Pro-Trump soccer star admits 'negative perceptions' about US are 'a problem' for World Cup
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press at Joint Base Andrews after attending the U.S. Open men's tennis final, in Maryland, U.S., September 7, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Philadelphia scored a major victory when it was chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, an event being promoted aggressively by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Philly Mayor Cherelle Parker. But many Philly residents fear that soccer fans won't visit the United States in 2026 because of President Donald Trump's policies, and that 45 percent service cuts cutbacks being proposed for SEPTA — Philly's mass transit system — will hurt the event.
Those Philly residents are mostly Democrats, as the city is deep blue and hasn't had a Republican mayor since Bernard Samuels left office in 1952. But Alexei Lalas, a Trump supporter and former soccer player, is worried about the 2026 FIFA World Cup as well and fears that the president's law enforcement policies in major cities could hurt the event.
Politico's Adam Wren, in an article published on September 9, notes that when Lalas met with Trump, he had some "pointed advice about how the United States should handle the co-hosting duties for next year's tournament."
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Lalas told Trump, "This is on our watch, and so let’s not f--- it up…. It's going to reflect on us as just a nation, and it's going to reflect on President Trump."
Trump, Lalas stresses, "has a vested interest in it going well."
The former soccer star told Politico, "I mean, look at the perception that people have of where America is right now, as we're talking about it, less than a year away from the World Cup. While I can disagree with that perception, it doesn't mean that it's not valid and it's not out there in terms of the way people view the United States. If what they are seeing, what they are reading, turns them off from taking that vacation through the World Cup, that is a problem."
Lalas continued, "I want to try to change that perception to the extent that I can. If you want to support your country and you want to support your team, and you pass the vetting process, you are going to have a wonderful time. And then, hopefully that message is brought back and so we can start to change some of that perception out there. But I'm not denying the fact that there are negative perceptions of what America is right now out there."
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Read the full Politico article at this link.
