BEST BITE: USMNT in trouble at Copa without Sergiño Dest & would Alexi Lalas return to a front office role?

This episode explores the impact of Sergiño Dest's absence on the USMNT's performance in the Copa America and discusses whether Alexi Lalas would consider returning to a soccer management role.

1. The USMNT is expected to advance from their Copa group despite Sergiño Dest's absence.
2. Dest's absence is significant but not an excuse for potential poor performance.
3. There may be an opportunity to discover new talent as players step up in Dest's place.
4. Alexi Lalas expresses no current interest in returning to management but discusses the pros and cons of such a move based on his past experiences.
5. Lalas values his current role in sports media and plans to continue in this capacity.

1: USMNT's Copa Prospects

The hosts discuss the USMNT's chances at Copa America without Sergiño Dest, highlighting the team's resilience and potential to discover new talent.

• Alexi Lalas: "While Sergiño Dest is a loss, it doesn't drop the US below Bolivia or Panama."

2: Lalas on Management

Alexi Lalas answers a listener's question about returning to a soccer management role, sharing his personal reflections and the changes in the professional landscape.

• Alexi Lalas: "I love what I do now... I can still get better at it."

3: The Future of Soccer Commentary

The hosts reflect on the evolution of their podcast and the broader landscape of sports media, emphasizing their commitment to accessible and engaging soccer commentary.

• Alexi Lalas: "We're giving you, if there is such a thing as cocktail party soccer, that type of primer."

1. Embrace new opportunities for growth during unexpected team changes.
2. Reflect on past career experiences to inform future decisions.
3. Engage in continuous learning and improvement in your current role.
4. Value and utilize feedback to enhance performance and service delivery.
5. Stay updated with industry trends to remain relevant and effective.

Alexi Lalas and David Mosse discussed the Sergiño Dest injury news being confirmed that he will be out for at least nine months with a 'serious' knee injury. They discussed what it means for the USMNT going forward and how it affects their ability to get out of the Copa America group stage. Additionally, a fan on X asked Alexi if he would ever make a return to the managing side of an MLS team - Check out his surprising response! Lastly, the guys also give a history lesson on the State of the Union Podcast.

People

Alexi Lalas

Content Warnings:

None

Speaker A

Question on x kicking balls FC asks, with dest out of Cope America, do the US men's national team make it out of the group? Yeah. I mean, look, as much as we lament the fact that a in pen starter for the national team and a game changer for the US men's national team on that right hand side is not going to be there. Yeah, of course you're making it out of the group. The rise or fall of the US.

Speaker C

Men'S national team is not dependent on Sergino Dest. Do we like to have him? Yes. Are there others that have stepped into that position? No.

So it is a dilemma, it is a problem. But I don't think that it is game changing in terms of their ability to get out of the group and. If and when they get out of the group or if they don't get. Out of the group. It's certainly not an excuse that while Serginio Dust wasn't with the team, I.

Speaker A

Agree, they're in a group with Uruguay, Bolivia and Panama. While Sergino dust is a loss to me, it doesn't drop the US below Bolivia or Panama, still expecting to finish in the top two. Now, it might hurt their chances of beating Uruguay and topping the group and of going far in the knockout stage. Keep in mind the US has two friendlies lined up before the Copa America against Colombia and Brazil. Whoever starts it right back in those games will be coming up against Luis Diaz and Vinicius Junior.

So some tests right away. Yeah, but you're looking, you know. I know and I'm guilty of this. Looking at it half a glass half. Full or, sorry, half empty.

Speaker B

If I'm a player, I'm licking my chops. If I'm a player that possibly has. The opportunity to play there. And who knows? By the end of the summer we might say, you know what?

We found a gem. We found something different. Either a new player or a player. That has fundamentally changed the way he plays, that steps in, that makes us comfortable. And who knows, dare I say it, nobody is untouchable.

There are no sacred cows on this team, including Sergino, destroyed. And who knows, maybe Sergino desk this summer gets Wally pipped. We'll see. Next up, another question. X Cybersnork.

