First Things First - Lionel Messi scores brace in Argentina win vs. Austria, Would Giannis to the Celtics be a good move?

Episode Date: June 22, 2026

(0:00) Lionel Messi scores 2 in win vs. Austria, How far can USMNT go? (19:36) Celtics title favorites if they land Giannis?  (28:57) Who should be the 1st-overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft?  (36:18) Dax’s updated World Cup Power Rankings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 26 Chevrolet Tracks is the stylish SUV for those on the move. And with the standard Chevy safety assist package, you have the backup to handle every turn with confidence. The 26 tracks, start your build at Chevrolet.ca. Here's Almada on the move for the world champions. Now Medina, pulled back here, let's in run. Nessie! So you score a World Cup record setting goal. Welcome in to first things first overtime.

I am Danny Parkins alongside former U.S. men's national team midfielder, Dax McCarty. Always fun to witness a little bit of history. That was Messy's first of what ended up being two goals today that put him in the record books, the all-time leading goal score in men's World Cup history. His second goal, of course, making it the leading goal score all-time men's and women's. We have a great show for you today talking Messies' historic match. Nick Friedel is standing by to talk Janus. And after all the action this weekend, Dax, updates.

his World Cup big board. But let's get right to it. What just happened? You heard the Fox crew call it. During the match, Leonel Messi has made history. His goal in today's 2-0 result, making him the all-time leading goal score in men's FIFA World Cup history. Pretty impressive list to find yourself atop of, you know, Mbapap is still lingering. Who knows?

Maybe he finishes very, very strong, but he of course surpasses Mirosov closer with 18 goals all time. So Dax, you know, it wouldn't be sports television if we weren't asking the question. Has he now officially put the goat debate to rest? Danny, he put that debate to rest years ago. Okay. Okay, years ago, this is just the cherry on top for the greatest player that's ever lived. Argentina, playing with a freedom, playing with the ability to go back to back. Lino Messi, the last frontier for him in this whole debate with, you know, people who want to give credit to

other players, Pele, Maradonna, Cristiano Ronaldo, was that Lino Messi hadn't won the World Cup. If you want to be considered the greatest of all time, you have to win the World Cup. He did that in 2022, and he has only gotten better with age. He's a different player now, but I'd argue he's more efficient than he's ever been in the final third, as evidenced by this absolutely fantastic performance we've seen out of him in Argentina for these first two games. his efficiency, his danger, the way that Austria is a very good team and the way that teams game plan around to stop him. And yet he still finds ways to score goals, to be dangerous, to be effective. He's like Benjamin Button. He only seems like he's aging in reverse and getting

better with age. It's truly historic to watch. We are all blessed that the World Cup is here on our shores and we get to witness a footballing God, one of the greatest players that's ever lived in any sport, continue to raise the bar. And he looks like he's playing with just a freedom, an absolute freedom that he is unstoppable. It's just another cherry on top today. So I know sometimes soccer fans bristle at cross sport comparisons. They do. But as an expert in the takeosphere, let me just say that like, you know, Jordan LeBron is a debate. Yeah. Like you can make cases on both sides. Sure. Tom Brady, he's the most accomplished. Most people would say he's the goat, but there is the argument of like, well, is Patrick Mahomes or Aaron

Rogers more talented? And, you know, and there's like a talent fee trophy case. Sure. Debate that comes in when you talk about that in sport. Like it's like, well, Tiger Woods or Jack Nicholas, like it's, it's, it's a debate. Hockey, it's, well, it's, well, it's Wayne Gretzky. Yeah. There is no debate. And it's like, well, yeah, the greatest hockey player of all time is Wayne Gretzky. And then the debate kind of starts it too. Sure. It feels like that's what's happened to Messi, is that he's entered that

Gretzky conversation. It's like, well, if you're making an argument for anyone else, you're just being a contrarian. It's like, oh, this is now just the most decorated player in the history of the sport, who's done it for club, who's done it for country, who is ageless? I mean, is he going to win the golden boot at 39 years old? Like, he's now the favorite to do that at 39. Is he going to go back to back? Yeah. Which hasn't been done since the 60s. And Brazil, is he going to get to 20 plus career World Cup? World, World, goals. He's two away from it. It honestly feels like he's entered that Gretzky territory of you really can't even have the debate anymore. Of course he's the answer. Yeah, there is no debate,

especially now. When you look at all the records that he keeps breaking, it's truly unprecedented territory that we're witnessing with with Lionel Messi. And as amazing as his performance was today, he could have had four goals. It's a disappointing two goals. It's a disappointing two goal game. I actually tweeted out that I was disappointed that he scored that. that second goal because he actually made the pass to Julian Alvarez towards the end of the game where if Julian Alvarez would have scored, it would have actually taken him above Maradonna for most all-time assists in World Cup history. Just have a little patience.

