Tab Ramos on Pulisic's woes, Chris Klein on Galaxy exit & more

On this very special edition of State of the Union Presented by Zillow, Alexi Lalas had the chance to dive into the beautiful game through the lens of red, white and blue colored glasses with four guests with an eye to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Up first, Tab Ramos dives into the USA ahead of this summer. Is he worried about Pulisic's slump and how far should we expect the U.S. to advance? Soccer writer Leander Schaerlaeckens then joins the show to pull back the curtain on the history of U.S. Soccer, including a glaring issue with this current batch of players. His book, "The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts", is out now. Up next, former Galaxy President and current co-chair for the LA Host Committee for the World Cup, Chris Klein, dives into what fans can expect this summer. Last, but certainly not least, Host City Executive and CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026 Meg Kane dispels any rumors on the tailgate ban and what we can expect with her city as we are under a month from the world's biggest sporting event kicking off. 0:00 Intro1:41: Feeling on U.S. team ahead of World Cup7:12: Ramos on American soccer development13:02: Matt Crocker leaving NOT a “Shock”, who is next?14:33: Pulisic’s slump… concerned?17:30: How far with the USMNT advance this summer?18:17 - Leander Schaerlaeckens joins the show20:45 - How far have we come since The Miracle of 1950?24:10 - Profiling the current stars: Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Jedi Robinson & Co.27:23 - Team America: A forgotten past29:57 - The biggest issue with the current USA stars…33:01 - What does U.S. Soccer need to do to take the next step?35:15 - Chris Klein joins the show36:50 - Biggest issues planning a World Cup39:19 - What can fans expect in LA?39:35 - Expectations for USMNT41:59 - On his time with the Los Angeles Galaxy47:39 - What would MLS Commissioner Klein do to grow the game first?50:34 - Meg Kane joins the show51:19 - What is keeping Meg Kane up at night hosting a World Cup?52:32 - Context on working with FIFA58:45 - Tailgating in Philadelphia61:37 - France vs Germany on the 4th of July?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices