First Things First - Brazil beats Japan, Ja Morant traded to Trail Blazers, Are the Warriors building a Big 4?

Episode Date: June 29, 2026

(0:00) Brazil beats Japan, What would a Big 4 look like with the Warriors? (20:33) Ja Morant traded to Trail Blazers (28:51) What would success look like for USA? (36:13) Dax’s Power Rankings, Danny makes his WC Knockout Stage Predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The excitement of the FIFA World Cup is now streaming live on Fox One, the official English streaming platform to catch every unforgettable moment. Fox One brings the action straight to your screen so you never miss a goal. Download Fox One and experience the FIFA World Cup live. Tanak is given the ball away there. Bruno Gimeraise. Oh, and here's a chance. Martindaleigh. Fantastic little slipped ball into Bartonelli.

Kids at home pay attention. You can't score if the first touch isn't good. concentrates with his left foot, perfectly onto his right boot. It's Bedlam here for Brazil, and the roof has nearly come off this place. Andy Parkins alongside Dax McCarty, and this is first things first. O'Vertime. We have a lot to get to today, including Kevin O'Connor, joining soon to talk a potential new big four in the NBA. But first, does that qualify as a stunner in Houston?

Kind of, because it was not until the 56th minute when we finally saw some momentum breakthrough for Brazil. ending with a punch in stoppage time from a game winner, as you just saw from Gabriel and Martinelli to break Japan's hearts and send Brazil advancing. Dax, this is an age-old question in sports after a very concerning first half for Brazil. Is it the result? Is it just survive in advance? Or does four matter? How worried, if at all, should Brazilian fans be? I think Brazil fans have come to accept and should come to accept reality that this is just who Brazil is right now.

They are a team that is going to be a little bit inconsistent. This reminded me eerily similar of the Morocco game, where they didn't play very well in the first half, and they slowly grew into the game. And the big difference between this game and the Morocco game was that they got stronger as the game wore on, as Japan got weaker. And so, yeah, I think you should be concerned if you're a Brazilian fan that when you come up against a better team than Japan is, that you aren't going to be able to get back into a game, especially if you're still. the game as poorly as you did. The first half was sloppy. It was ponderous in possession. It was almost bereft of ideas in the attacking third. Vinnie Jr. was isolated and didn't get many touches. And quite frankly, Brazil didn't really look up to being able to break down Japan. And so the biggest feather in the cap that Brazilian fans can fall back on is the fact

that they have one of the best coaches and the best managers in the entire World Cup in Carlo Ancelotti. He pulls all the right strings. He had to make an adjustment at halftime. Pulled off Lucas Pockatov from injury. He doesn't replace him with a midfielder. He actually replaces him with an attacker, which moves Mateus Cunia back into midfield. You get more attacking players in the box. Japan was sitting really deep.

And then you just start putting crosses in. They were physically more imposing than the Japanese players and athletically just overtook the game. Vinny Jr. started more out wide in the second half, and he really started to impose himself on the game. Brazil dominated the second half, thoroughly deserved. victory. But again, that first half, it's a little bit of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in terms of Brazil, but this is what you've come to expect. They passed another big test today.

So let's look a little bit at the first half because if you didn't watch the gate, like a two-one result looks totally normal. Right? We see it all the time, one of the most common results in all of soccer. But if you look at Japan's first goal and just some of the turnovers and we'll roll the video, it looked like a team that was playing down to its opponents. And it's just, some of it is Japan being difficult, but some of it is just lazy passes, not really executing. This one that ends up leading to the goal, just right down the tooth, the heart of the spine, basically, right up the middle. No passes required and sneaks it by. And I guess my overarching question is, because it does look like the Morocco game,

but Brazil is this proud soccer nation, one of not the top line favorites, but in that, second tier. They came into this World's Cup believing that they could win the World's Cup. Sure. And is it England? Like when they get England, are they in trouble? Or is it like when they get Mexico they're in trouble? Like how, how dire of a situation is this based on the form they're in right now? Yeah, I do think that when they play against a top, top line opposition, an opposition that offers a little bit more in the attack than the Japanese did, I do think that they are in trouble because there's only so many rabbits out of a hat that Carlo Ancelotti is going to be able to pull out. Eventually, they are going to be punished in a much more severe way against

some of these better teams. And I look at that first half, and one thing that is really concerning to me is that your central midfielder, your defensive midfielder, Casamiro, he ends up actually scoring the game-tying goal off of a header. But if you took his overall performance in the first half, you would have said he was one of the worst players on the field. And that Japanese goal, it comes from a turnover from Danilo, your right, fullback. Casamiro, in his heyday at Real Madrid, he breaks that play up no problem with either a foul or winning a tackle. He just isn't athletically gifted enough at this stage in his career to put out that fire and it's a really good finish.

