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Hey, we are back in In Studios, Alexi Lawless, not only talking about the World Cup in 2026, but the one in 94. And that's the first time I was doing sports solidly at that time. And they said, Brian, you could pick two beats. Pick it. We just want you to dominate it.
Everyone's picking baseball and football. I picked boxing and soccer, and it was perfect because the World Cup was launching and the MLS was the next year. And the biggest name is Alexi Lawis. Timing. I know.
And now he's Fox Sports Lead Soccer. Analyst, and I'm so glad we got you out of ESPN. Those were dark years for you, right? Everybody has to do a little time at ESPN, all right? But that's when Fox grabbed you, and that was great.
So I know there's going to be a big announcement today, broadcasting-wise, right? What's the pressure today? Uh.
Well, we got the uh The roster show coming up on Tuesday. Tuesday, I'll be there. Uh yeah, we got oh, you're gonna be there? I'll be there. You know, we were talking earlier.
I mean my power rankings of hosts over there. You're you're creeping up there, buddy. Am I? Yeah, yeah. Because I was asking Alexei who's your favorite host here.
You wouldn't commit to putting me number one. No, no, you're not number one yet. Oh, no, so this gives you something to work for. Right. All right.
Okay. All right.
Speaking of working towards things, obviously, three weeks out from the World Cup, I'm running back and forth across the country. We have the roster show that's coming up next week, all sorts of promotion. We just keep adding more and more people when it comes to our team for this summer with Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Chichorito, Javier Hernandez, wonderful Mexican. They'll be on the desk. Yeah, they'll be in and out.
Obviously, people that you've seen before, the Carly Lloyds and Landon Donovans and Stu Holdens, and oh, not-for-nothing, Tierry Henry. And so the list goes on and on and on.
So you're going to get that international flavor as we cover the biggest World Cup in history with 104 games in 4018. The top five teams in the world, you got France. Yeah, yeah. You have to be able to do that. Your safe bets are France and Spain.
I would put Argentina in there, except they are trying. To repeat, and the last team to repeat was 58 and 62 with Brazil.
So history is not on their side. Is this a down year for Brazil? Yes, this is, well, there's still Brazil. There's still Brazil. It's down for them.
Okay, there's not a lot of expectation on Brazil, which actually kind of. Makes me intrigued, and maybe I guess it should scare some people where there's less expectation, but it's still Brazil.
So you look at the U.S.'s top 15. Yeah.
Okay. And when you guys in 94, you guys were as high as like eight or 10, right? Not in 94, I don't think we were. I mean, look, the reality. Yeah, but the reality is that when it comes to the men's side of the game, obviously we're world champions on the women's side, but when it comes to the men's side of the game, we are yet to be in that elite group.
But we're not far away, but it's sometimes the hardest. You know, thing to do is to make up that last little bit. Also, a reminder: only eight countries in history have ever won a World Cup, so that is a very elite type of group. Teams like the Netherlands, teams like Portugal never won a World Cup. Hi, everyone.
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So I want you to hear the coach. I'm really, really intrigued because he seems to be very pro-American, trying to get that nationalistic feeling with the team that you're playing for your nation. Here is Mauricio Panchatino. Punchato. Punchatino.
Cut 46. You see the cultural diversity of America and also, I guess, to say and the culture and... and the cities and and every single, you know, place. We really enjoy it with the people. Um I think Nigeri was amazing, San Luis was amazing until to the game.
I seen, I don't know, Minneapolis. Chicago, New York.
So he's talking about playing around the country, and the fans are all in, and he's trying to get the team to understand you got to come together and do something extraordinary for the nation, but they don't know each other as well as you guys did. Yeah, I mean, we trained for two years basically as a club team, train every single day. We can't do that in the today's world. And if you want, you know, a graphic. Illustration of that this weekend, Summer of 94, the documentary.
You'll be able to see it on Fox. It lays out that whole story.
So here's a clip from that. It's summer 94 when Lexi was the stopper on the national team, Cut 44. Hit it! U.S.
soccer called with this asinine idea that they were going to put a national team together. And we were gonna live as a club team. It's like the Bad News Bears. This was Groundhog Day every single day. We had no respect around the world.
We knew what we were capable of and we were just waiting on our moment. I thought all of these hopes and dreams that we have lay ready. What if we screwed up soccer? forever. But you didn't.
No, we didn't. We got out of the group and soccer continued on. But there was a pressure in the summer of 94 to make sure that we did well for the future of the game. And, you know, you looked at it as a pressure, but I think we all looked at it also as opportunity. You got out of your group.
Yep. And that means everyone's guaranteed three games. Yeah.
So you play in group stage. There's groups of four. You're guaranteed three. And just getting out of the group was an accomplishment for where we were at that moment.
Now, this summer, it's completely different. You should expect this team. And I'm not. You know, grumpy old manning this thing by any stretch of the imagination. I think it's fair.
And I don't think that I'm being idealistic when I say that this U.S. team should be given or should come out of the group because they have been given absolutely everything from a young age. And it warms the cockles of my red-headed American heart. I love it. I don't begrudge them that at all.
It means progress. It means we've evolved. But with that comes higher expectations.
So you should expect this U.S. team with all of the talent that they have, all the opportunities that they've been given, to finish first in this group. And then we go into this new round of 32 knockout stage. And if we finish first in our group, we're going to play a team that's. Not as good as us.
And that's kind of very, very different than anything we've had. And you helped a second-place team with a wildcard team and another game. Yeah, some third-place teams are coming through.
So there's no excuses. We would really have to work to screw this up. I'm not putting it past them, but you should expect this team to come out of the group at the very least. And I'm expecting this team to win this. There's a great spot out there about what if the men win the World Cup.
And here's the last six seconds of it because Aruzzioni's in the back and said it is possible. Cut 49. You think the U.S. is going to win the World Cup? It could happen.
Never going to happen. What? You don't believe in miracles? I love the hair. I grew up You remember that team?
Yeah, I mean, it was just part of who you were as an American because it was in that moment something that people didn't believe could happen. And it happened. All right.
I will say this: if the U.S. men's soccer team were to win the World Cup, it would be ten times the accomplishment of The miracle after that. A bunch of college kids beating the Soviet Union. Oh, my God. Oh, yeah.
It would be so much more of an accomplishment, as great as that was. But you got to believe to be able to do something like that. It's in America. Thanks very much. Lexi Lawis, thank you.
You're the best.
