elected to theNational Soccer Hall of Fame in 2006.[6] He currently works as an analyst forFox Sports.[7] He also was a reporter at the2022 World Cup inQatar.
Lalas was born inBirmingham, Michigan to a Greek father, Demetrios Lalas, and an American mother, Anne Harding Woodworth. His father was a professor who later became the director of Greece's national observatory, while his mother is a widely published poet. His younger brother,Greg Lalas, is a former professional soccer player and currently the Chief Marketing Officer atUnited Soccer League.
Lalas attendedCranbrook Kingswood School inBloomfield Hills, Michigan. Even though he did not begin playing soccer until he was eleven, he had developed his skills enough to be named the 1987 Michigan High School Player of the Year by his senior year. In addition to playing soccer, he was a member and captain of his high school hockey team, which won the state championship. Lalas was rated for theOntario Hockey League Midget draft in 1987, but was ultimately not selected.[citation needed]
Lalas attendedRutgers University, where after trying out and playing some spring matches and an indoor tournament in 1988, he played on the men's soccer team from 1988 to 1991. During his four seasons at Rutgers with theScarlet Knights he reached the NCAA Final Four in 1989 and theNational Championship Game in 1990.[8]Lalas was named a third-team All-American in 1989 and 1990. In 1991, he gainedfirst-team All-American recognition and was selected for both theHermann Trophy and theMissouri Athletic Club Player of the Year award. As he did in high school, Lalas also played hockey in college, leading the team in scoring in 1989.[9]
Lalas left Rutgers in 1991 to focus on the U.S. national team despite being interested in finishing his degree. He resumed his education in 2013, when Rutgers began offering enoughonline classes to fulfill what Lalas required to graduate. Lalas took 12 classes and 36 credits over 10 months to finish what he jokingly called "a 26-year plan", earning a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in music in May 2014.[10]
After college and the1992 Summer Olympics, Lalas trained with formerArsenal playerBob McNab in California. This led to a trial with Arsenal during the winter of 1992. It was quickly determined that Lalas did not have the quality for a first-team spot. As a result, Lalas only had a few training sessions with the reserve team before being cut shortly after his arrival in North London.[11] Lalas then returned home to Detroit and spent a month reluctant about his future in soccer before coachBora Milutinovic invited him for the United States tryouts inMission Viejo, California.[12]
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After the1994 FIFA World Cup, Lalas signed with ItalianSerie A clubPadova. While Lalas anchored the team's defense and scored three goals off set pieces (including againstA.C. Milan andInternazionale), Padova finished the1994–95 season 14th in the table. Only after winning a relegation play-off on June 10, 1995, did the team ensure its survival in the top ranks for the next season. On June 25, 1995,Major League Soccer (MLS) signed Lalas to play for one of the new league's teams. While MLS had intended to begin playing in 1995, it had run into difficulties and so delayed the first season until 1996. In order to allow Lalas to maintain his match fitness, MLS loaned him back to Padova for the1995–96 season. Lalas last played for Padova in a home game against Lazio on February 25, 1996.
Before the inauguralMajor League Soccer (MLS) draft in February 1996, the leagueallocated high-profile players throughout the league's ten teams[13] (except for the Dallas Burn, which alone amongst all MLS sides never received a U.S. national team allocation from the 1994 World Cup era).[citation needed] As part of this process, MLS placed Lalas with theNew England Revolution on October 7, 1995.[1]
Lalas was a regular on the Revs backline during the 1996 and 1997 seasons, starting 25 matches in1996 and 29 in1997.[1] Lalas made his Revolution debut in the club's first-ever match, againstTampa Bay Mutiny on April 13, 1996, and recorded the first assist in Revolution history (in conjunction withWélton), setting upRobert Ukrop for the team's first-ever goal, in the 20th minute.[14] Lalas made his home debut on April 27 againstD.C. United. He scored his first Revolution goal in the team's 4–2 win over Tampa Bay on August 26.[14]
Lalas was named an MLS All-Star in both 1996 and again in 1997,[14] but famously clashed with Revolution head coachFrank Stapleton during the 1996 season, ultimately being benched in August following a 6-1 drubbing to theSan Jose Clash.[15] Tensions arose after Lalas' Revolution teammate (and friend from his time in Padova)Giuseppe Galderisi was traded after only four games.[15][16] Lalas referred to his Revolution tenure under Stapleton a "joke" and a "nightmare from the beginning."[15] At his request, the Revolution attempted to trade Lalas during the summer transfer window but could not find an interested party.[15][17]
In November 1997, the Revolution loaned Lalas to Ecuadorian First Division ClubEmelec for a month.[18] He returned to New England at the end of December only to find himself traded to theMetroStars on February 4, 1998, in what would become the first three-team trade in MLS history.[19]
The deal saw New England acquireRaúl Díaz Arce fromD.C. United in exchange for Lalas and a second-round pick in the1999 MLS College Draft, which were traded to theMetroStars, with the MetroStars’ second-round pick in the 1999 MLS College Draft and future considerations going toD.C. United along with New England's first-round pick inthe 1999 MLS College Draft.[1] He spent the 1998 season with the MetroStars before being traded, along withTony Meola, to theKansas City Wizards forMark Chung andMike Ammann on January 28, 1999.[19] Lalas spent one season with the Wizards before announcing his retirement on October 10, 1999.[20] Lalas was named to the MLS All-Star team in both the 1998 and 1999 seasons.[21]