But he got a sloppy yellow card in the first half. It's just really difficult, I think, to rely on this Brazilian midfield to be able to play with some of the better midfields in this competition. I guess so that's another thing that I'm trying to drill down on here. What is their ceiling? Yeah. How we haven't seen them play in a game. But I wonder if they're a game, whatever version that is, if it's good enough.

Their ceiling is absolutely a small possibility to win the World Cup. A small – because you've just talked about their midfielders as if it's not good enough. Like flatly not good enough. Their midfield, as currently constructed right now, I don't believe, is one of the better midfields left in the competition. And I think against a better opponent, they will struggle to stay on top of the game as well as they did against Japan. Japan's biggest issue was in the first half, they were breaking Brazil down through possession. They took a little bit of the sting out of the game with being able to keep the ball, possess the ball, be patient. I don't see a Brazil being able to keep up with an opponent's midfield that is a little bit stronger than theirs going deep in the competition.

But why I give them a chance is because of Vinny Jr. in the form that he is in right now. And essentially, there's only one winger in the entire world that is going to have the capability to do what he did in this play right here in the 58th minute. He picked up this ball at the halfway line and essentially dribbled four or five Japanese players to create this chance. And this is one of the best saves that you will see in the World Cup. The only other winger out in that winger that has the dribbling capability at pace to unbalance a backline that can do this in the world is Laminia Mall. Those are the two wingers that fundamentally can change a game at the drop of a hat. And so if Vinny Jr. is in the form that he is in, if Carlo Ancelotti is continuing to push the right buttons and get the best out of this Brazil team, They absolutely can go on with a small chance to win the World Cup.

I just think when they come up against better competition, a team that is a little bit more balanced and a little bit more complete than Japan, they are going to struggle. It did seem, though, with how they came out in the second half, and I know you're giving a ton of credit to the manager and adjustments, but that opening barrage was like, is it about to be 3-1? Is it about to be 4-1? That burst of play, I do think, indicates, like, a fairly high ceiling for the team.

Because for a moment in time, they looked like they could pepper the goal. It's absolutely ridiculous to discount Brazil, especially right now at this moment in time, other than Canada, the only other team that has won their round of 32 matchup. And my big thing with Brazil was, other than the Morocco game, I haven't been highly impressed with them because they beat Haiti. You're supposed to beat Haiti. They beat Scotland. You're supposed to beat Scotland. Beat a team that I think is not competitively at the same level as Brazil, but can absolutely spring an upset. This Japan team, I thought it would be a close game.

I thought it had the potential to go to overtime. But Brazil, they just kept chugging along. They kept creating chances. And eventually, in the 90th minute, they put together enough plays to win the game. Well, they could be a couple of games away from England. They're part of the bracket. It's obviously going to get tougher. We'll get back in World Cup Corner soon enough.

But first, let's go to the Golden State. Huge news in the NBA, as Kevin O'Connor is reporting that the Warriors are pursuing. Oh, I don't know. You may have heard of him. LeBron, James, and Anthony Davis. That report was furthered by Sharm Sharania, with the breaking news that Draymond Green has declined his player option, which would help facilitate those acquisitions.

Now, if this were to happen, let's just take a look at Golden States starting five, because it's fun. It's the all one-name starting five. LeBron, Steph, Draymond, AD, and Pods. I got to be honest, and we'll get into it. It's a fun thing to imagine, even if I have no idea, if it would win anything. NBA podcaster, writer from Yahoo Sports, the man who originally broke this story,

and friend of the OT, Kevin O'Connor, with us now. KOC, thank you for your time. You had the initial report last night. Million layers here, but let's just go right to the end because it's sports television. Would this big four make the Warriors immediate title contenders? It would put him on the fringe. I think it raises their ceiling without a doubt. You see those names on screen.

LeBron James, still a top 25 player, 80, still a top. top 25 player joining Draymond, still a top 10 to 15 defender in Stefan Curry, who's still a top 10 player in the NBA. The real question with them would be health. Can those guys play more than 20, 25 games together, particularly 80, given he's only played only 70 games once in the last seven years, only 20 games last season. There's obviously a lot of questions there about the durability of this team. But without a doubt, Danny, I think these names on paper with the depth the Warriors would have,

with pods, bringing back Al Horford, Guy Santos, guys like that, and never mind the flexibility they'd have to make other additions, this would be a deeper Warriors team with a higher ceiling and, yes, a lower floor, but I'd put them on the fringes of contention in the NBA. I think that they would struggle, obviously, with athleticism. There would be tons of health questions.

