Nothing, it seems, can prevent Alexi Lalas from the dutiful fulfillment of his appointed rounds.
Not a regulation playoff, not extra time, not penalties. Not the logistics of getting from Florence to Boston in half a day, not the exhaustion and fatigue and stress thereof.
Lalas zipped into Foxboro Stadium in time for the prematch warmup, spent the first half on the bench, and came on at halftime to clear a ball from the U.S. goal line during a wild 3-2 victory against Nigeria June 11.
“I’ve never done this before and I don’t recommend it,” said Lalas, “but when they asked me, it wasn’t like me flying-in-with-a-cape sort of thing — to me it sounded fun.”
So continues his charmed life. Padova won its playoff with Genoa 6-5 on penalty kicks after 120 minutes ended 1-1, which triggered a delirious celebration Lalas had to pass up for a speedy drive to Milan, where he spent the night. Padova, which earned its first promotion to the Serie A in 32 years by winning a playoff with Cesena last year, won the right to stay up and will most likely keep Lalas as well.
“I missed the party,” said Lalas, who “scored” a dramatic winning goal late in regulation that was disallowed due to a pushing foul. “But for me it was more important to come back here with the guys.”
About the only thing he didn’t do was knock home the winning penalty. He left that to Dutchman Michael Kreek. “No, I’m at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to penalties,” said Lalas. “When it gets to me, you know they’re really desperate. After we got to five, I sort of started to sneak away at the back.”
The next morning, he caught a flight to London, and then flew on to Boston’s Logan Airport, notorious for its constricted access. He was met there by an ESPN camera crew, and the Massachusetts state police, who were responsible for getting him out of Logan and to Foxboro Stadium, which can only be reached by a two-lane highway.
Of course, he made it, thanks to “some crazy state trooper driving like 150 miles an hour. He scared the crap out of me, and here I am.”
Head coach Steve Sampson held him out for the first half, during which the teams traded goals. Marcelo Balboa nailed home a header in the final seconds to tie the match 2-2, and a section of the stadium rose to give Lalas a standing ovation when his name was announced for the second half.
“When he came into the locker room,” said Sampson, “the guys were so excited to see him. It was like a homecoming for us all. Alexi is very well respected by all the players and he did give us a lift in the second half.”
Lalas headed a few balls clear and preserved the U.S. 3-2 lead by kicking away a shot that had slid past keeper Brad Friedel.
Afterward, looking utterly exhausted and disoriented, he talked with journalists for nearly 30 minutes, and then spent another 20 minutes signing autographs for a swarm of shrill, adoring fans. In an era where dozens of players balk at playing for their national teams because of fatigue or spite or inconvenience, Lalas’ attitude sticks out.
“For a lot of people nowadays, playing for the national team isn’t that important,” he said. “But for me, it’s everything. I owe the position I’m in right now in terms of my career to the national team and the national team programs.
“So, if I have to fly and do all that stuff just to be here … it’s a good trip, a good two days.”
Lalas once lobbied to endorse cherry Slurpees, but a season in Italy has raised his standards. In the postgame press conference, he declared, “I’d like to sincerely thank British Airways for getting me here safely.”
by Soccer America Senior Editor Ridge Mahoney