Alexi Lalas crushed in scathing column about Fox's ex-USMNT defender, currently loud Fox broadcaster at World Cup

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Even just on the panel, it feels lopsided.

Alexi Lalas, who was a popular player but not a superstar for the United States in the 1990s, is joined on Fox's top desk during this World Cup by the legendary strikers Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But if Lalas was a top-notch analyst, it would work, right? Well, the world may never know.

Lalas has been widely criticized so far during the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Much of the criticism has to do with his dynamic with Zlatan, which is a bit confrontational.

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There's also a question of how much Lalas actually really says. Does he bring anything to the desk?

At least one columnist doesn't think so.

Sid Lowe writes for The Guardian, and this paragraph caught a lot of eyes on social media:

I’d like to report a murder. https://t.co/SCaBlBpmDS pic.twitter.com/NNqTNeDCpB

— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) June 21, 2026

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The whole article is a quality look at the media team put together by Fox.

Rebecca Lowe is a great host. Henry is insightful. Zlatan is at least entertaining.

Is Lalas any of those things? Plenty would say no.

Fox was always going to need a former USMNT player for that spot on the desk during this World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Lalas has been their go-to guy for a while.

It's just being noticed more and more that Lalas may not actually be the answer for that spot. He isn't going anywhere during this World Cup, but people will keep being bothered by him, and it's probably fair.