You're bringing in 32-year-old Anthony Davis with all of his injuries. You're bringing in 41-year-old LeBron James, father time, undefeat. All of those things. But let's just right here for a second. Let's just pause that. And like, it would be so cool to see. Honestly, and sometimes I do think that people forget in the pursuit of a championship

that entertainment is a part of this. Like, my grandfather didn't have the coolest job in the world. He talked about not loving his job. But his retirement gig, he was a student of history, was he gave speeches on a cruise line. So if they're going through the Panama Canal, he would get free accommodations for him and my grandma and give a speech on the history of the Panama Canal. A sweet way to spend his retirement. I feel like if you're LeBron James, Draymond Green, Steph Curry, and Anthony Davis, not that AD is close to retirement age, but the other three guys are, they would just be looking around. Like, Steve Kerr, he almost retired.

This would be fun. This would just be interesting. playing basketball with your boys. Draymond Green, a defensive genius. LeBron, a basketball genius. Steph Curry, an offensive genius. A.D., a great two-way player, telling stories from their time on Team USA together

and one of the great teams ever assembled from the 2024 Olympics, and Steph Curry's won gold medal and his heroics in those games at the end. It would be, obviously, they would sell out every arena that they would go to. But I feel like this would be type of thing where no one would say, oh, this is a ding on LeBron's legacy or Steph's legacy.

I honestly don't even think, and maybe this is me being naive, I honestly don't even think we would talk about those things because it would just be an interesting basketball social experiment to watch. And even if it didn't end in a title, I would just want to watch them play basketball together every night as a fan of the sport of basketball. I agree completely with you, Danny. I think people would definitely talk about ring chasing, especially if they turned out to be very good. But why?

It'd be absurd. KOC, they didn't make the playoffs last year. I agree. It would be ridiculous to even say that. I think two years ago or three years ago, it would be a little conversation after the Warriors won in 2022. But now, at this point, no way. They just lost Jimmy Bullard or torn ACL. Moses Moody could be out for two seasons with a severe lower body injury.

It would be ridiculous. to talk about this with the current state of the golden state warriors. It would just be kind of beautiful. I think that analogy you gave is perfect, Danny. I mean, ultimately, with these guys together, it would be, in my opinion, an instant chemistry combination of players together. LeBron has already played with all those guys in different forms, Team USA, All-Star Games, one of championship with AD, AD and LeBron going there playing with the Steve Kerr system.

I think it would be immediately a good fit for those guys. As 80 would have a partner in the front court to alleviate the pressure on him defensively in Draymond Green. LeBron could be sharing the ball instead of watching Luca dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble, I think it would be an awesome fit, amazing basketball to watch and a really good thing for the NBA if it happens. And I hope it happens. When I first heard this over the weekend before I reported, I was like, oh, my God, this

needs to happen. Then I'm making calls, sending texts, and I'm learning more about it. I'm like, oh, my God. This actually does have a shot. and happening. And I mean, hopefully, fingers crossed, it does just for the pure enjoyment aspect as a basketball fan. What I would say is if you are, if it happens and you're a fan of a different team and you're like, the schedule comes out and you're like, oh, the Warriors are coming to town January 15th. Don't buy your tickets now. That is the ultimate, like, you might have to pay more,

but you want to wait until the day of the game because I honestly don't know. Let's just put up how many games they all played last year. And one of the most fascinating, Draymond's 68 games, he's very durable. LeBron historically durable, but again, 41 years old, Steph with the injuries, 43 games, and AD, because of injuries and other reasons, 20 games played. How would they handle it? Like, would the regular season even matter? Or would they just say, obviously anyone can play with LeBron, obviously anyone can play with Steph,

Draymond and AD, your job is defensive first, those guys will handle the offense. You've all played in a million playoff games together. Like, pop the playoff resumes for me for a second, Christina. I feel like you could honestly say an 82 game regular season is completely meaningless because those four guys have 442 combined playoff wins. They will figure it out come May and June, and the only objective would be to get to May and June. I feel like it might be not a terrible regular season product,

but one that we just wouldn't see all that much, because they would be piecemealing it together to just say, we are going to try to peak for 10 weeks in the spring and summer. I think you're right, but the issue there is the regular season does matter because it's what's required to be one of the top eight teams, and the West is so loaded. Like we just saw Portland trade for John Laurent. Maybe they have more moves coming.

