Always fun. Always interesting. Always with something to say.
Birmingham native Naoum Lalas — sans the long, curly red locks and goatee that the marque has a personality very visible Football back in the day — was in the City earlier this week promoting the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer game with the national team of the United States.
Lala, who will turn 38 next month, spoke of soccer for almost hour, covering everything from the experiences of youth for the current broadcast gig with ESPN.
After all these years, Football remains his passion, his identity. And Lala will be the first to say this is "blessed" to have a career in the sport began playing around a little League fields in Birmingham.
"Have fun. I still live in football, "said Lala, who lives in California with his wife and two children Anne Sophie Rewey, 6, and Henry, 3. "You talk about how football should be developed and is still there. Therefore, the fact that I have to make a career and a life for football both on the field and off the field now, I have very, very blessed. "
Lala, a 1998 graduate of Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook high school where he was a standout football and hockey player, recalled attending Detroit Express football games as a kid and playing Youth Football with the ' juice boxes and oranges ' at halftime.
Lala humour said that he somehow at Rutgers. But that was based on the New Jersey University where he honed as a result of the game and gained national prominence. Lala has helped lead the Scarlet Knights NCAA final four in 1989 and the national championship game a year later. Lala was an all-American who won both the Hermann Trophy and Missouri Athletic Club Player of the year honors in 1991.
Football 6-foot-3 standout wanted to go on to become a fixture in the national team of the UNITED STATES where he had a reputation as a defender Center lock downwards. Lala, who ended his career with nine goals, represented his country in two Olympics (1992-1996) and two world cups (1994-1998).
Lala eventually played club football in Italy and then professional football in the USA with the New England Revolution (1996-97), MetroStars (1998) New York, Kansas City Wizards (1999) and Los Angeles Galaxy (2001-2004). In 2002, Lala helped to lead the Galaxy in MLS Cup Championship.
After retiring from pro soccer in 2004, Lala addressed side of the business of sport, serving as a Director for the San Jose earthquakes, MetroStars and Galaxy.
In 2006, he took a considerable value when he was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Lala stands out in a different platform, football these days. It is a kick of his duties as a major studio analyst for ESPN and ABC. He served a key role for ESPN to cover the World Cup last year in South Africa.
"It was very exciting. I have had an enormous Fortune at times, "said Lala. "To opportunities ... as he retired from the field and right management for a number of different groups.
"It was an incredible experience both valuable and enlightening. Sea me so many times, but it was my on-the-job training and increased from this understanding of sports and business, and in this case, football.
"But you look back asynchronously. As I said, allow me to Rutgers. This was essentially the thing. But it worked, "he says. "You can find these opportunities in life and career, and sometimes this well."
Yes, the Birmingham boy has done very well.
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