He'll get there. But then you can have the discussion that in one singular game, he becomes the World Cup's all-time leading goal score. He becomes the World Cup's all-time leading playmaker, all-time leading assist man. And he passes Miroslav Klosa for the most wins in World Cup history. He keeps resetting the record books. His excellence knows no bounds. And if you want to talk about goal scoring, well, he has that.

That is a part of his game that hasn't gone away and has actually gotten better with time. You want to talk about creative influence and ability, the ability to elevate a group and to make teammates better. He has that. He's done that with his assist record in La Liga, the amount of assists that he continues to get right now with the Argentinian men's national team. There is no debate. It's over. Stop. if you are Portuguese, if you are Brazilian,

bow down to the goat, bow down to the king, and just realize that we are living in an era where we get to witness greatness year after year, game after game. The conversation was, is Lionel Messi even going to play in this World Cup? Now the conversation should be, will he play in the World Cup four years from now? Because of how dominant he still looks at his age. Turns 39 in two days.

Like I said, favor to win the Golden Boot. It's very early. Yeah. But as we also, it's a team game. He is the individual. He is the superstar. We talk about him. They are the defending champs.

I don't know if this is a crazy just thought, but like, they've scored five goals. He has scored five goals. They are trying to go back to back. I don't know if you look at that and say, you know, they returned 17 guys from last World Cup's championship team. So it's okay that he's scored five of them and it makes them more likely to do it? Or are they actually too messy? dependent and this is a great individual show, but it actually doesn't speak to the overall depth of the team and their ability to go back to back.

Being too messy dependent is perfectly okay if he's playing the way that he is right now. There is no issues with that. And the Argentinian men's national team is so secure in the way that they play around Leonel Messi that they are not scared of anyone. Their camaraderie, their stability from top to bottom. We talk all the way about the attack in Messi scoring five goals. They even conceded a goal in five games. Their backline, they've one of the best goalkeepers in the World Cup. Their backline structure is always comfortable. And their ability to win when they're not playing at their best is of the highest level. You talk about being able to grit and grind out of performance, something that I've begged the U.S. men's national team to get back to.

Now, you have Lino Messi. You're allowed to not play very well, give him the ball, let him create a moment of magic. But it's actually their structure, their ability to suffer behind the ball. where when they do play the better teams and the knockout rounds, they're okay with that. They're okay with the gamesmanship aspect of it. They have the experience. They have the players that know exactly how to get in an opponent's head and strike exactly when they need to to make sure they kill off a game.

This Argentinian team, I still believe the French national team, France, who has kicked off, I believe, in their second game against Iraq, is the team to beat, quote unquote. But right now with the form that Argentina is in and how they're playing, I think it would be almost blasphemous to say that there are two teams that are more likely to make it back to the final rather than France and Argentina. It would be a little bit of a surprise if both of them didn't get back there at this point with the form they're showing. It's pretty remarkable. It's insane. I mean, big time players make big time plays and big time games.

And it's like, yeah, we thought that this whole World Cup was the icing on the cake for Messi. It's like, no, no, actually. He wants to keep resetting the record. Actually, he might score more goals than anyone else in this term. and he's going to set every record and they could win the whole thing again. Exactly right. And the most impressive thing about Messi right now in his attacking dominance is that there were numerous times in this game against Austria where the game was still in the balance. They were only winning one zero.

And yet I still saw Messi tracking back to defend in the 88 minute in the 89th minute. He's tracking back to actually back press and win tackles. Right here is a perfect example of it winning the ball off an Austrian player in the 89th minute when he has already scored the goal that could technically decide the game. He's still doing the work. He's putting the work in for Argentina because he realizes what an opportunity they have, especially with the

expanded World Cup and some of the best teams have not looking as dominant as this Argentina team. There's never been a better opportunity for a team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil did it all those years ago. It is so impressive what we are witnessing from the greatest player of all time.

But the credit goes to Lino Scolone as well for setting this Argentine national team up for success yet again. All right. Well, so that was Argentina earlier today. Messi, the story of the World Cup. But when we said goodbye on Friday, the U.S. men's national team had defeated Australia, punched their ticket to the knockout stage. Well, now they've officially clinched Group D after Paraguay's win over Turkey A later that night,

giving U.S. fans a ton of hope. Alex Freeman, of course, validated that optimism. And then former men's national team goalkeeper Tim Howard, well, he didn't quite agree. You take a listen and then we'll weigh in. We know what we have, right? We know the personality have. We know that we can give to the team, right? And to the country.