They could get better. Who knows how Dallas could look with Kyrie back next year, at Cooper flagging year two. What if he's an all-N-B-A player? What if they're way better? What if the Grizzlies? What if Camboosur is an all-star right of? away. Like these teams at the bottom could get better. Never mind the teams in the middle as well,

Houston, Phoenix, Portland, teams like that. And the teams up top, it's going to be loaded in the West. And so these guys would have to play enough to make the playoffs and not just be another playing team, possibly even not even in the play in. So it does matter. And I think that's where my concern would be about this team is then being healthy enough. But if they get in to your point, if they get in, hey, nobody expected the Warriors to win. win it in 2022. And as Steve Kerr has said a bunch of times, they had a great path. They had a great path and they took advantage of it. And sometimes that's all it takes in the postseason. And so for the Warriors, if they get in, you wouldn't be able to rule out this team if they get in healthy,

but getting there is the ultimate big challenge for them. Yes. And it would just, it would be an interesting balance. I wouldn't think that any of those four guys would qualify for the 65 game threshold. Let's just put it that way. I think, I think they will do everything they can to make the playoffs, but they will do the minimum required in order to make the playoffs so that they can maximize their chances of being healthy. And I know if you knew the answer to this question, you would have reported it, but I'm going to ask it anyway. You report last night that this is what the warriors are trying to do. And then I always say one of the great things about sports is you can follow the money and actions over words. Like, Draymond declining that player option is an action.

do you now expect this to happen? Well, so over the weekend, there were rumblings that Draymond was going to opt out after last week when it was all about he's likely to opt in. And I didn't put that in the story because I didn't have it strong enough. And then it happened today. I do think actions speak loudly here and that there are a lot of signals that something big could be going down. And I think with LeBron and the Lakers, no offer's been made yet. I know it's been widely reported. I've heard that as well.

Maybe that this is just all about leverage. And, you know, later in the week we hear LeBron sign an extension with the Lakers. And A.D. has signed an extension with the Wizards and that this was all about the money and that's all it was about for their own existing teams. But I don't, I don't think so. I think LeBron has felt slighted with the Lakers. And I think he indeed does have a wandering eye and has looked at the warrior situation as a place to both be happy at playing basketball, but also as a place to potentially content. And he has always talked about wanting to play with Stefan Curry, his BFFs with

Draymond Green, I believe it was Shams who reported earlier that for LeBron to go to the Warriors that he would require Anthony Davis to go there. He wants to play with AD as well. That's not going to happen in Los Angeles, but all of those things could happen in Golden State and all of those things make sense for the Warriors as well. And so at this point, I'd be a little surprised if we don't at least get LeBron leaving the Lakers for the Warriors, the 80 portion. It takes two to tango. We'll see what the wizard situation is there.

I believe they are more than willing to trade Anthony Davis if the return is right. And I think the Warriors would be foolish not to go all in for this team and try to make it happen. LeBron average a triple double? I'm thinking about it as you're talking. It's like he would be the facilitator, obviously, right? he would be back in that role where the ball is in his hands to just pick and pop with AD, find Steph Curry on every sort of curl and flare and everything that Steph Curry does running around. Like his assist numbers would be incredible.

He wouldn't need to expend a ton of energy on the defensive side of the floor because that's what Draymond and AD are there for. He wouldn't be the number one option on offense. Like it feels like lowest points per game number of his career, but like an exploded assist number. It'd be a very fun role for LeBron in his age 41 season. It would be, I think, a way to potentially even extend him. Sure. Yeah.

I mean, like playing in that system. Yeah. Who knows? Why not? Go for it. Play till 50, LeBron. At this point, I guess anything's possible. And with free agency coming, there's news happening all over the NBA.

John Morant's future, KOC mentioned it. He's a blazer. now. We got trade news to react to and what it might mean next for the NBA. That's coming up with KOC, but the countdown clock, you know I love those. It's off and running. Netherlands, taking on Morocco. The knockout round is here. It all matters. The game tonight. 9 o'clock Eastern on Fox. The knockout stage. Well, it's off to a great start, of course, and Fox has got it all for you. Catch Chef Nick after hours with James Gordon, which has been absolutely fantastic. Our FIFA World Cup correspondent, James Winston. He was born for the role and a lot more on our YouTube pages. Fox has he covered through it all. And the countdown clock is on. Netherlands taking on Morocco.

The knockout round tonight. The winner faces Canada in the round of 16 on the 4th of July in Houston. That game tonight, 9 o'clock Eastern on Fox. Welcome back to the OT Kevin O'Connor sticking with us. Let's talk breaking news out of Memphis as the Grizzlies are. trading John Morant to the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for Jeremy Grant and Chris Murray. End of list. Not four first-round fakes, not unlimited pick swabs.

That's what John Morant is worth these days. So, COC, there's a ton of different angles we could go with here. What do you make of the trade? What I make of the trade on the Portland side of things is could this be setting up for something bigger here? Now you look at their roster, you have Damian Lillard. John Morant, Drew Holiday, and Scoot Henderson as your ball handling guards in the back court, never mind Shaden Schaed and Sharp as another guy at the guard spot. Danny Avdiah as a ball handler.