Speaker A

Twelve, nine, two, one. I assume this is directed at you. Have you ever considered managing or getting back into some sort of director or football role? If so, what would be your pro and cons about it? Yeah.

Speaker C

So over the years I've been asked hundreds of times about coaching and it's a logical type of progression for a lot of ex players. It has never interested me in the, in the sense that I have never pursued it. If and when there came a point. Where I said, you know what? This is something that I really, really think that I want to do, I would leave no stone unturned and do everything in my power to make that.

Speaker B

Happen, you know, with the understanding that a lot of other, you know, of. My generation have a big, big head start. But I will reiterate, I love what I do masse. I love this job. They can pry it from my cold, dead, redheaded hands, and I'm going to do it as long as they will let me.

I can still get better at it. And I enjoy it. I love the fact that now, 20 plus years after I stopped kicking a ball, I'm still able to make a wonderful living and be involved in this game. And I'm still able to find platforms and be involved with great people here. At Fox and everywhere that give me.

Speaker C

The opportunity to perform and to entertain and talk about the sport that I love. As far as the pros, I'm a different person. I'm 53 years old right now. Last time I was in the front. Office when I started, I was 33.

Years old, very green, had no experience in the business world. So I would come back with a whole lot more understanding of what to do and what not to do. I suppose the cons would be that the game, and in this case, we'd be talking about the american professional game. Out there, has changed and expanded, and. There would still be a learning curve, another learning curve for me in terms of getting back into it.

Speaker B

But I don't want to do anything else. I enjoy what I'm doing. And while there are people out there would argue that I shouldn't be doing what I doing or are begging and pleading my employers not to have me continue. Like I said, I want to keep doing it. Erin Schechter with a cheeky idea.

What's that? In one of our upcoming shows, she would like you to put together a list of your best and worst moves from your GM career. Oh, okay. You know, I didn't have a lot. But actually, yeah, I could do that.

Speaker C

I could do a one two three and a one two three on either side, and it could be stuff on the field or off the field. I learned so much. Yes, I made plenty of mistakes, but I learned so much and got such an incredible appreciation for the men and women out there that day in and day out, work their ass off to sell this game, and you talk about a labor of love and you talk about pushing that boulder up a hill each and every day while it's gotten easier, it is still not easy out there. And all of the different. Hey, we just talked about the competition that's out there and the competition that's.

Speaker B

Coming and trying to sell soccer even. In 2024, even with all the good things that are out there, it's pretty incredible. And I was really, really fortunate to be around. A lot of really, really smart people. That helped me along were patient with me.

Speaker A

Would David Beckham be in the best or worstless? It did sort of cost you your job, but it's certainly been great for the galaxy as a franchise and MLS as a lead. Yeah, I mean, that would certainly. I look at the David Beckham situation, while it did cost me my job as an incredible positive in terms of not just the galaxy, but in terms of major league Soccer and soccer. And so I'm benevolent.

Speaker C

I am altruistic like that in that I can step back. And while the personal side of me could be hurt and angry about something like that, I am a big enough person now. Maybe now, maybe not then, but maybe now to look at the big picture and say, yes, that was good for the game. My gift to the game. That's it for Ask Alexei.

Speaker A

Time for a one for the road. All right, let's get for a one for the road. And I was thinking as I was driving into the office today, and it was based off of someone that had sent me a message over there on the x machine over there about, and I'm paraphrasing here, but they said, I. Didn'T know you had a podcast. I just started listening to it and I really liked it.

Speaker C

And it got me thinking about the. Fact that there are people on a. Daily basis that are coming into the state of the union tent here. And we're so thankful because it has just grown over the years for those that have listened for any length of time. It has literally grown in terms of what we have done, the numbers that we get, the way that we go about doing this each and every show.

Mossy, tell the listeners and the viewers out there how this show started. Just a real quick glimpse and look back. Well, from my perspective, remember I had done a radio show with Eric Winaldo on SiriusXM. People at Fox heard that and thought I was pretty good there. And then when Eric quit the radio show to go run for president of US Soccer Federation, which did not go well, by the way.

