It wasn’t a term Alexi Lalas invented, but the former U.S. international certainly helped it pick up groundswell.



On August 20, 2017, Minnesota United was visiting then-defending MLS champion Seattle Sounders. Thanks to a bizarre scheduling quirk, the Loons had lost to the Emerald City giants in their previous match, a 4-0 drubbing in Minneapolis. Very few expected the Loons to have a shot in the grudge match, which ended up resulting in a 2-1 Sounders victory.



Among the loudest critics that day was FS1’s Lalas, an outspoken soccer analyst who’s the face of the network’s MLS coverage. Reflecting on the previous game, as well as other poor showings on national television, the former USMNT defender branded Minnesota United’s MLS existence before the opening of its new stadium with a damning pair of words:



“Soft launch.”



It was a criticism MNUFC brass had been facing for nearly a month. In a conference call with...