I just can't fathom that this is all that the Blazers do. They have so many tradable pieces with Drew Holiday, Scoot Henderson, Shaden Sharp. They have been connected to Jalen Brown called the frontrunner, according to Sam Amick from the athletic. I've heard very similar there that Portland is in on Jalen Brown, but is this it? Is this all they're going to do here with this weird, funky roster? They're just gambling on Jama rant? I'd imagine there's more to it, but if this is it, I'd honestly be kind of disappointed if I'm a Blazers fan. Okay, so we are of one mind here.

I wrote down the exact same thing. I wrote down J.B., Portland, question mark. But they also, there's that weird thing with the coach and only signing, you know, the year-to-year contract and the ownership group there. Like, are they about to go all in for Jalen Brown with whatever's going on with them organizationally? Maybe they need a star, and Jalen Brown would love to have his own team. So I think that connecting those dots certainly makes sense. Damian Lillard, he's wanted to go to Miami. He's been, I feel like Damian Lillard's been rumored for Miami for forever.

Would maybe he go with Janus now? And they try to, like, run that back. They had a great relationship in their time in Milwaukee, and that gives them a little bit more scoring on the perimeter. That was a thought. that entered my head, but also just what an interesting development in the John Morant saga. We know about the brilliance on the court, then we know about the troubles off the court. But just like, what exactly is he now?

Let's just show two all-star seasons. He was great. He was like, this is the future face of Team USA basketball. Like, they've got their point guard for the next three Olympics. And then in the three years since he's played in 79. basketball games. And the athleticism is what it is. There have been injuries, obviously.

He has not gotten any better as a three-point shooter. This is not a valuable asset at this point anymore. I don't even know where John Morant fits into the equation of being optimistic. Just as a vacuum. Forget another move. Should you be optimistic about acquiring two-time All-Star John Morant? I have serious doubts at this point. Should you be optimistic?

No. But is there a chance? This is the ultimate by-low for the Blazers? Yes. And I think the reason why with John Morant is, yeah, like, this has been a disastrous run for him, off the court, on the court. Beginning of last season, he's throwing his coach under the bus, and he's just absolutely terrible on the court, wasn't even getting to the basket early in the season last season for the Grizzlies. It looked like a complete shell of his former self. And then he was gone for a month.

And then he came back. and he played eight games. And if you add a third column to that graphic, last eight games of last season, a super small sample size, but his numbers in terms of scoring efficiency and shot distribution are basically equal to those two all-star seasons.

And so it's a small sample. You're not trusting it. You don't even trust him to stay on the floor. Even at his peak, he had flaws as a shooter and as a defender. All that said, for a guy who was literally at the bottom of his, career right now where all you're getting is Jeremy Grant and Chris Murray for him. That's what he's

worth right now. That's the bottom of the barrel for him. You're getting that guy at this point. It is possible that we see John Morant return at least close to that former All-Star level production. And that's what I think the Blazers are thinking here and getting a valuable piece who raises their ceiling, gives them a guy who could turn into something and pair him with Dane, pair him with Scoot Henderson and all these guys, Denny Avdi. and maybe this team actually has a shot of reaching a higher ceiling. I just, I can't wrap my head around the roster making complete sense as it is. To your point, Danny, could it mean something like Damien doesn't want to stay in Portland?

I don't know. I think he probably does, but could it also mean that there's another big move coming? Right. I was just throwing it out like, there's only one basketball. You just traded for John Morant. He is going to be someone who touches the basketball. Right. I assume Damian Lillard, he tried leaving Portland.

It didn't work out because of a number of reasons in Milwaukee injuries being at the top of the list. My guess is Dame wants to finish his career in Portland. I'm just saying it can't be all five of those guys. Scoot, Shaden, you mentioned, right, Damian Lur, they can't all be there. Jah will be there. So if it's Jah Morant, we assume Damian Lillard and Jalen Brown with Denny Obia. maybe they want to keep clinging for size and dealing with Wembe or whatever going forward. Is that a team that can be a top four in the West?

Again, I would have serious doubts about it, but at least it is a big swing in completely retooling what we've seen from the Blazers. 100 percent there'd be a shot. I don't know if I'd put him in my top four. There's still other teams with better top-end players and really good depth as well. But ultimately, they'd be in that conversation with that type of lineup, adding Jalen Brown to the mix. It would add balance and variety to that offense.

that add more versatility on the defensive end of the floor as well. The roster as is doesn't make sense. But churning Shaden Sharp, Scoot Henderson, and Drew Holiday plus draft picks into Jalen Brown, that makes all the sense in the world from the Portland side of things, adding Jalen Brown to that team. It would be a really good roster, a really deep roster with some top end talent. And then for Boston on that side of things, I can't imagine a better deal that checks the boxes of short-term help with Drew Holiday. long-term help with four draft picks possibly, and guys that can help in the short-term

and offer long-term upside and Scoot Henderson and Shaden Sharp. I think from the Celtic side of things, there's very, very few teams that you can even, you know, play around on a trade machine and find a better deal than that in terms of picks and players for Jalen Brown.

