Alexi Lalas clashes with former ESPN, NBC analysts over soccer coverage

Fox’s “Summer of Soccer” is complete after compelling final matches in both the Copa América and European championships on Sunday. Still, the popular Men in Blazers crew couldn’t let the festivities end before getting one final shot in at Fox soccer analyst Alexi Lalas.

The Men in Blazers account on X posted on Sunday that “Lalas will not be on your television tomorrow. Don’t cry because it happened, smile because it’s over,” with a photo of Lalas wearing Qatari clothing during the 2022 World Cup.

In response, Lalas took the high road and wrote back, “I enjoy and respect the @MenInBlazers unique wit, humor, and perspective. I’m sorry you don’t care for me but I still raise a toast and salute you @rogbennett and wish you well going forward,” referencing Men in Blazers founder Roger Bennett.

In Lalas’ defense, fellow Fox commentator Carli Lloyd replied, “This is pretty low and classless. No need for it.”

Lloyd has often defended Lalas since becoming his coworker two years ago after a prolific career on the U.S. women’s national soccer team.

This beef has, arguably, nothing to do with soccer at all.

After all, Fox announcer Stu Holden also wore Qatari garb during a segment on Fox during the World Cup. Most of Lalas’ viral commentary is not about soccer tactics but general commentary about the teams, countries, and athletes competing. The same can be said of Lloyd, Bennett, and the Men in Blazers network.

As his “Summer of Soccer” contributions end, Lalas is headed to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. Lalas was a big supporter of Ron DeSantis in the Republican primary and has taken conservative stances on issues like police brutality and athlete labor rights over the years.

At the same time, Men in Blazers has aligned with liberal media types since its rise at ESPN a decade ago. The company co-produced a podcast with the Democratic Party-connected media network Crooked Media and has worked with John Oliver. Bennett and Michael Davies of Men in Blazers also worked for rival networks at ESPN and NBC, so it comes across as fairly obvious that they would take a shot at Fox’s coverage.

So, while it’s always surprising to see broadcasters take their beef public, this one feels obvious. Lalas and Lloyd are polarizing, but offended fans can skip over pre- and post-match coverage and still catch Fox’s solid game broadcasts. Men in Blazers are mostly independent now, meaning they can throw stones and be instigators without concern.

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