And we know it's a different pressure, you know, especially playing our home soil there. To come out into two games, you know, very strong, you know, very competitive, you know, just be able to kind of show how we want to play and be able to kind of show it out to the world and be able to kind of clinched the group so early. I think for us it's going to bring us even more confidence

and even the first two games, we saw the experience of, you know, the atmosphere. You know, I think for us to have that kind of support, you know, it's going to be very vital for us to be able to go very far. And I think as a team, you know, I think we're looking at the trophy, right? And I think it's just what has to be said. The U.S. cannot unequivocally win the World Cup. The U.S. will have to play the greatest game they've ever played three times in a row. They're going to have to be three world soccer powerhouses in a row in the round of 16.

Oh, no. Yeah, sorry, four games in a row. Atlanta, you said round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, finals. It is literally impossible for the U.S. to win the World Cup. That's going to come across crazy. People are going to say, whatever. That's just the reality. All right.

So Tim Howard being a bit of a wet blanket there, Alex Freeman, You know, no, we're thinking trophy, which is what he should be doing. Where do you fall on that? Like, how deep of a run is realistic for this team? What is realistic is the U.S. men's national team taking it one game at a time. Oh, my gosh. Don't get too far ahead of yourself. Coach Dax over here.

The notion that it is literally impossible for the U.S. men's national team to win the World Cup is factually not true. Okay. Yeah. Tim Howard is absolutely allowed to speak on this because of the role that he played for the U.S. men's national team and the role that he has in world soccer. But Tim, ironically enough, was actually a part of the greatest upset in the history of the U.S. men's national team program. He engineered it. They actually came up in the 2009 Confederations Cup against Spain and the semifinal, a Spanish national team who was 35 games unbeaten and who had won 15 consecutive games and who, quite frankly, no one. outside of that U.S. men's national team locker room thought that they could win the game,

and yet they had the upset. They ended up winning the game. And so to Tim Howard's point, I understand the notion that they would have to replicate, this U.S. men's national team would have to replicate a performance like that multiple times in a row in order to get it done. But why not? Because belief is the first step. And Pochitino has talked about the belief in the locker room. Why can't they do it? So the notion that they can do it? Yeah, it's there. I absolutely believe that there is a chance that they could do it. It is highly unlikely and highly improbable that it will happen. But with Pochitino, a world-class coach,

with a team that's experienced and has the confidence that is flowing through them right now, and with home field advantage, which is, I think, the great outlier in terms of this U.S. men's national team. 1994, they were just happy to be there. They rode that wave of momentum. Now, based on performance in the first two, games, there isn't a team outside of Argentina, maybe France in the second half, England,

that has played better, top to bottom, and played more comprehensively than the U.S. men's national team. So, yeah, when they come up against those powerhouses, are they going to be favored? Absolutely not. But in soccer, anything is possible. And the U.S. men's national team should absolutely believe that they can win a trophy. There's no question the team should believe it. And I'm not here to hope traffic.

And I think that Tim Howard is maybe, you know, he has the World's Cup record for saves in a match where he had 16 and they still lost. So maybe he's like, I did the impossible and we still lost. So maybe he's a little jaded by his own experience in that spot when he had the 16 saves. But let's just take it with what is more realistic. Take it one step at a time, as you said. So the last game of the group, now it doesn't really matter because they've already clinched. So they're going to play a third place team. So if we look at what the path is, and again, a million things.

are going to change here, but this is more just for the exercise. That is what their likeliest opponents would be by the numbers for the first knockout stage. The U.S. would be favored against all of those teams, and they are a higher ranked team, at least according to the FIFA rankings, than all of those teams. And again, it could change, but what has been locked in is in the first knockout round, the U.S. will play a third place team. Correct.

Exactly. So then if you go to what the numbers say for the round of 16, So Belgium is ranked higher than the U.S., but the U.S. is ranked higher than every other team. Yep. And Belgium has two draws so far. Haven't looked great. To Egypt and Iran at this point. So that is in the round of 16, which is what the U.S., the last three times they've made the World's Cup,

they have at least reached that round. So to make it past the quarterfinals, to get to the quarterfinals, past the round of 16, there's a real chance here that the U.S. will be favored in both of those matches. And when you factor at home field advantage. And the expectation, based on the performance, is that the U.S. men's national team should absolutely expect to win those games. The bare minimum expectation is quarterfinals. It's quarterfinals.