So I see mutual sense on both side of things there. Yeah, I'm with you. I mentioned Portland last week as a potential trade. It would be something for Boston fans to wrap your head around, like going from like, we're now doing the Drew Holiday reunion when you were talking to us about Janus a week ago. Like that would be like a little bit of a thing to get over.

But to your point, it would be five, six, seven assets as opposed to the big one that you'd be swinging with there. KOC, great job on the report. Last night, we appreciate you joining us as always. I'm sure we will talk to you soon. Free agency underway in the NBA tomorrow. But coming up next, Dax McCarty is back as we discussed what success looks like for the U.S. men's national team as we roll forward in the World Cup. The countdown clock is on. Netherlands taken on Morocco.

The knockout round is tonight. Look for fireworks. The Netherlands scored 10 goals in the group stage that's tied from the most of any team. And based on these videos, I think their fans noticed. Countdown clock off and running. We are under three and a half hours away. Netherlands taken on Morocco, 9 o'clock Eastern. Tonight, this fan show, that seems dangerous.

She was like 10, 15 feet in the air. I want to party with those guys. Yeah, absolutely. We'll be watching tonight, 9 o'clock Eastern on Fox. But welcome back to first things first. Dax McCarty back out here with us. U.S. men's national team gearing up for their first game in the knockout round where they take on Bosnia on Wednesday, 8 o'clock Eastern on Fox.

Now, Colin Cowherd had U.S. men's national team defender, Anthony Robinson on, and love this soundbite where he's talking about the stakes of this game. Take a listen. To be fair, I wouldn't put it in. that class, I'd say we've got the opportunity to do something incredibly special this summer and we're on home soil. We're looking to win a tournament and you can't get there without winning this next game. So I fully would say that this is the most important game that any of us played to the States. And we all go into that mindset of, you know, it's, it's

do or die. We've got to find a way to win. Even if we don't necessarily perform as well as we have done, we just have to find a way to get a result. They keep talking about, they keep talking about, We're here to win the tournament, and he says it's the biggest game they've ever played for Team USA. So if the question is, what does success look like in this World Cup for the men's national team? We've talked about it, but now they're here. And I've developed a three-step process, okay? Three steps for success.

Let's hear it. You ready, Dax? I'm ready. Okay. Step one, I'm going out on a limb. You got to be posse. Because I honestly. Hot take.

You got to clip that. I don't think, by Wednesday, I'm sure people will get there. But I'm not sure people fully understand the context of how much they are supposed to win this game. Absolutely. In the past, if you got out of the group stage, you were already in the final 16 because the tournament has expanded. You're out of the group stage. You're in the round of 32. So just winning this game gets you back to where you've gotten many times before, right?

The last three times you made it to the World's Cup. And if you look at how big of a favorite. And I know I'm the gambling guy and I know not everybody speaks to the gambling parlance here, but you don't need to for this graphic to resonate. Yeah. The U.S. is a seven and a half to one favorite over Bosnia. The only team's bigger favorites in the round of 32 are the biggest powerhouse. France, Germany, Spain, are the biggest powerhouses in the whole tournament.

So it is a, yeah, they get eliminated, they go home. But if they lose, it's a catastrophe. They are that big of a favorite. This is the lowest, right? They are lower rank than Paraguay. then Australia and the FIFA ranks have to win the game. Second thing, step two, if number one was obvious hot take, step two is dose of reality, we will be on on Wednesday after Belgium, Senegal.

Yep. Everybody is talking about, well, they got to make the quarterfinals, so they got to beat the winner of that game. Yeah, they do. There is absolutely no guarantee that they win that game. If you watch this team in the friendlies and the qualifiers, I wanted to refresh myself. The U.S. lost 5-2 to Belgium in March.

Weston McKinney had a goal. Now, Matt Turner was in goal for us, not Matt Fries. That was different. But Polisic played. A lot of our best players. Balligan played. It was a pretty representative roster of what we are now. And that was the game, you remember, where they gave up three goals in like 15 minutes in the second half.

And that was the like sound the alarms about the defense game. So that's if they get Belgium. Senegal, the U.S. beat 3-2. Again, turner instead of a recent goal, Polisic and Baligan were spectacular. But it was very much in doubt the result. So neither one of those is going to be an easy game, and both of those teams will think that they could beat the U.S.

And then step three is, look like you belong. Because it would be Portugal or Spain, most likely, in that round. And if they lose 3040, it'll feel like, okay, you made it to the rounds that we all home. hoped you would make it to, but did you really take a step forward? So step one, beat Bosnia, avoid catastrophe. Step two, win the coin flip game. Step three, look like you belong.

