A number of factors played into the U.S. men's national team's Copa America failure, from baffling in-game decisions to the country's problematic pay-to-play developmental system.
Yet few proved as paramount as head coach Gregg Berhalter, who failed to guide his team to success in the group stage.
Berhalter finds himself on the hot seat, at least in the court of public opinion. With another embarrassing performance in international competition comes a slew of diverging opinions on who should be tasked with leading the Stars and Stripes at the 2026 World Cup.
Enter Alexi Lalas. Fox Sports' favorite soccer analyst was unsurprisingly apoplectic at the sight of USMNT's group stage elimination from Copa America. To relieve his discomfort, Lalas pitched the perfect solution, at least in his own mind: He could step into the the role of USMNT manager.
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Appearing on Colin Cowherd's hit radio show " The Herd," Lalas offered himself up as a candidate for the job — ignoring the fact that Berhalter is still in the position.
“I would do it in a second," he said. "Hell yeah. They should be so lucky to have someone like me leading this team."
Outside of his playing career with the USMNT, Lalas doesn't have many qualifications to bring to the role.
He's never coached at the top level. For much of the past two decades, he's served as Fox's lead soccer analyst, though his commentary tends toward sweeping critiques of players' passion and character.
Have we ever heard Lalas break down Gian Piero Gasperini's use of wingbacks to create numerical advantages in the final third? How about the importance of the half-space in cultivating attacking moves? We think you know the answer to that question.
When compared to tactical wizards such as Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa or Austria visionary Ralf Rangnick, Lalas would likely find himself outmatched.
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That's not to mention Lalas' recent venom towards the U.S. Soccer Federation's higher-ups, namely technical director Matt Crocker.
After watching as the USMNT treaded water with Gold Cup and CONCACAF Nations League wins, Lalas snapped after the Copa America elimination. The 54-year-old criticized Crocker and his associates after the U.S. technical director claimed the USSF would be launching a review into the team's performance.
"Matt Crocker needs to review?" Lalas said. "What else does he need, a spreadsheet, an Excel sheet or a Ted Talk or a retreat in order to figure it out? No, it's right there. You failed again.
"Matt Crocker, in his first order of business [after] being hired, decided to rehire Gregg Berhalter. ... Matt Crocker is attached to Gregg Berhalter. He's not going to find anything in the review process that's going to tell him anything he doesn't already know. That we all don't know. That we all can see."
That's one way to introduce yourself to your prospective employer.
With rumors that the USMNT could seek out a big name to head its side for the next two years — perhaps former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp — it doesn't seem likely that we'll see Lalas in the USMNT dugout any time soon. Still, love him or hate him, it would be much-watch television.
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