Anything can happen, and especially when we don't know how the other results and the other groups are going to play out. They absolutely will get a favorable opponent in the round of 32 and then in the round of 16. And in the quarterfinal, if they did meet a Belgium, well, guess what? what? Belgium hasn't looked great in this tournament. Belgium did just beat the U.S. men's national team a few months ago, 5-1, but the U.S. men's national team was missing some of their core pieces. They were missing some of their best players. They will have learned from that performance. And I would absolutely back the U.S. men's national team if their

side of the bracket, which is absolutely the more favorable side of the bracket, if they were to run into a Belgium in a quarterfinal, I would love the U.S. men's national team's chances. And now, I think it would be more reasonable to expect that they were going to have to suffer. that's the only pushback I would have on what the U.S. men's national team has showed. Against Paraguay, Paraguay offered absolutely nothing going forward. Against Australia, they offered a little bit more in the second half, but in the first half it was complete domination. Top to bottom, U.S. men's national team was the only team on the field.

When they do play against a better team, when they do play against an elite team, it is still going to come down to that Achilles heel of how well they can defend because they have not been tested defensively at all. But each test, each hurdle that they have had to overcome, they've passed it with flying colors. Yeah, it is very hard to see the U.S. beating France, for example, right?

With France's goal scoring. They would be massive underdogs. They would be huge underdogs in that spot. Okay. That's why you upset. Upsets happen. That's why you lace up the boots. It's why you play the games.

It's single elimination sports. And you don't know if there will be an injury. Correct. You don't know if there's going to be an upset. A red card. If there's going to be an upset somewhere else in the bracket. Exactly. They've done this with critical.

Christian Polisic basically not contributing. Exactly. The news is that he is practicing back with the team. And so, you know, we assume he will not play in the last game of the group stage because you wouldn't need to rush it. Exactly. But that he will be back in order for the knockout rounds. As you see him, he's no longer, you know, practicing to the side.

So it feels like they're going to enter the knockout stage healthy, yep, full with confidence, with home field advantage. And with at least one, if not two knockout stage matches, where they are a favorite. And now you're talking about a team that's won five consecutive World Cup games, or at least the four that matter, and we'll see what happens in this game against Turkey A that doesn't really matter. And, yeah, if the draw was England, Spain, France,

guess what? Trouble. You're in trouble. So I'm not sitting here today predicting that they're going to win the World Cup, but I am sitting here today predicting that they'll make the quarterfinal. Based on what we have seen, if you were to ask a genie before the World Cup to draw up, almost a perfect scenario for the U.S. men's national team. This is the exact scenario that would

have been drawn up, save for maybe a Christian Pulisic injury. But the U.S. men's national team will take confidence from the fact that they've played four halves of soccer, three of those without their best attacking player, and they have scored the amount of goals they've scored, and they got their clean sheet against Australia, which was, in my opinion, for their mental strength going into these last couple of games and going into the knockout rounds to be able to know you can keep clean sheets with how your attack is playing. Perfect storm of scenarios for Mauritio Pochitino going into this last group game. It's been a World's Cup of Stars so far.

Mbapé was like two for Messi. I'll put one in the back of the net. Mbapapha just did that. But coming up, Nick Friedel will join me. A lot of talk about Janus's next home. Celtics in the conversation. Does that make them a title favorite if they get them? And the countdown to Norway, Senegal, is on.

Erling Holland, one of those stars who got the people rowing. Two hours and 40 minutes away until Norway, Senegal, on Fox. 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. You are about to be looking at Norway fans, gearing up for tonight's match against Senegal,

while just under three hours now, Erling Holland and Norway, look for more heroics. 8 o'clock Eastern, they can advance to the knockout stage coming up on Fox. Welcome back to first things first. We are talking hoops. Reports out now that Milwaukee and Ayanna's trade is expected to happen before the NBA draft,

which is tomorrow night. So our long national nightmare might soon be over. That trade with Milwaukee expected to be between the heat and the Celtics. The Celtics also reportedly going all in and putting Jalen Brown on the table, though Sam Amick has reported that that is not enough. He writes, it is widely believed that Brown alone wouldn't be enough. Boston could add up to three future first round picks in the deal,

and the fact that Ante Coupos camp is known to be comfortable signing an extension with the Celtics should compel them to go all in. Senior NBA writer for the athletic, Nick Friedel, joins the show now. Nick, we appreciate it. would the Celtics be title favorites if they land Yannis? No, I would still take the thunder as title favorites, Danny. I would absolutely take Boston in the East, though. If you put Yonis on that team with Jason Tatum,

you have an unbelievable duo that can roll through most of the East. To me, if this deal goes down and Boston gets Yonis, there is a clear, clear one, two in the east, and it's Boston and the Knicks, and there's a one two in the west, and it's the thunder and the spurs. And as I watch all the people kind of going, Ah, it's Janice Worth, all those picks and all these different pieces, I am reminded that people have absolutely forgotten just how dominant he can be when he's healthy.

