'Makes you look like weaklings' - Alexi Lalas hits out at Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah for response to criticism by former USMNT stars

U.S. soccer icon Alexi Lalas addressed the growing tension between current USMNT players and former national team stars following public comments from Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah. The two forwards  expressed frustration with criticism they've received from former national team players, including Lalas. 

Lalas said the current generation needs to prioritize winning over public feuds, especially when they have a fan base disappointed in performances.

“For a team that has produced so much angst and, you know, relative worry and concern and - even at times anger and disappointment - for what they have done, the decisions that they've made, what has happened on and off the field? You should be doing anything and everything to look good, to get into the good graces of an American public that is dying to love you, is dying to like you, and is dying to support you" Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast.

Lalas said on-field performance remains their most effective response to critics.

“So each and everything that you do that possibly puts you in a negative light and makes you look like weaklings or the babies that you are accusing others of, of labeling you as, that's a problem,” Lalas added. “You can correct it ultimately on the field. And that's where the rubber meets the road. That's where your legacy, whatever it ends up being, it should be so lucky that it is even close to a Landon Donovan.

"That's where it's going to happen less than a year from now, next summer. But criticism, come on, man. It's not even close to what other players or other countries, or other teams get. And whether it's me or anybody else out there, I think we would all stand by the criticism that we have made either of the individual players or of this team.”

Pulisic and Weah recently opened up about the comments that Lalas, Tim Howard, and Landon Donovan made over the summer, with both players expressing their frustration in the latest episodes of the PULISIC docuseries. 

“I think those guys are chasing checks,” Weah said in the documentary. “And for me, I just feel like they're really equal, honestly, because they've been players and they know it's like when you're getting bashed and those are the same guys, that'll turn around and shake your hand and try to be friendly with you at the end of the day.”

The USMNT returns to competitive action in September’s international fixtures against Korea and Japan.