Even as a player Alexei Lalas stood out from the crowd with his ZZ-top style beard and huge mop of red hair – oh yes, he was a pretty decent footballer to boot. The beard may no longer be there and he has hung his boots up but the president of LA Galaxy is still a big presence in American soccer.
There have been plenty of false dawns regarding soccer in the USA but the infrastructure is in place at College level and a wage cap on the MLS clubs means it is here to stay for the foreseeable future. And LA Galaxy will be even more showbiz than usual with the impending arrival of David Beckham on the horizon lifting it to new levels.
When they originally announced the signing of Beckham it appeared as though they were getting a player settling for his time in the sun but it is patently obvious they are getting a Beckham who is still hungry for success. He fought his way back into the Real Madrid side that won La Liga as well as playing a starring role in England's 3-0 win in Estonia after appearing to have reached the end of the road under Steve McClaren.
Lalas will be breathing a huge sigh of relief as their gamble has paid off in a big way as there is sure to be a huge influx of foreign journalists and supporters keen to watch Beckham in the MLS and the extra finance that will bring. "There is a risk but this is a growing business and you need to do big, bold things to get to that next level," said Lalas. "We had a very small window of opportunity in January and we made it happen.
"Tim Leiweke, the head of AEG (which owns LA Galaxy), sat down with me and we said this is a guy who can help us win games and transform our image. So the machine started up and we did everything we possibly could to make it enticing to David because we knew this was a unique opportunity.
"Beckham is not going to change anything overnight but the hope is that this will be a big stepping stone towards the point where we see ourselves in 20 years. We want to emerge as America's first super-club, to compete with Madrid and Manchester United. Some might say that's a pipe dream but I prefer to call it our vision."
However, the perception of football in the USA still rankles with Lalas. Most experts are comparing the standard with Championship-League One football at best and a whispering campaign is suggesting Beckham will soon lose patience. But Lalas is keen to point out that the standard is high and tangible proof has come with the performance of America since 1990 in qualifying for every World Cup with a strong core of home based players.
"We may be Americans but we're not stupid," he continued. "We know when we're being patronised and I get so irritated when I hear the experts in England talk about David Beckham as if he's going into semi-retirement by leaving Real Madrid for Los Angeles.
"That's ignorance of the first degree because almost every one of those critics has not even seen a single MLS game. It's insulting to us and to our sport to say Beckham is on his way to Hollywood when he's coming to play in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. There are a lot of stars in European football who would struggle over here. But Beckham has done his homework on this league, and his teammates, and he recognises the merit of American soccer."
Lalas even takes a sideswipe at the English Premiership and claims it has become a case of style over substance compared to the, according to Lalas, more competitive MLS.
He added: "English football now has the haves and the have-nots, and even the top four in the Premiership may be narrowing down to two. But because of the structure of our league and the salary cap our competition runs deep. It's just that the Premiership have become so skilled in presentation. They took a page out of American football and now have Saturday Showdowns and Super Sundays. I love it. This is high-calibre marketing: taking an inferior product and improving it through packaging."
He laughs at the irony that an American soccer executives should accuse the Premiership of being all style and no substance. "You know," he says with a mischievous glint. "There's no accounting for bad taste. The fact that a segment of the world worships an inferior product in the Premiership is their business.
"In England our league is considered second-class but I honestly believe if you took a helicopter and grabbed a bunch of MLS players and took them to the perceived best league in the world they wouldn't miss a beat and the fans wouldn't notice any drop in quality.
"There's this delusion that if it's English then it's great. But a whole world exists outside of England. That's reflected in the difficulties they had when everyone ran to the Premiership. Maybe it's okay for the fan but for the average development of the English player the game is struggling. And in terms of pure football I would choose La Liga. That's why I've been thrilled at the way Beckham turned everything around at Madrid."
But Lalas concedes that Beckham will still be turning out for England for as long as possible even with a 6,000 mile jaunt for every fixture. And he has praised not only Beckham's ability on the pitch but his demeanour too. "We've signed a very good player and a very good person," he said unequivocally
"While it is going to challenge us from a business and a competitive standpoint if he's flying 6,000 miles to play games for England, I'll back him all the way. I told you a few months ago I'd drive him to the airport if he got picked for England and that promise holds.
"If you sit down and talk to David you quickly understand how representing his country has meant so much to him. It has nothing to do with money or prestige. It's simply the honour. And, listen, it's also a great tribute to the Galaxy to have one of our players representing England."
which players would be in your team of the century? Vote for your players here in the official PFA Legends competition.
