Photo by Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
By SBI SOCCER
FIFA 16’s crop of Ultimate Team legends are set to be joined by a pair of American stars.
EA Sports announced Tuesday that Landon Donovan and Alexi Lalas have been added to this season’s group of legends available on XBOX in FIFA 16. The two are the first Americans to be recognized as legends in the soccer series.
The duo are just two of 10 new legends added to this year’s game, joining stars like Alessandro Nesta, George Best, Ryan Giggs and Javier Zanetti.
Available in the game’s Ultimate Team mode, Donovan and Lalas’s addition take FIFA’s full crop of legends to 66, with changes in the game’s chemistry system making it easier for players to fit legends into their respective teams.
FIFA 16 is set to be released on Sept. 22, with Lionel Messi and U.S. Women’s National Team star Alex Morgan gracing the cover.
Check out a video of Donovan, Lalas and this year’s other legends below:
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What do you think of Donovan and Lalas’ additions? What players do you expect to see added as legends in the coming years? Any other Americans deserving?
Share your thoughts below.
LD has a rating of 87! Not that I’m necessarily disagreeing but I think its funny how he’s never really been rated higher than an 82 in past FIFA games and now suddenly he’s an 87.
lol +1
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
The 87 is just pace. They’ve only revealed one stat category for each of the new legends, not the overall rating. Lalas has 86 physical.
But chances are both of their Legend cards will be rated higher than they could have expected as active players, because these are supposed to be special cards instead of realistic.
Landon Donovan is the Kim Kardashian of soccer. Just won’t go away in the press, and has more haters that not, and yet they can’t stop talking about him
“has more haters that not, and yet they can’t stop talking about him”
How ironic.
+1
Almost like making a Hall of Fame. My son knows the old great players from 20 years before he was born in many sports.
Glad to hear Lalas is one of those.
Xbox only? BAH!
If I can play against Lalas with “injury mode” on, it will be worth it.
I can think of at least 10… nay, 20 retired USMNT players that should be in this list before Lalas based on merit and actual talent. But I get that his red goatee may have left an impression on some non-Americans
well let’s hear it. Seriously. Give us your list. I was too young to be around when Lalas was playing. He’s such a freaking blowhard as a broadcaster, and he certainly crapped the bed as a GM in Los Angeles, but could he play? Is he really one of the two best ancients we’ve ever produced? I find that hard to believe, but I wasn’t there. I’m guessing he got it because EA sports figured “he’s the only guy not currently playing that anyone under the age of 25 has ever heard of.” But you tell me.
Ten retired players better than Lalas: Bryan McBride, Claudio Reyna, Steve Cherundolo, Carlos Bocanegra, Eddie Pope, John Harkes, Eric Wynalda, Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, Thomas Dooley. That is without even thinking too hard.
And don’t forget John O’Brien.
Tab, above all.
+1
McQ,
Add Joy Fawcett and Carla Overbeck to your list.
What is Lalas’s claim to Legend? In 94 he was the hippy of the USMNT team. In 98 he was riding the pine for both club & country. A little lost on what makes him a legend…….
He’s recognizable?
doesn’t lalas currently work for espn? and easports makes the video game, yes? my brain is searching for a financial connection or some possible conflict of interest.
imo totally agree with mcq and others, i’m guessing lalas was selected for marketing or other non-soccer reasons.
How much did Alexi pay to make this happen? lol
Friends with someone who was a teammate with Lalas in MLS and was in a couple of USMNT camps with him. Said he was the one of the worst CBs he ever played with.