American soccer analyst Alexi Lalas stated he wants England to reach the World Cup final so they can experience "ultimate heartbreak" on U.S. soil. The sentiment comes as England prepares for a semifinal match against Argentina.
Lalas, a former player for the U.S. Men's National Team, shared his perspective with fellow Fox Sports analyst Alex Rodriguez. He articulated a specific concern about England winning the World Cup in the United States shortly after the nation's 250th birthday. "As you mentioned, England coming over to our shores, on our 250th birthday, and them winning a World Cup after 60 years... we cannot have that happen," Lalas said. He added that England could either lose in the semifinal or "go to the final and experience the ultimate heartbreak and hurt and lose in the final."
Despite this wish, Lalas acknowledged the quality of the current England team, describing them as "very good and dare I say this... even likeable." This contrasts with the views of another American pundit, Mike Grella, who drew criticism for his assessment of England's performance after their quarterfinal win.
Grella, speaking on CBS Sports, described England's play as "like having the world's ugliest daughter," critiquing their ball control and transitional play and stating they were "not very good at football" despite securing wins. England manager Thomas Tuchel also expressed dissatisfaction with his team's performance against Norway, despite advancing to the semifinals, calling their play "sloppy" and noting they were "lucky today."
England is scheduled to face Argentina in their semifinal match on Wednesday. Should they advance, they would compete in the final for the first time since their sole World Cup victory in 1966. The other semifinal features France against Spain. The World Cup final is set to take place in the United States.