Greg Lalas: We for sure are very professional.

https://soundcloud.com/fedor-pogorelov/greg-lalas

Greg Lalas: We for sure are very professional.

Greg Lalas started his journalism career in 2000. He worked with Sports Illustrated, Goal.com and the New York Times. Even being part of MLS structure doesn't influence his criticism producing the Extratime podcast (Extratime – is the time which is added to the soccer game when a draw result can’t be taken. So this title has a really symbolic meaning: it’s like overtime in hockey when supporters are extremely stressed and they still want to discuss what happens on the pitch).

"We understand that we are the part of MLS. But at the same time we are trusted for good criticism, for good discussion. We don’t let it stop us in what we are going to say”.

Lalas is the editor-in-chief of the MLSsoccer.com podcast Extratime. We speak via phone on hot Tuesday. He is in his office, in New York. I - in Syracuse - try to combine my Iphone speakers with my Ipad mic and ask Greg not to speak to fast.

"I think the popularity of soccer is growing in the US. In 2010 the World Cup final was watched by 25 million people on TV. And we can see the growth of MLS as well over last 5-10 years. Now MLS is the 7th most attended league in the world, I mean average attendance. It’s about 18-19 thousand people a game”.

Lalas who used to be the professional soccer player (he played for Tampa Bay Mutiny and New England Revolution) is very responsible in choosing topics to discuss with the audience for his podcast. Lalas is from Birmingham, Michigan, and he always used to play a defender – probably that is why he seems to sound so persuasive and formidable.

"I think our podcast is unique, because it’s about Major League Soccer. And it’s focused on what people are talking about. Rather than be people who say the audience what you should talk about, what you should to know, we try to focus on what people discuss in social media, at web sites. What we do – we for sure are very professional in what we are doing and what we are saying".

The interview. 

Greg Lalas: We for sure are very professional.

Q: How would you describe the popularity of soccer in the US?

A: I think it’s growing, the popularity is growing. Every year it becomes bigger and bigger as a sport. In 2010  the World Cup final was watched by 25 millions people on TV.

Q: It’s impressive.

A: Yes, it's a big number. And we can see the growth of MLS as well over last 5-10 years. Now  MLS is the 7th most attended league in the world, I mean average attendance. It’s about 18-19 thousands people a game. I don’t remember  the real number, but I can send it to you if you want.

Q: You have these new stadiums which were constructed for World Cup in 1994?

A: No. Those stadiums where games of World Cup were played in 1994 - we have already. They were football stadium, I mean American football stadiums with capacity about 8 thousands people. Here in the US they built special soccer stadiums with capacity about 20-25 thousands. They are used only for MLS games and American National Team games.

Q: What cannels broadcast MLS games?

A: We have 3 cannels, which broadcast MLS in the US at the national level and one in Canada, your remember that MLS it’s not only American league. So they are ESPN, NBC, the cannel for speaking Spanish. In Canada it’s SPSN.

Q: How do you choose topics for your podcast? What does your audience react more passionate to?

A: I think our podcast is unique, because it’s about Major League Soccer. And it’s focused on what people are talking about. Rather than be people who say the audience what you should talk about, what you should to know, we try to focus on what people discuss in social media, at web sites. So if people discuss in twitter a certain player in Salt-Lake city we will discuss that. We call some listeners in Salt-Lake city or the player himself. We let social conversation help us to choose topics. 

Q: You do know that in Russia, in Europe supporters, the audience of sports media tend to be very critical. They always like to laugh at players, they like to criticize them. Is it true

A: Yes. Everybody is critic. Critic about players, critic about games and so on. But here it’s a bit different situation. Here in the US it’s not vicious criticism, it’s not malicious. It’s a fair criticism. In Europe sometimes this criticism can be unfair. It doesn't matter if a player was right or wrong, if they don’t like him – they don’t like him.

For example, I’m from Oregon, and my team plays against Seattle. And if my player kicks his opponent, I will criticize him for being dumb. In Europe they will say, that that player deserved to be kicked.

We have less conflicts because we have less violence, we have less history in soccer.

You know that in Europe supporting was not only about supporting your club, it was about supporting your neighborhood. Here in the US it’s just entertainment. And it’s not so mean. Yes, we care about soccer, we have passion but we still know that it’s entertainment. We don’t take it to the extreme violence between supporters.

Q: Who – after David Beckham returned to Europe – are the most popular soccer players in the US?

A: Donovan, he is very popular. Thierry Henry from New-York. Robbie Kean, an Irish player for Los Angeles. We also have players who are popular here, but are unknown for the rest of the world. Like Omar Gonsalez, he plays for Los Angeles and also for the American national team. And I forget about Tim Cahill, an Australian player, he plays for New York. He played in English premier league.

Q: Radio where I used to work partly belongs to FC Zenit, the soccer club from Saint Petersburg. So in our shows we always were very smooth and very polite. Do you fell in your podcast this corporate policy of MLS?

A: We kind of like you. Yes, we know, we understand that we are the part of MLS. But at the same time we are trusted for good criticism, for good discussion. We don’t let it stop us in what we are going to say. What we do – we for sure are very professional in what we are doing and what we are saying.