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Entering his second season as President & General Manager of the Earthquakes, Alexi Lalas will look to build on the success of 2004, during which he oversaw a 24 percent boost in the club's attendance. Under Lalas, the Quakes group ticket sales increased 70 percent over last season as the Quakes recorded their first sell-out at Spartan Stadium since 2002 when 27,030 fans packed in on Sept. 25. With Lalas at the helm, the Quakes 2004 average attendance of 13,001 for 15 home games became the highest-average season attendance since 1999. Lalas saw the Quakes increase season tickets to an all-time high with an increase of over 22 percent from 2003. The former MLS star continued to immerse himself in the San Jose community, making significant progress in establishing relationships between the club and everyone from government officials to youth soccer players in the Bay Area.
Lalas took over all business and soccer operations for the team on January 27, 2003. He joined the Earthquakes after an outstanding seven-year MLS career that saw him play in 169 games for four teams. The Detroit, Michigan native has long been one of the leading figures in United States soccer, cementing his place in MLS history by making five All-Star appearances and being selected to the 2002 Best XI squad. Lalas finished his playing career with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2003, appearing in 22 matches and scoring one goal and registering one assist.
Lalas, 35, first played for the U.S. National Team in 1991 and emerged as one of the top defenders in the country at the international level over the next seven years, representing the U.S. in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and the 1994 World Cup. In 1995, he was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year and he also earned a spot on the 1995 All-Copa America team. His play with the national team earned him a spot on the Gannett U.S. Soccer "All-Century Team" and he was a finalist for the Honda Player of the Decade award. Lalas also became the only American player ever to play in Italy's Serie "A", signing with Padova in 1994 and scoring three goals during the 1994-95 season. In his national team career, he appeared in 96 games and scored nine goals.
Lalas returned to MLS at the start of the league in 1996 and played for two seasons with the New England Revolution before moving to the MetroStars in 1998. Lalas played in 30 games for Kansas City in 1999 before retiring for the 2000 season. The Rutgers University product returned to soccer in 2001, appearing in 59 games for the Galaxy over the last three seasons, scoring seven goals. While with the Galaxy, Lalas helped lead the club to the 2000 F.C. Champions Cup, the 2001 U.S. Open Cup and the 2002 MLS Cup Championship.
Lalas served as the Earthquakes color commentator during the 2000 season, and has also served as a soccer announcer for NBC, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 in addition to sitting on the Board of Advisors for the U.S. Soccer Federation's Grants Committee and the Athletes Council. Lalas is also a board member of the Advisory Board of Abdul Thompson Conteh's Children's Fund. From 2001-2003, he donated tickets to Los Angeles Galaxy games to over 2,000 unprivileged children through his charitable foundation "Lalas Land". In 1999, he served on the Board of Advisors for the FIFA Women's World Cup. Last year, he joined the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance.
