Alexi Lalas and Stu Holden embrace World Cup pressure as players turned broadcasters

LOS ANGELES — As someone who has played in a World Cup and broadcast one, Alexi Lalas says the biggest difference between the two is what you wear to the game. Everything else is pretty much the same.

"There are obvious similarities in terms of preparation, both mental and physical," said Lalas, who now wears a suit and tie instead of shorts and a shirt with a number on it. "There is a recognition of opportunity, there is a recognition of scrutiny, there is an understanding of responsibility and the potential for success, failure, praise, criticism, all those different things."

Even the anxiety is the same, said Stu