Yeah, I think that's absolutely fair. And look, U.S. men's national team going off those odds that we just showed of all those favorites, listen, this is a fluid show here. We have games going on right now. Germany as it stood before we came out, losing actually to Paraguay, 1-0. So, hey, heed that advice that's not always... Right, you can lose to Bosnia. There is no expectation of certain victory here.

It is not inevitable that the U.S. men's national team get past Bosnia, but they need to. They have to. They should get past Bosnia because the bar has been raised for this team. And they've shown that in the first couple of games. We're going to give them a pass on the Turkey A game because it was a fully rotated team. And the place in the group was never in doubt. But we should still have the expectation that this is the best U.S. men's national team that we have ever seen at a World Cup. and the expectation of pressure should be there.

The U.S. men's national team since 1994 has made it to six knockout round games against Brazil, clear underdogs, but put in a great performance, made us proud. Against Mexico, the famous Dosasero, a massive upset, got us to that wonderful quarterfinal against Germany, where if you remember, there was a questionable handball that wasn't called against Germany. We could have theoretically made a semi-final against Ghana. We were the favorites, and we ended up losing Belgium, Netherlands. We were the underdogs. So those are five to six games where we were the clear underdogs.

We are the clear favorite against Bosnia-Herzegovina, as you showed with the line. Our performances have proven that. And look, it's going to be a very difficult game against Bosnia. But with expectation comes a new realistic amount of pressure. And what I love about this U.S. men's national team is that they have embraced that pressure from the very beginning. The vibes have been really high in the group stage. They were fantastic. they have gotten the whole country to believe.

They've gotten the whole country behind them. And this is going to be, like Jedi Robinson said, Anthony Robinson, I love that clip from Colin Cowherd, where he essentially said, this is the biggest game of our lives in a U.S. men's national team kit. He says it was bigger than that Netherlands game that they lost in 2022 because they have more experience. They're in better form. Their 13 returning players are the core spine of that team.

And they are all massively important to the mentality of this group. I absolutely think the bar has been raised for the U.S. men's national team, and you want to make history. You want to win two knockout round games for the first time in U.S. men's national team history. That would absolutely be a successful World Cup. No pressure. Let's keep the pressure on them. I agree. They need it.

I agree. No excuses. So the whole World Cup has been about, right? Absolutely. Taking that next step. All right, people are clamoring for it. The Big Board. Dax's Big Board and my picks.

A lot of movement. A lot of movement. All right. Well, I'm excited for that. That's coming up. Dax's Bigboard on the other side. Three hours and 15 minutes. Netherlands, Morocco. Win our faces Canada in the round of 16th in Houston on the 4th of July.

That's coming up tonight, 9 o'clock Eastern on Fox. You know what's more fun than a countdown clock? Netherlands fans have fun. I mean, the World Cup's been amazing, obviously, and then the one beat of that has been all of the viral moments. moments of all the international fans. Just having a great time. Three hours, 11 minutes.

Netherland Morocco on Fox, a matchup with Canada in the round of 16. Netherlands hasn't trailed for a single minute yet in this World's Cup. We'll be watching tonight, 9 o'clock on Fox. All right, Dax, there have been no shortage of storylines, surprising results from the end of the group stage to the start of the knockout round. We have not had an update to your big board in about a week, which means... A lot of movement. A lot of movement. We know it's fluid. It's about results and form. Dax, take it away.

Results, performances, form. Listen, you might not like it, but this is how it is. How could anyone not like it? This is plenty of movement on this big board. We've seen some teams come in, some teams go out. We're going to see some big teams go out because I haven't been fascinated with their performances. Portugal looked poor against Colombia. You're out. You're out of the big board performances. Two really dull drab draws. They should have lost to. Colombia, actually. Portugal, I just haven't been enamored with their performances. Now, are they still talent enough to go on and absolutely do something? Absolutely.

But right now, you're off my big board. Morocco, too inconsistent for my liking, unbeaten in group stage play. But again, against Haiti, a little bit tenuous there for the second half. They came through in the end, but they're off my board for some teams that are come in. Norway, absolutely hated what they did against France. You had the chance to win the group. You decided to rest all your starter. They punt it on the game. They punt it on the game. I don't like it. And you might be, you might go on and have a nice fairy tale run. But in my power rankings, I want to see you go try to win the group. You're out of here. Now, for some movement right here, the United States men's national team, we are going to drop you down to number 10 for losing the game. Now, I understand. It's totally fair to be, hey, U.S. men's national team fan. We rotated. We rotated and we put in all our reserves. That's fine. My expectations haven't changed for this U.S. men's national team. It's based on results. It's based on results. It's based on. on form, you drop down. And so now we are going to get Germans. The Germans are right now in a very difficult game. I hear they just equalized against Paraguay, but they rotate. They didn't rotate against Ecuador. They ended up losing the game. And so the Germans still, the Curacao results, 7-1, looks a little bit more like an outlier, considering they haven't played great. They are going in at number eight right here pending this result with Paraguay. And so that means, means we get here with England, Spain. I'm dropping England down one. I wasn't thrilled with

