Former U.S. men’s national team star Alexi Lalas recalled one of the wildest moments in recent American history on Thursday, following the news that O.J. Simpson had died of cancer at age 76.
On June 17, 1994, the nation was captivated by a slow-speed car chase on the freeway in Los Angeles, as Simpson sat in the passenger seat of a white Ford Bronco driven by his friend Al Cowlings.
Earlier in the day, Los Angeles police said the ex-NFL star was a fugitive who was sought in the killings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.
Eventually, Cowlings and Simpson led police to Simpson’s home, where he surrendered. Simpson was acquitted of the murders after a trial that captivated the nation over 11 months between 1994 and 1995.
The events of June 17 took place the night before the USMNT opened the 1994 World Cup on home soil, facing Switzerland at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan.
As news spread of Simpson’s death, Lalas went on X to recall the surreal moment.
On June 18th, 1994 #USMNT had an 11:30 am EST kickoff in the Pontiac Silverdome vs Switzerland. It was the start of our World Cup. Biggest game of our lives. Night of June 17th, we all sat in our hotel rooms glued to the OJ Bronco chase happening in LA. pic.twitter.com/7id7gmPBEM
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) April 11, 2024
“It was the start of our World Cup,” he said. “Biggest game of our lives. Night of June 17th, we all sat in our hotel rooms glued to the OJ Bronco chase happening in LA.”
Lalas also spoke to The Athletic in 2019 about the events of that summer evening on their 25th anniversary.
“Look, everybody remembers where they were, if they were around, and cognizant of what was going on,” Lalas said. “It is that seminal type of moment: Where were you when this was happening? It was the ultimate reality show unfolding in real time in front of you.
“The whole team was doing this. Everybody was watching it. You would move from the television in the lobby of the hotel, to the television where we were eating, to the television in our room. It was this running show that seemed like it would never end. And yet you couldn’t turn away and you were waiting for that conclusion.”
Former USMNT goalkeeper Tony Meola told ESPN in 2014 that he wasn’t as rested as he should have been for one of the biggest games of his life, which would end in a 1-1 draw.
“I was exhausted on the day of the game. I roomed with John Harkes and we had spent the night watching the O.J. Simpson chase. Harkes kept yelling at me to turn the television off but I was totally glued to it,” Meola said.
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