He hasn't been out there as much the last couple years. He's played for a Buck's team that has gone absolutely nowhere. The last few years, they made a lot of poor decisions behind the scenes. When this guy is right, Mr. Parkins, he is still one of the very best in the league. And if you put him on that Celtics team in that system, I think they vault right to the top of the east again. So, yeah, we're pretty like-minded here. I think that what most people would say is we can just watch the conference finals now. We can see Spurs and Thunder, we can see Knicks and Celtics,

and I think that is what would be reflected in the odds. And I would say that because I think so highly of the Thunder and the Spurs, that I would say of those four teams, the team that is most likely to make it to the finals, would be a Boston team with Janus, because he solves their problems. Like the last time they won a title, you know, when they had Drew Holiday, when they had Horford,

when they had Christops, in addition to Tatum and Brown, they had the answer to the test inside, outside on offense and on defense. If we look at what the Celtics were this past year, and I know Tatum was coming back, but they, because of some of the defensive and the size issues that they had, they didn't score enough in the paint, they didn't take enough shots in the paint, and they didn't put the ball in the basket inside. Janus solves those problems, right? Like, Janus is not going to camp out around the three-point line

and shoot seven to nine. threes a game. Like, it does not take some sort of basketball genius to say that a two-man game with Jason Tatum and Janus, with Derek White and Peyton Pritchard spreading the floor for three-point shooting, that would work. And that would be a very difficult thing to defend. So I just think that he would fundamentally change how the Celtics play and solve with one fell swoop all of their biggest problems. Hey, you're two three-point dependent? Well, not anymore. You don't. You don't get enough paint touches, not anymore. You don't draw enough fouls, not anymore.

He would solve all of those problems immediately. Danny, he gives them balance. He gives them the ability to go in and out. And if you're Brad Stevens, I agree with all the points you made. And I say to the Celtics front office, get this deal done. Make it happen. By all accounts, he wants to sign an extension. It would scare me absolutely.

The last couple of years of that deal. given the injury concerns that have already appeared. But if you want to go win titles, he gives you your best chance to do that out of the options. On top of the fact that, Danny, we've been talking about this for the last couple months. Everybody now has to at least keep an eye on Wembe. And that is for right now,

and that's for probably 10 years in the future. Who is the one guy you'd want to see in a series going up against Victor Wembeyanama? It's this guy. So if Boston gets him, They lock him in. He builds with Joe Missoula and the rest of that team that is very well coached. I think that he fits what they want to do extremely well,

and he'll fit even better a couple of years in once he finds his rhythm with Tatum and the rest of that group. So, Nick, I don't know if what I'm about to say is just going to be wildly unpopular, because I've been the guy who has said I wanted Janus to stay in Milwaukee, because I love Janus's story. Yanis is probably my favorite non-bull in the history of the NBA. I love everything that he's been about. 15th overall pick from Greece, skinny kid, overlooked, makes himself into this dominant two-way force, signs not one, not two, but three contract extensions in Milwaukee,

recruits to the small market, basically saves basketball in Milwaukee, and has been incredibly loyal. And I don't believe that all titles are created equal. And that Yannis's one title doing it his way in Milwaukee is so incredible, especially with how he played in that closeout game against Phoenix. It is going to be sad for me to see him leave Milwaukee. And if he goes to Boston, the franchise that won multiple titles in the 50s and the 60s, and the 70s, and the 80s, and the 2000s, it's like, it's very uny on Janus.

You're going to the championship pedigree organization that always wins. And same thing with Miami, even though I don't think that they would be as strong around him. It feels more Janishist to me, and I know this is not going to happen. The toothpaste is out of the tube on this, but like going to Orlando and Apollo Bancaro trade and getting them their one, going to Minnesota and teaming up with Anthony Edwards and taking on the West and getting them their one. I think he will have a real shot at a second title. I will still root for Janus, but to me this will be the least Janus-ish thing that he has done if he joins Big Bad Boston who always wins. Danny, it's a reminder that even the best stars can change, though.

I mean, I've literally talked to Janus about exactly what you described. He wanted to be Kobe. He wanted to be Dirk. He wanted to stay in one place for the entirety of his career. But when you lose year after year after year and the team is not run particularly well in making the moves to surround you with the best talent, you get frustrated. And I'll use another Boston example. What this whole sequence reminds me of is Kevin Garnett. Because Kevin Garnett never wanted to leave Minnesota. He wanted to be that guy, his entire career, only wear one jersey. He goes to Boston.

