The USMNT’s humbling at the hands of Belgium triggered a fierce post-World Cup inquest.Questions are being asked as to why a vast, wealthy nation cannot compete at the top level in soccer — and the problem runs deeper than the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB draining talent.Aside from 1930, the USMNT has never made it past the quarter-finals at a World CupGettyOne of the biggest issues that has been raised is the extraordinary cost of youth sports.Research conducted by the Aspen Institute and released in 2025 estimated that parents spend more than $40 billion annually on their children’s sports activities.Many prominent figures are calling for kids to be given more opportunities to play for free, but former USMNT star Alexi Lalas is making an impassioned defense of the status quo.“Youth soccer (youth sports) is a competitive market with businesses selling a product that obviously customers are willing to pay for,” he wrote on X in the first of a series of posts . “I’d love if soccer was free to all. But who is going to pay for all this free soccer?”View Tweet: https://x.com/KevinFrazier?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwTV host Kevin Frazier took the fight to Lalas during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.“I’ve been dying to come here and talk US soccer,” he said. “I was like, ‘I’ve got to come here and get this off my chest.’“Listen, man, we’ve got to stop Alexi Lalas. What is going on? What is happening? Alexi, slow down, bro. Slow down.“I’ve been listening to some of these takes recently. You know, every four years we lose, and we go through this thing where we say, ‘What’s the problem with US soccer?’ Then he gives his explanation. He’s like, ‘Oh, the pay-for-play system works and it’s okay.’“And I’m like, ‘Alexi, what are you talking about?’ You benefited from it as a kid from the suburbs. But back when the US sucked in Italy, you were part of the problem. You are part of the problem. Stop talking about US soccer like you know it. You don’t.”Lalas popped up in the replies.Lalas reached the Round of 16 in 1994AFPBarcelona is a talent factoryGettyHe noted: “Hey Kev, I’m good, but thanks for your concern. I’ve consistently said I’d love soccer to be free. But who should pay for free soccer?“Also, do you think those who work in youth soccer are greedy and should make less money? If so, why? Hope you’re well and I respect your passion.”U.S. told to follow Barcelona modelLalas likes to shift the goalposts and hit the same talking points, but the fact of the matter is there are countries who manage to provide top-tier youth coaching for free — and their staff get paid just fine.Longtime Dan Patrick Show producer Seton O’Connor put forward the example of CF Damm in Barcelona, which is run by the Damm brewing company and has produced dozens of top-flight players.“The answer is right in front of Alexi Lalas’ face and he somehow never sees it,” O’Connor said. “With the USMNT crashing out of the World Cup, people are talking again about fixing youth soccer in the United States, so the conversation has turned to free academies. “Alexi Lalas usually replies with, ‘Who’s going to pay for all this free soccer?’La Masia is one of the world’s most iconic academies and draws from a wealth of talent from local teams in Barcelona“Now let’s think about American companies. Apple, Google, Amazon, Nike, Tesla, SpaceX, their resources dwarf Damm’s. And several of them have also benefitted from stuff like government contracts and tax incentives and other forms of public support over the years.“So if public policy can be used to support already-successful companies keep growing, why couldn’t some of that success be reinvested into developing the next generation of American soccer players? Just a portion, just a small piece of it.“Damm already proves that the model works. Why are we asking who’s going to pay for all this free soccer rather than asking, ‘Why hasn’t a single American company stepped up that youth soccer is a cause worth backing?’”O’Connor pointed out that there are benefits to the businesses as well.“Why do companies think that buying 30 seconds of advertising creates more value than building the next generation of players? I feel like that’s something that a proud American and a proud capitalist who also loves soccer, like Alexi Lalas, could speak to,” he added.Lalas reposted the take on his own socials for comment. Perhaps the notorious contrarian is finally joining the consensus.The U.S. is clearly doing something right at youth level with the USWNT boasting a record four world championships.They will be up again in 2027 having landed over $200k each from the men’s run this year thanks to a revenue sharing agreement.Stay up to date on all things World Cup across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.All 104 games at the 2026 World Cup this summer will be live on talkSPORT, talkSPORT 2 and the talkSPORT app.