If the worst thing that ever happens
to me is signing autographs and having
to take pictures with people, then
I'll have had a fortunate life.
— Alexi Lalas

Living in Lalas Land

If Soccer Scores in America,
Alexi Lalas Made the Assist

Story by Jeff Zillgitt

The philosopher king of American soccer sits on a bench on a blistering hot, humid afternoon in Washington D.C.'s RFK Stadium. An unpleasant D.C. stench permeates. Beads of sweat drip from his fiery red-orange, three-inch goatee and his curly, shoulder-length locks. He wears no shirt — just a necklace, cleats, socks and shin guards.

Part hippie, part beatnik, all athlete, Alexi Lalas is an American cult-hero and the country's most recognizable soccer player at a time when the sport the world calls football desperately needs someone to lift it from obscurity to a national pastime.

Lalas, with his eccentric, enjoyable personality, insightful musings, and talent on the pitch (field for those not well-versed in soccer), is just the person to bring soccer into mainstream American culture.

An athletic nomad, Lalas has traveled the world for soccer. With no place to call home, Lalas lives where he is playing. For now it's Boston, where he plays Defender for the New England Revolution and is training for the upcoming Olympics. Previously it was Padova, Italy, where he gained acclaim as the first American to ever play professional soccer in the world-renowned Italian soccer league.

Tweak: What was Italy like?

Alexi Lalas: It was like living in a fishbowl. From the time I got up to the time I went to bed, it was hectic. It was hard to go places without people recognizing me. But if the worst thing that ever happens to me is signing autographs and having to take pictures with people, then I'll have had a fortunate life. I learned the language and the culture while I was there. I wasn't going to let a learning experience in a foreign country pass me by. It was a unique experience both culturally and as far as soccer was concerned.

And Padova?

A small big city. Like Baltimore.

Lalas spent two years in Italy and returned to the states to play for the Revolution in America's new professional soccer league, Major League Soccer. It's the league's first season, and the flamboyant Lalas may be critical to its success.

Why did you leave Italy, a country with a strong soccer reputation, for America, a country with a weak soccer reputation?

To be part of the excitement of a new league. That's one of the reasons many of us [American players] came back. We all took a chance. We're creating something from scratch. You don't get many chances in life to be part of something from the beginning. It's like starting a company. We believe in the product. We believe in the people playing and running the league, and we want to see this be a success.

Do you feel a personal responsibility to make Major League Soccer successful?

All of us feel pressure to an extent. But pressure is not being able to feed your family, not making a game successful.

What are your impressions of Major League Soccer at the halfway point of its first year?

It's gone very well so far. It's important to remember it took a lot of work to get here, but a lot of work still exists.

Besides his fame on the soccer field, Lalas gained acclaim with his musical skills. He plays guitar and is the lead singer for The Gypsies. The Gypsies have released two CDs, Woodland, named after the street he grew up on in upscale Birmingham, Michigan., and Jet Lag, named for his lifestyle.

I'm used to terminal jet-lag. I'm used to being tired. But I've learned to deal with it. I have a big refrigerator box that I've turned into a three-month calendar. I just use that to keep track of what I'm doing and where I'm going.

How would you characterize the music The Gypsies play?

You could call it classic rock. It's acoustic-guitar oriented. We pay close attention to words. My life has been about traveling and seeing the world, and I've been able to discover a lot of what this world has to offer. Many of my songs reflect traveling and discovering. Also, there is theme of longing for a home and stability that creeps into my music.

How did you get started in music?

I grew up in a musical household. I took piano lessons when I was younger. I picked up the guitar in college and have been playing since.

What music do you listen to?

I grew up listening to Bon Jovi. And you can laugh if you want to. But you look at him, and he's still around making music. That shows something. He made music people like to listen to. It's important to have diversity in aspects of your life, including music. I listen to everything from rock to rap to folk. Whatever.

What CDs do you carry with you on the road?

Right now, I'm listening to the Holy Barbarians, Aimee Mann, and The Refreshments.

What are your future musical plans?

I want to spend as much time playing music as I can. Unlike soccer, music is something that will stay with you for the rest of your life. Because of my commitments to soccer right now, the band is very fluid. I have different people playing in the band when I'm in different cities. We just played a gig at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston not too long ago. That was cool.

You seem to take a very philosophical approach to your life. How come?

The fact is, I live a life where I do the two things I love to do most — soccer and music — and I get paid for it. That's tremendous. I'm a very lucky person to live this life. In the great scheme of things, I take what I do seriously, but I don't take myself seriously. I don't lose track of what's important.

© 1996 Tweak