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Alexi Lalas (born June 1, 1970 in Birmingham,
Michigan|Birmingham, Michigan) is a soccer
defender (football)|defender, who became one of
the most famous soccer players in the United
States after his play in the Football World Cup
1994|1994 World Cup.

After attending Michigan prep Cranbrook Kingswood
School and playing college soccer at Rutgers
University|Rutgers, Lalas joined the United States
men's national soccer team|U.S. National Team (his
first cap came on May 6, 1990 against Canada
national soccer team|Canada), and became a starter
by the 1994 World Cup, when his wild red hair,
outgoing personality, and steady play on the field
made him a fan favorite. He earned a contract with
Padova Calcio|Padova of Italian Serie A, becoming
the first -- and to date, the only --  American to
play in the Italian first division, playing there
between 1994 and 1996. 

In 1995, Alexi was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of
the Year. He left Italy for Major League Soccer,
where he played for New England Revolution
(1996-97), MetroStars (1998), Kansas City Wizards
(1999), and Los Angeles Galaxy (2001-03). He was
used as a drawing card in his first three MLS
stops, without much success on the field. It was
with the Galaxy that he showed his best form,
being named to the MLS Best XI in 2002 and winning
the MLS Cup the same year.

Lalas also competed for the United States in the
1992 Summer Olympics|1992 and 1996 Summer
Olympics. He retired with 96 caps and nine goals
for the national team and took a job as the
General Manager of the San Jose Earthquakes,
becoming one of the youngest executives in
American sports. In 2005, he was transferred
within the Anschutz Entertainment Group
organization to become the President and GM of the
MetroStars.

Alexi Lalas tried to parlay his soccer success
into a music career, putting out CD|CDs Woodland,
Jet Lag, and Ginger. During his sabbatical from
soccer in 2000, he announced soccer matches on NBC
for the 2000 Summer Olympics and co-hosted ESPN2's
MLS Extratime.