Speaker A

They reached out to me and said, how would you feel about doing a podcast with Alexa? You had done a podcast called the Mutant Gene, where you were kind of on your own. You had this guy Max in the room, but he wasn't really like an on air co host. He was more just kind of feeding you information. And so they approached you about it as well, and they paired us together, and we started doing this in February of 2018.

To put that in perspective, Kyla Morris, who co produced today's pod, I wanna say she was still in high school. Wonderful. Erin Schechter, I think, was a freshman at USC after having begrudgingly gone to USC, rather than Wisconsin, where she would have preferred to have gone. But, yeah, it's been six years plus, right? And it's been wonderful.

Speaker C

And like we said, we started in a closet over a different building, and now we're in this wonderful studio. But what this pod is and isn't. I think, is important at times to consistently lay out as new people come in. It's impossible in this world to be everything to everybody. And we don't try, and we recognize that.

We are in this podcast world where. Everybody and their mother has a podcast, and every niche is covered out there, and every level within that niche is covered out there. And when it comes to the state. Of the union, as I said, we. Don'T try to be everything.

It's impossible to cover the entire world of soccer, every single league, certainly every single game, every single player. But we readily admit we are giving you a surface, and we are giving you, if there is such a thing as cocktail party soccer, that type of primer. And if you want to get into. The weeds, and if you want to get into niche, like I said, there. Are podcasts out there that will cover that.

Speaker B

But what we, I think, are, is a good primer, is a good, in this case. Now, we've got it two times a week. Two times a week, where we give you, obviously, our opinion. And my friend and colleague over here. David Moncy, you could sit down for an hour and go very, very deep.

On a lot of these things. And I recognize that at times, we. Both understand that it's not a time or a place for us to go deep. And we're good with that because we. Do want this to be something that is digestible, something that is entertaining, something where you can get to know us as people.

And like I said, something for if you are in the soccer world, whether you're a diehard soccer fan or whether. You'Re just coming to it, you will find this something that is useful. I like to think that we have. Gotten to that point. It has taken some years and some bobbing and weaving and in and out and up and downing to get to where we are.

Speaker C

We're not done by any stretch of the imagination, and we will continue to tweak it, tweak it going forward. But I guess this is a long. Way of saying thank you to everybody that has watched. Thank you to everyone that has listened for helping us create what the format of this show is. And I know you're out there listening and watching at times, and you say.

Speaker B

Well, why didn't they touch on this? And this was so important, and maybe it was important to you or multiple people out there, but it's not an easy thing. And producer Shawn and all the wonderful men and women that we have working for us, each and every show, we got to pick and choose, and sometimes. It'S not easy, but I'm proud of. What we have done so far.

And thank you to this person, anybody. Else that is just coming into the tent. We like to think you can get. Caught up pretty quickly. Yes, we'll repeat some stuff going forward to recognize and respect the fact that there are new people in the tent, but we're not slowing the bus down.

Speaker C

Well, we'll slow it down a little bit here or there to let you jump on. And once you do jump on, you like to think that it's a pretty fun ride and that this ride has plenty of road ahead of it. And whether it's going to Louisville or anyplace else, and taking this show on the road, whether it's what we got planned again this summer and all of the wonderful things that we've done in the past when it comes to World Cups and big tournaments, and we'll do that again this summer. It is a, as I said before, a wonderful labor of love. And it's been really, really fun doing it.

And here's to many, many more years doing it with you, my friend, and everybody behind the scenes. So, anything before we go? Yes. I do want to wish Sean Sullivan a happy honeymoon. As we said at the top, he is heading to Italy tomorrow.

Speaker A

I can't wait to see the pictures from his trip. But come Monday, there's a new sheriff in town. The Kyla Morris era begins at the State of the union podcast. It's gonna be just fine. It's gonna be wonderful.

Speaker C

It's actually more than fine. It's gonna be wonderful.