Lalas of Lala Land

I dislike Alexi Lalas, but I've found him entertaining. He has outdone himself this time by claiming that the English Premier League is an inferior product. Yes, the MLS is more competitive that the EPL but obviously it would not be able to compete against the EPL on the pitch and off it.

I appreciate the fact that he is standing up for the MLS, but he has just made a fool of himself. I'm assuming that he got fed up with English media constantly bad-mouthing Major League Soccer but claiming that MLS players are on par with the EPL's is a bit much. He must have overlooked that Juan Pablo Angel, an average striker for Aston Villa in the Prem, is the most deadly in the MLS. Or that he claimed "Abel Xavier brings immense experience to the Galaxy" after he did not figure much for Middlesborough and was eventually released on a free. Or that MLS superstars such as Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard end up with mid-table clubs
in England. Or that Freddy Adu, whose shoulders used to burden the hype of being the saviour of the MLS, was deemed not good enough when he was on trial with Manchester United.

He also claimed that the US is not that far off compared to England. That is almost like saying Landon Donovan is not that far off from Steven Gerrard. Landon who couldn't get a regular spot in Bayer Leverkusen and gave up to come back to the US. Last I checked, Americans playing in the Championship are ahead on the pecking order when it comes to US Mens National Team players selection.

Ever since the signing of David Beckham, Lalas has been in the spotlight. The anticipation for Golden Balls' arrival has increased his media exposure. I am not sure if his antics are a marketing ploy or is he just loving the attention of being the Don King of the MLS? Somebody rein him in, please! Tim Leiweke? Don Garber?

He has just re-affirmed the assumption of most people that football and Americans do not mix well. He should apologize ... not to the British media, but to us. He has defamed not only the MLS and US Soccer, but all soccer loving Americans.