Alexi Lalas

One of the most recognized American soccer players because of his red hair and trademark goatee, Alexi Lalas contributed to the popularity of the sport in the United States in the 1990s. A defender, Lalas played on the U.S. national team, and professionally for MLS (Major League Soccer) and in Europe for Italy's Serie A, one of the best leagues in the world. He was also a singer and guitar player who recorded and performed with bands.Lalas was born on June 1, 1970, in Birmingham, Michigan, the son of Dimitrious Lalas and his wife Anne Woodworth. His father was a professor who later became the director of Greece's national observatory, while his mother was a writer and poet. Lalas did not begin to play soccer until he was 10 or 11 years old, but by his senior year of high school at Cranbrook Kingswood, he was Michigan's prep soccer player of the year. Soccer was not his only sport. Lalas was also a star hockey player, and his team won the state's high school hockey championship.