Speaking on his State of the Union podcast, Lalas was asked to name the best club team that the USMNT could defeat in its current form. His response was unwavering, as he confidently stated: "Keep in mind the United States are 16th in the world rankings. I think the USMNT, as we stand today, can beat everybody up to Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool. I think they could beat Chelsea, and everybody else (in the Premier League)."
Lalas further expanded his assessment beyond the English top flight, arguing that the USMNT could also outplay nearly every team in Germany’s Bundesliga, apart from Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.
"When it comes to the Bundesliga, I think they could beat everybody but Bayern Munich and (Bayer) Leverkusen," he added.
"Unless we're talking about the super clubs of a league, I think the US national team in its current form can beat all of them. MLS, I would say most of them on any given day… That's how good this US team is, and also how the elites of the elite out there, that's how good they are."
When asked to pinpoint the strongest club team that the USMNT could realistically beat, Lalas firmly responded with Chelsea.
"To quickly answer the question: What's the best team out there (the US could beat?) It's Chelsea."