Just over a year later, he returned to playing when he signed with theLos Angeles Galaxy as a discovery player on January 16, 2001.[18] Lalas' tenure with the Galaxy was some of the most decorated of his career. In 2001, Lalas helped the Galaxy win the2000 CONCACAF Champions' Cup and also the2001 U.S. Open Cup ( the latter against his former club, New England).[22] The next year, Lalas helped the Galaxy win the2002Supporters' Shield andMLS Cup 2002 (the latter against his former club, New England).[23][24] He was named to the 2002MLS Best XI.[21]Nearly three years later, he retired again, this time permanently, on January 12, 2004.[25]
Lalas earned 96caps, scoring nine goals, with theUnited States national team between 1991 and 1998. His first cap came in a 2–2 tie withMexico on March 12, 1991, in the1991 NAFC Championship.[26] He gained his second cap four days later in a 2–0 win overCanada. While he started both games, he did not gain another cap until he came on forFernando Clavijo in a 2–2 tie withDenmark on January 30, 1993. His next game, a start, came on March 23, 1993, in a 2–2 tie withEl Salvador. While he became a fixture on the team through the rest of 1993, he did not cement his position as a starter in the U.S. central defense until the beginning of 1994. He went on to start and play all ninety minutes in the four U.S. games of the1994 FIFA World Cup and was named an honorable mention All-Star. On June 11, 1995, Lalas flew directly from a relegation playoff game with his club team,Padova, in order to appear in the second half of a1995 U.S. Cup victory overNigeria.[27] His contributions to the national team led to his selection as the 1995U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year. He also scored in a game against Saudi Arabia, in which the United States had their biggest comeback in their history (from 3–0 to 4–3; Lalas scored the first goal for the United States). While Lalas was on the roster for the U.S. at the1998 FIFA World Cup, he never entered a game.[28] His last cap had come in the final U.S. tuneup for the finals, a May 30, 1998, scoreless tie withScotland where he was a second-half substitute forEarnie Stewart.
Lalas was part of theUnited States Olympic soccer team for the1992 Summer Olympics in Spain. He was also selected as overage player on theUnited States Olympic soccer team at the1996 Summer Olympics.
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Lalas served as president and general manager of theSan Jose Earthquakes during the 2004 and 2005 MLS seasons. He served as a general manager of theMetroStars/New York Red Bulls from 2005 to 2006.[29] Lalas served as President of theLA Galaxy from 2006 to 2008 during which time the club signedDavid Beckham.[30] Following his time at the Galaxy, Lalas spent six years as a commentator forESPN before signing a commentary deal withFox Sports.[31] He also appeared in bothFIFA 16 andFIFA 17, by EA Sports, as a legend card having an 86 rated center back card in both iterations of the game. Currently Lalas, alongside pundit David Mosse, hosts the podcastState of the Union, dedicated to discussing American soccer.[32]
Lalas speaks Spanish and Italian in addition to his native English and Greek. Lalas is married to Anne Rewey and they have two children together Henry and Sophie.[33][34]
Lalas is aRepublican and endorsedRon DeSantis in the2024 United States presidential election.[35][36]
Lalas is a major fan of thehair metal bandRatt.[37][38]
Lalas has released eight solo albums over the past three decades:Far from Close (1996),Ginger (1998),So It Goes (2010),Infinity Spaces (2014),Shots (2016),Sunshine (2018),Look at You (2019) andMelt Away (2022). With a noted affinity forrock music since college, Lalas played in a band named The Gypsies, opening forHootie & The Blowfish during a European tour in 1998.[39] The Gypsies were featured in a self-produced, self-distributed albumWoodland, released by Lalas during the 1994 World Cup.[12][40]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Padova | 1994–95 | Serie A | 33 | 3 | ||||||||
| Padova (loan) | 1995–96 | Serie A | 11 | 0 | ||||||||
| New England Revolution | 1996 | Major League Soccer | 25 | 1 | ||||||||
| 1997 | 30 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Total | 55 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Emelec (loan) | 1997 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 10 | 0 | ||||||||
| MetroStars | 1998 | Major League Soccer | 25 | 2 | ||||||||
| Kansas City Wizards | 1999 | Major League Soccer | 30 | 4 | ||||||||
| Los Angeles Galaxy | 2001 | Major League Soccer | 11 | 2 | ||||||||
| 2002 | 26 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 2003 | 22 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Total | 59 | 7 | ||||||||||
| Career total | 223 | 19 | ||||||||||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 8, 1993 | Miami, United States |  Colombia | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | June 9, 1993 | Foxboro, United States |  England | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1993 U.S. Cup |
| 3 | June 22, 1993 | Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Ecuador |  Venezuela | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1993 Copa América |
| 4 | July 17, 1993 | Dallas, United States |  Honduras | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 5 | November 7, 1993 | Fullerton, United States |  Jamaica | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | January 29, 1994 | Seattle, United States |  Russia | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | July 14, 1995 | Paysandú, Uruguay |  Argentina | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1995 Copa América |
| 8 | October 8, 1995 | Washington, D.C., United States |  Saudi Arabia | 1–3 | 4–3 | Friendly |
| 9 | February 1, 1997 | Guangzhou, China |  China | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 10 | June 17, 1997 | Jacksonville, United States |  Israel | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
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