He wins his title, and there was so much relief for him. And obviously, Janus has already won in Milwaukee. He's stamped no matter what he does. He is the face of that town and that team probably forever. But in this moment, he wants to win. And in order to do that, he's got to get away from all he's known basketball-wise. Boston offers him the best chance. And if they make this deal,

I think Boston will win absolutely at least one with him, maybe more. It is an undeniably attractive basketball situation. I just, I kind of hold him to that Kobe and Duncan and Dirk standard. It's just a little sad. It's a little bit sad for my basketball purest brain, and heart more than brain, I guess, for him to be like, yeah, it's the easier way out. Going to Boston is an easier path to a title than what he's done before.

And listen, we all want to work our whole career to have the easy thing as the next stage of our career. I get it. He has more than earned it. But a little piece of me will be sad that he leaves Milwaukee and goes to this juggernaut that seems like they'll be able to cakewalk to a title. I'm with you. but Danny, he's human, and this is what he wants to do.

Yeah, and we'll know by tomorrow night with the NBA. I'm still holding out hope that he stays in Milwaukee because I am a glutton for being wrong. AJ DeBons is the projected number one pick. Will it be him, Darren Peterson, or someone else. Nick Friedel stays with us coming up next. And we are just about two and a half hours, just under two and a half hours, to kick off for Norway and Senegal. Don't overlook Senegal.

They lost 3-1 to France in the opener, but allowed all three goals after the 66th minute. Should be a great one tonight on Fox. You cannot go anywhere in New York City and not see some Norway fans, but this I have to be honest, I missed. Doing a little yoga in Times Square. A little downward dog, some child pose, little tree pose. Get in another Chi right ahead of the big game tonight against Senegal. Two hours and 22 minutes away. You can check out the action on Fox. Let's talk NBA draft. It should be a historic one. It is tomorrow night, o'clock Eastern. The Washington Wizards hold the number one overall pick, so they have to make a

decision on AJ DeBonsa out of Purdue, who is the odds, or out of Purdue, out of BYU. He is the projected number one overall pick in a absolutely stacked class. Nick Friedel still hanging out with us. Nick, who deserves to go number one? Deserves to go number one tomorrow night. It's DeBanza. He has the ability to be a star right away. Danny, I think this is the guy who has lived up to the hype in his one year in college. He can come in and immediately be a difference maker. I think he has the power to be everything the league wants him to be. And out of the group or three or four guys at the top,

I believe he is probably the surest thing as far as superstar in the next couple years goes. I understand. I understand the argument. But. Yeah, I got a bit of it. I got one coming for you. Like, I get it.

Highest floor of anybody. There's no way A.J. DeBonso will not be good in the NBA, and he will probably be excellent. He's big. He's strong. He gets it done at both ends. Plays with a high motor. Doesn't have a weakness.

Sounds like the number one overall pick. I understand all of the arguments. Darren Peterson had a weird year at Kansas. Missed time, took himself out of games. was cramping. Now they're claiming it was creatine, and he was taking too much of it. You're going to have to do a little bit deeper dive on.

This kid loves basketball, right? Like, this really was the medical issue, right? Like, why was he on the ball guard in high school, and he was playing more off ball for Bill Self? But I would just say that we have seen plenty of examples of guys who are better pro players than they are college players, because freedom of movement, stylistic fit, whatever the case may be, you go back and you read profiles on people who covered high school

camps. And they will say there was never a time when DeBanza and Peterson were coming through the circuit together in high school that they thought that DeBanza was better than Peterson when they were on the floor together. You ask AJ DeBanza right now, who is the toughest player you played against in high school? He will say Darren Peterson, who got the best of him both times. You ask Jay Billis, who the most talented player is in the draft. He will say Darren Peterson. It was a weird year at Kansas. No denying it. You got to do a little bit extra digging on this guy. But he's a 6-5 guard who can put up 30 with ease. I think he's the most talented player with the highest ceiling. So assuming my scouting department said, yeah,

Darren Peterson's medical issue is behind him and he loves basketball. Like, assuming I got the checkmark for that, I would take the upside of Darren Peterson. Except Danny, you know what happens when you assume? That's what would scare me if I'm a big-time NBA exec in this moment. All the things that you outlined with Peterson makes sense. The talent is there. The ceiling is the highest. He can absolutely be a superstar in the league.

But you tell me the last time we had a prospect come in at this time in the draft. And everybody went, well, does he really love him? the game? Is he really going to give you everything he's got night to night? All the questions from Kansas, those don't linger around a surefire number one pick. Like, does he want to be out there? Are the health issues behind him? Those are really scary for me. And if I had the first pick in the draft tomorrow night, I would take the guy that had a lot fewer red flags coming with him. The funny part is, as we go back and forth, the guy who's probably the surest thing immediately is Boozer. But I don't think anybody thinks that he's going to be some sort of game-changing superstar.

