Amin Elhassan's World Cup Observations | Hour 3

The Step Back is back — and this time, it's personal. Or at least, it's financial. After a brief hiatus, Dan, Amin, and Izzy return with Pablo Torre to dig into his landmark 2017 ESPN feature on LeBron James — not the player chasing rings, but the architect quietly building an empire. What Phil Jackson famously dismissed as a "posse" — a word that told you everything about who was really threatened — turns out to have been a boardroom in disguise. Maverick Carter, Rich Paul, Randy Mims: ridiculed first, respected later, inevitable in hindsight. This is the episode where The Step Back steps sideways — from flashpoints to foresight — to ask how a kid from Akron turned loyalty into leverage, and a group of friends into a seat at the table that nobody wanted to give them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Killian Hayes?" The Alien may have finally left a hint for us humans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"I was using a VPN!" Amin is here and ready for the crew to capitulate on his Spurs takes, even if he was kind of wrong about his Spurs takes. He also saw his cousin in one of the New York celebration videos, so he's headed up for the parade! Plus, he delivers his first installment of his World Cup Observations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"The neighbor's rice always smells better." Did Jalen Brunson exceed every expectation set for him? Does Jaylen Brown want a team of his own? Do the Heat have enough to land Giannis? And can you tell which batting stance Chris is doing in the back row? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Red Food, that's what I'm going for." Sam Morril stops by, full of joy and totally unfunny, to celebrate his Knicks. Then, Luke Thomas is here to discuss UFC 250, the Daniel Cormier and Eric Trump deleted tweets, the insane quotes hurled by Josh Hokit at the end of his interview, and... THE FIGHTS! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"I can't tell exactly what the lesson is." It finally happened. Dan's beloved New York Knicks won the NBA Finals in 5 games over the San Antonio Spurs. There are 1,000,000 potential takeaways on Jalen Brunson, Victor Wembanyama, clutch play, choking, and more, but most importantly, Tony wants to make sure we celebrate him and how right he was about the "inherently evil" Wemby. Should Jalen Brunson be the REAL face of the league? Today's cast: Dan, Zaslow, Roy, Chris, Jeremy, and Tony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United States Men's National Team got its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign underway with a stunning 4-1 victory in Los Angeles against Paraguay, in what many are calling the greatest performance in the team's history. Nate Bukaty joins Mike Ryan to break it all down, including Folarin Balogun's brace, Christian Pulisic being subbed off at halftime, and Gio Reyna's magnificent exclamation point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Victor Wembanyama had one of the most surprising performances of the Finals, and now the pressure is on the Spurs heading into Game 5. Juju Gotti and Trysta Krick break down what happened to Wemby in Game 4, hear from Wembanyama himself after the loss, and debate whether Spurs coach Mitch Johnson should have used more timeouts to stop the Knicks' momentum before it was too late. Plus: • OG Anunoby's incredible game-winning tip-in• Did Mitch Johnson get outcoached?• Can the Spurs force a Game 6?• Who is leading the Finals MVP race: Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, or someone else?• Knicks fans fighting after the game• The biggest takeaway from a wild Game 4 The Knicks are one win away from a championship, but is this series really over? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is Mike Babcock being welcomed back into the NHL? Apparently the Edmonton Oilers want to hire the controversial coach, but not before an investigation is conducted by the league. Also this week we discuss Carolina being one win away from the Stanley Cup, Carter Hart’s struggles and John Tortorella leaving his clothes in Raleigh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New York is buzzing, the world has soccer fever, and Jonathan Zaslow is in the building! This week, Zaslow stops by to check the temperature on the NFL offseason. Actually, that's not true. Things are going so well that he’s reacting to the Knicks' improbable comeback with a wildly hot take: Trade De'Aaron Fox! Plus, we’re so swept up in World Cup mania that we’re officially rebranding the show to Fútbol América—starting with a definitive ranking of the greatest soccer haircuts in history. AUDIO Football America! is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/football-america/id1831757512 Follow us: Dave Dameshek: https://x.com/dameshek Gino Fuentes: https://x.com/Gino_Fuentes Mike Fuentes: https://x.com/mikefountains Ethan Budowsky: https://x.com/ethanbudowsky Host: Dave Dameshek Team: Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes, Ethan Bedowsky Director: Danny Benitez Senior Producers: Gino Fuentes, Mike Fuentes Executive Producer: Soup Campbell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices