CAREER MAKEOVER
One of the brightest moments for Major League Soccer last season was the launch of “MLS ExtraTime” on television and the way hosts Rob Stone and Alexi Lalas clicked on the air.
The two hit if off so well, trading jibes while ad-libbing their way through ESPN2’s weekly highlights show, that it quickly developed a loyal following.
Now, Lalas, possibly the highest-profile U.S. player of the past decade and certainly the most quotable, is contemplating coming out of retirement and might be in a Galaxy uniform as early as next month.
Where that would leave “ExtraTime” is anyone’s guess.
“I don’t know if you’re allowed to play and commentate on yourself,” Lalas said the other day. “I think we would be doing individual profiles every week on that big red-headed defender. It’d be great.”
Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid saw a broader possibility.
“Maybe you commentators and reporters all have a chance at making it [in MLS],” he said.
So why not sign Stone too?
“No, no, we don’t want Rob,” Schmid joked. “I hear his left foot is abysmal.”
Lalas has not decided if he will “unretire.” Nor is it clear how much choice the former New York/New Jersey MetroStar and Kansas City Wizard would have regarding which MLS team he joined. He might even go overseas, having already played in Italy.
For the moment, he is training with the Galaxy, and Schmid said the club would be interested in acquiring him.
“He’s still deciding exactly what he wants to do,” Schmid said. “Alexi needs to make a decision, and then we’ve got to see what happens with the league and if there’s a possibility for him to play for us.”
Lalas, 30, played for Los Angeles in two exhibition games against Puebla of the Mexican league earlier this month and fit in right away.
“I was pleased with what he did tonight,” Schmid said after the second game. “When you’re out for as long as he has been, sometimes you might get a little nervous, no matter who you are, but I thought he showed good composure.
“One of the things that you don’t see from the outside is [that] he gives good information to players and organizes the defense fairly well.”
There is some pressure on the Galaxy to gets its lineup in order because the CONCACAF Champions Cup starts Jan. 16 and the two teams from the eight-team tournament will qualify for the second FIFA World Club Championship in Spain next summer.
But Lalas is in no hurry. Having thought a great deal about retiring in 1999, he is being equally deliberate about a comeback in 2001.
“Physically, I feel great,” he said. “I feel that I’m probably in better shape than I have been in many, many years.
“Having said that, playing actual games and kicking the ball, that’s something that comes with time. That’s why this is a great opportunity for me to kick it around with what I feel is one of the better teams in MLS right here in my backyard.”
Some reports have suggested that Lalas, whose music career is closely tied to Los Angeles, would not play anywhere but here.
“No, that’s not true,” he said. “Los Angeles is a good place to play. I’ve obviously spent the past year here and spent time here over the years. For me, if I were to decide to play again, there are a lot of different factors [involved].
“No. 1, I obviously want to play on a team that’s good, and I want to be in an environment that’s professional. All these things that I’m talking about, Los Angeles has. Whether this is something that will work out, I have no idea.”
Just how Lalas would fit in with the Galaxy defense is unclear, but he could have an impact because the back line is anything but settled. Robin Fraser is recovering from shoulder surgery, Danny Pena has not recovered from knee surgery and Greg Vanney is embroiled in contract talks with MLS.
Paul Caligiuri had a fine 2000 season but will be 37 before next season begins and it’s questionable how durable he will be. Ezra Hendrickson might be a better option in midfield. Danny Califf is solid and could develop even faster with the veteran Lalas alongside him.
The most telling point is Lalas’ own honesty with himself. He misses the game, but it’s clear he would not return simply to play but to excel. For him to be anything but a starter is unlikely.
“If I do decide to come back, I don’t want to come back and be a mediocre player,” he said. “I want to come back and not only get back to the level that I was at a few years ago but hopefully be better.
“Whatever team I play for I want to get to the point that when the coach assesses his players, by my performance he can’t help but put me on the field. I don’t want to be given anything. I want to work just like anybody else to get on the field.”
So far, the Galaxy players have welcomed him into their ranks.
“Sigi and the guys on this team have been so receptive,” Lalas said. “It’s kind of a strange situation having me come in, and they’ve all been very, very accommodating and receptive to me being here.
“I’m enjoying this and I’m so glad to be in a place where the guys aren’t jerks, to put it bluntly. They’ve been great. It could have been an awkward situation, but it wasn’t.”
The possibility of playing in the Champions Cup intrigues Lalas.
“They have a huge, huge tournament--not just for Los Angeles but for MLS--coming up,” he said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity. I think this team is very excited about that. . . . I don’t know if they need my help.”
Given the fact that the U.S. national team back line is also unsettled, there is even the possibility that Lalas might play his way into contention for a place on the 2002 World Cup team.
The year off has changed his perspective dramatically, not to mention his appearance now that the trademark ZZ Top beard has vanished. The ginger beard man is no more.
“As I said before, I’m so glad that I took the time I did take this year,” he said. “It benefited me in ways that you will never know--physically and more important personally.
“If I come back, I want to come back and be good and hopefully very, very good. That’s the only way I would consider coming back.”
For Alexi Lalas, extra time looms.