You could bring him in. He's going to fit into your team really quickly. But it's DeVanza and it's Peterson. And Boozer just kind of is going to be a really solid pro for a long time. If it's me, though, everything you heard about Peter. scares me to the point where I really wonder, can he be that guy you want him to be every single night in the league? From what I saw at Kansas, he can be a hell of a player.

He's just not going to be the guy that's going to set the tone for everybody else every night. Yeah, I mean, that's just not what the profile was for him before he stepped foot at Kansas. It was like, this guy is a killer. He was 37 and 7. He had the ball in his hands the whole time. I'm with you. The Kansas year was undeniably weird. But we are dealing with limited information on this stuff. I just think that it would be very hard for me to pass up the ceiling

because I'm trying to draft MVPs, not All-Stars, if I've got the number one pick in the draft. And that is a small distinction. But in order to really win at the highest level in this league, you need top five guys. I think Peterson has a cleaner path there. But to your point, it will get more into the depth of the draft tomorrow. I mean, Colin was talking about an anonymous college basketball coach earlier today that said Cameron Boozer reminded him of Tim Duncan.

And then there have been reports about Caleb Wilson being like, well, could he be a Janice, Amari Stademeyer, Kevin Garnett type? Like, it is an absolutely loaded draft at the top. And what is most likely is there are multiple all-star type players. And this is going to come down to preference. I'd say, especially in the context of the Knicks winning the title, Mr. Parkins, you also want winners. And the thing that scares me completely as we go through all these possibilities is,

can you trust that Peterson, as great as he may be, is going to be the guy that sets the tone in your building every day. That is why for me, it is a pass. I would go with DeBanza and I would go with Boozer before I went with him. Scared money, don't make money. I'll take Aaron Peterson. All right, Nick Friedel, we appreciate you, man. We will talk soon.

The USA has had two dominant wins. They clinched the group stage. But the real question is how far did they climb up Dax's power rake? See Updates as Big Boar. Coming up next. And Erling Holland and Norway, they're looking to go back to back in the win column. We're counting it down. Two hours and 15 minutes.

Holland became the first Norwegian player with two plus goals in a World Cup game last time against Iraq. Norway advances to the knockout stage for the second time in history with the win tonight against Senegal. 8 o'clock Eastern on Fox. We are just over two hours to kick off. Erling Holland and Norway taking over. Man, I mean, look at these fans. Pretty sure I saw this live. Yeah.

Times Square yesterday. Incredible. They've been absolutely incredible all across New York City. Cannot wait for Norway and Senegal today. Two hours, 11 minutes away. You can check out that matchup coming up on Fox. Well, last week, Daxie updated your World Cup power rankings on the World World Cup Big Board. We have had some stunning performances, some crazy results. So,

Dax, everyone's been waiting. Update it again, my friend. Just a friendly reminder to everybody watching out there that these rankings are fluid. Just because you move up or down, it does not mean you are better or worse than one team on here, but it does mean that form is important, who you play is important. So, South Korea, Ivory Coast, we hardly knew you after losses to Mexico and Germany, respectively. You guys are off the board. What a great time for them, though, on the board. Honestly, great time for them on the board.

Short-lived, Portugal could not have been more disappointed in your performance. And it's not just Ronaldo. It is that midfield. It is coach Roberto Martinez having to figure out a way to get them in better form. Struggled a lot in the attack. And by the way, D.R. Congo was fantastic. Uzbekistan is no slouch defensively. This is going to be another test for Portugal.

They've got a lot to prove dropping all the way down to nine. Wow. I'm going to need your help. I'm going to request your help here as the United States and Morocco are moving. But where will they go is the question. Right now, by default, Germany, winning two games, you're moving up. England after a great performance against Croatia. You move up. We're going these three. Straight up the board, Spain, with a very important win against an overmatched Saudi Arabia team. That looks more like the Spain that we recognize.

I think Spain is going to continue to move up my rankings. And now this is where it gets fun. All right. Welcome back to the board to the Netherlands, who goes in there at 8.000. after a dominant win against Sweden. I thought they looked fantastic. Their striker, Brian Broby, looks like an absolute handful. And Brazil, welcome back to the top 10 of the power rankings. You needed that performance against Haiti. I'm a little concerned with the injury to Rafina,

which is why they stay at 10, but now is where it gets fun. All right. U.S. men's national team moves up a spot to six. You're in the top six in my power rankings right now. In Morocco, up to seven, after a really nice win against the plucky Scotland team. But Danny, I know you're going to have zero qualms with this board because it is absolute perfection. My friend, there you go. Well, I know something about perfect top 10 lists. I do it every Tuesday. But what I would, okay, I got my first, it's not a qualm, it's a question.