their performance against Panama. Spain, you're moving up to number three with a good win against Uruguay. Two teams, both of them won their group, and I don't think both have played their best soccer yet. I absolutely think they are going to get stronger as the tournament goes on, and that means that both of these teams are very much favorites to make a deep run. Netherlands, I've absolutely loved what I have seen from the Netherlands. They are moving up to six on the big board. They've got a really well-balanced midfield. Brian Broby is scoring goals. One of the best back lines in the tournament, which brings us to our boys that come back in. Mexico, debuting on the board after a fantastic group stage. Welcome to Mexico. Mexico, you deserve it. I tried to keep you off.

Three group stage games, three wins, no goals conceded. You absolutely deserve to be here. My dark horse, Colombia, absolutely fantastic against Portugal. They were a Davidson Sanchez clipped toenail with VAR away from winning that game deservedly so. I think they're going to on a crash course with Argentina for a quarterfinal date. And the Samba Boys of Brazil, I wanted to see them win and beat Japan. They didn't convince in the first half. But Carlo Encelotti, best manager in the competition, second half was good. They deserve to be there at number five.

Even if I'm still not fully convinced by Brazil, definitive power rankings, big board, there you go. Okay, bonus take seems a little harsh on Portugal. Bonus take number two. A little underrating of that first half against Brazil. But, I mean, yes, they lost at the absolute end. But can we drop a team for form that wasn't playing the guys that had the good form? It was all backups. Agreed, but I want to see your depth.

I want to make sure that your depth is going to be called upon in big moments to step up and play well. The U.S. men's national team responded in the second half, didn't play well in the first half. They got the response they needed. I'm not enamored with the fact that they conceded the last minute goal to lose the game. But it does concern me that if any one of our starting 11 that started against Paraguay goes down, I don't know if I trust our backline depth. I'm a little, I'm just treating it with a little bit of caution with the U.S. I guess the board has spoken.

The board has spoken. The board has spoken. All right. Well, I know you got to do this earlier today. But the knockout round is officially underway. You gave your predictions earlier this morning. we like to plant our flags on this show and, you know, have some stakes for all these upcoming games.

So I wanted to get in now that the knockout stage is underway. Yes, a couple of games have already gone. But I'm just going to give you 8-4-2-1 how I see the bracket going in the rest of this World Cup. That's my final eight. France, Netherlands, Spain. You know how I feel about Spain. I do.

At Team USA, they get through. Bosnia, Belgium, Senegal. I think they get through. Storybook run makes it to where they need to make it. And then we'll see how it goes. I also feel like this is a tournament of stars where just the stars are ball. So I expect Erling Holland to ball out. I expect Harry Kane to ball out in the knockout round.

So I think this is a murderer's row of a final eight. And then it really starts to become a tournament of Blue Bloods. As we go to the next four and we advance through, England, Argentina, Spain, France. network executives everywhere are thrilled. Thrilled with that. Even if they are disappointed. Not really sticking your neck out there, are you? I know, but they're disappointed by USA.

Listen, I'm not trying to stick my neck out. I'm trying to be right. Yes, you are. I'm trying to be right. I would love to have Team USA beating Spain. I think there's way too much of a speed and talent discrepancy in that spot. But this is where the favorites don't get through. I've got Spain making it against Argentina.

Wow. Kevin Wilde says defense wins championship. championships. Argentina, they've allowed two shots on target the entire tournament. Spain, of course, one of two teams to not allow a goal. Argentina trying to go back to back, but I'm sticking with my pre-tournament pick, and Spain is your champion as LeMine Yamal gets better as the tournament goes on. You plant your flag. I don't have a lot of issues with your bracket. It looks good. Norway, not thrilled with them. I think Norway... It offended me. I think Norway stumbles. I think Argentina, Colombia, is going to be one of the games of the tournament. If we get that. matchup. I think it's going to be fantastic. I'm taking Colombia. And France, they're the best team in the tournament. I think France takes down Spain. But I love that you're sticking with your

pre-tournament pick. Yeah, I'm sticking with it. I think they'll get better as it goes on. And, you know, I'm old school. Call it rudimentary. They haven't a lot of gold, Dax. That's why they play the game. They haven't a lot of goal. We'll see you tomorrow on the O.T.