On behalf of all of the Team USA supporters. And I know, I know it is on form. Sure. But like, just seeing the U.S. right next to Spain, yep. It's exciting. Oh, yeah. It's jarring. But I want to know, Is it like a river between the two? Is it an ocean? What is the gap here between six and five? Because that is a jarring image. Yeah, right now it's a really big lake. A great lake.

It's a great lake. Yeah, you suggested Lake Erie. I'm going with Lake Erie right now. Partial to Lake Michigan, but that's fine. Full disclosure, the U.S. men's national team has been one of the most impressive performers at this World Cup, top to bottom, against an overmatched Paraguay team and an overmatched Australia team. But the U.S. men's national team, if they were to come up against any of these teams on my board, would be underdogs.

Make no mistake about it. Against all nine other teams, they would be underdogs, but because of how they are performing, because they've captivated our country so well. And because Foller and Boller and Bolligan and own goal are challenging for the U.S. men's national team golden boot right now. I just really love the vibe around the U.S. men's national team. I think they're absolutely deserving of their place. Okay. Now, again, Spain was my pick before the tournament. They had a very disappointing draw. But can I just, can I go to the video? Sure. I would love for you to go to the video. Because it's about form, right?

Sure. What? One, two, three, four. Goal. That's the Spain we know and love. That's Spain, man. That is Spanish soccer right there. That has to be the prettiest goal of the tournament so far.

The ball doesn't even hit the pitch. It's remarkable. One of, one of, no question about it. And getting, getting Lamin, Yamal back health. getting him on the score sheet. He's not even involved in that. He's not even involved in that, but that is more important. And by the way, it does matter who you play. You cannot overvalue or over-index results against teams that are quite frankly overmatched. And by the way, Cape Verde has been excellent, getting back-to-back draws against Spain and Uruguay. But I still want to see Spain continue to dominate, especially in their last group game against Uruguay. I think they're going to keep moving up, Danny. Don't you worry, but that is a beautiful goal. All right. And then Argentina is the story of the day. They are arguably the story of the tournament because Messi is the story of the tournament, given that he's now the favorite for the Golden Boot. They've scored five goals.

He has scored five of them. France, though, was your pick beforehand. They've done nothing to move down. I understand that. But we don't have like 1A, 1B. I would like it to be a 1A and 1B right here. That's what I'm driving at here. How close is Argentina to being number one on the board, given what Messi has done so far?

This is a 1A and 1B situation, but we don't have the numbers here to make up for. It's Argentina has looked excellent and it's that defensive solidity that we talked about earlier why I think that they are going to be so dangerous. The form of Leonel Messi, I just think that Argentina is going to have to get more production in the final third from someone else, anybody else. Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time. He is going to continue to carry them. But with France, you have Killian Mbapé, you have Olise, you have Usman Dembele,

who still hasn't quite hit his best form going into this tournament. I just think France is so dynamic, so dangerous in that attacking part of the field. I just think France and Argentina right now are on a crass course to meet again in the final. So Messi has done it. Do you look at it as doubt, though, that Argentina has other players that can produce, or is it just through two matches, Messi's been doing his thing? It's just through two matches. You can tell that Lino Messi is in a flow state, you know?

It's a good place to be when you're the best player ever. It's like NBA 2K, when the guy's on fire and he just can't miss. Messy right now is on fire. He cannot miss. The team is playing for him. The organization behind him is fantastic. And when I see Messi doing the defensive work that he did in the game in the 90th minute, winning tackles, sprinting back, you know that that is a player highly motivated to not just set

all these different records, but do what he has always said is most important to him, win trophies. It's also kind of amazing. Harry Kane has found the back then at Mbapap. Yeah. Messy. Lamall gets back out there. I mean, it has been. The tournament of stars.

It has been a tournament of stars, right? And so it's like Mbapé put one in today. We've already know what Messi did. It feels like, of course, Erling Holland's going to get it done today. Early Holland, you are up, Christiana Rinaldo. Are you up later? Let's see it. This is the tournament of stars.

You have to perform on the biggest stage if you want your team to win the World Cup. And maybe, you know, the motivation, of course, is winning the World Cup, but also. Getting on my big board. Getting on the big board. He's Dax McCarty. We'll be back tomorrow on the OT. Enjoy Senegal and Norway tonight on 5. Fox.