The Hot Cast

The New MLS season is upon us and so is Season 6 of the Hot Cast. Ruben and RJ preview the Fire's 2024 campaign thoroughly by going over the squad changes and talking about how they'll affect how the team plays. They also go over their expectations of the team and look at their competition in the Eastern Conference, which looks to be another season-long battle royale. They also spend time...

It's been a long time since we last had a show. But there's been a lot of activity surrounding the Chicago Fire. So Ruben and RJ return to the microphone to discuss all of it. They talk all of the transfers coming in from Hugo Cuypers to Andrew Gutman and everyone in between. They also give a temperature check on their feelings about the Fire's prospects for the season and laugh at the...

The Chicago Fire have chosen their new manager... and It's Frank Klopas for the fifth time. Ruben and RJ are back for the first time this offseason to discuss his return. They talk about what this hire says about the state of the club and how the move not only affects the next season but the seasons beyond. Ruben also reveals his tin-foil theory about the club's goings-on from 2016 to 2019...

Georg Heitz is back as the Sporting Director for at least another season and Ruben and RJ return to react to it! They dissect this move from every angle and contemplate the thought process and reasoning behind returning them for another season. After that, they address the other news out of that announcement including the expansion of the Fire's scouting network into Africa, the rumors of a bi...

Ruben and RJ are back to put a bow on the 2023 Chicago Fire season. They discuss the end of the season at the hands of NYCFC and how it was a microcosm of the season-- Good but passive defense and a feeble attack. They do praise the club for their defensive improvements throughout the season, but it just wasn't enough. Then, they discuss what the club should do in the offseason. In the second...

Ruben and RJ return with maybe the second to last episode of the season. They go over the disappointing performance against Charlotte, including bad performances from the midfield and the lack of good goalscoring chances. In the second half of the show, the boys dicsuss the recent report by friend of the program Alex Calibrese that Djordje Mihailovic may be on his way back to the lakefront. They t...

It's a special postgame Hot Cast! Ruben and RJ are here to break down the Fire's win over Miami. They start with a discussion on the vibes of the game and then quickly discuss some things the Fire could have done better because they're maniacs. After that, they discuss all the good things, and boy were there a lot of good things. After the break, Ruben breaks down the table and what th...

After a week of technical difficulties, the Hot Cast returns. Ruben and RJ discuss the Revs match and contrast that performence with the two lost games from last week. But before that, they talk about the staleness of the club overall, and how much these last couple of weeks are going to stink. however, there was some positives. They discuss the play of the young talented core of players they have...

Ruben and RJ return to the Hot Cast to discuss everything going wrong with the Chicago Fire. They talk about the seeming lack of effort on display against DC and the disappointment they have in the front office and coaching staff, along with the players. They also have a deep discussion on the role of the designated player and whether or not they should be looked at to be leaders of the team. In t...

On this week's episode of the Hot Cast, recorded just after Wednesday's final; whistle, Ruben is... upset at the approach the coaching staff Fire took in last week's losses in LA and Vancouver, but especally against the Whitecaps. He reads the riot act to the coaching staff while RJ does his best to calm him down while also acknowledging what a poor display the Fire put on. Things get...

Ruben and RJ return to the Podcast Studio after what was determined to be a sad performance by the Chicago Fire. They discuss the lack of verve and desire at the end of the game. and talk about Georgios Koutsias's poor performence. On the flip side, They talk about how good the Fire's spine was with the addition of Ousmane Doumbia and how despite his bad performence, Koutsias's disallo...

Ruben and RJ return to the microphone to discuss the end of the Fire's run in the Leagues Cup at the hand of Club America. They discuss the Fire's performence in the match and how it was actually pretty good from a certain point of view. They talk about Mauricio Pineda and Osumene Doumbia's growth and the offense's continued struggles to create and score goals. In the show's se...

The Fire finished P1 in the Central 2 group over Pachuca and Minnesota United and Ruben and RJ needed to discuss it with you! They started by discussing the tournament as a whole and tried to determine it's value to the soccer ecosystem. Then they went on to discuss the Fire's performence and what they did to get on top. In the second half of the show, they look forward to Friday's mat...

Ruben and RJ are back just in time to take a break! They discuss the Fire's recent good run of results, but both of them have questions about the quality of those performances. Then in the second half of the show, they discuss the League's Cup, its worth as a tournament, and how they think the Fire will get on in it. All of that plus a fun idea brewing on this Week's Hot Cast! Thank Yo...

The Fire followed up their 2 road wins with an egg-laying in central Florida, and your hosts try to figure out what went wrong. Ruben and RJ discuss the Fire and Orlando's tactical approach, poor refereeing, and the Fire's lackluster performence, all of which contributed to the loss. They then talk about what it would take for the Fire to still, despite everything, be a playoff contender....

On today's episode of the Hot Cast, Ruben and RJ discuss the 6-point week on the road for the Chicago Fire. They start with the 2-1 win in Portland and use that game as a framework to discuss the emerging greatness that is Brian Gutierrez. They also talk about Jairo Torres and his improvements, as well as the return to the back 4 and how that's helped them. They then talk about the win aga...

On this week's episode of the Hot Cast, Ruben and RJ are sad. Sad and Disappointed. They discuss the match against Columbus and what went right in the first 30 minutes and what went wrong after that. Then they praise Miguel NAvarro's effort and talk about why the game wasn't the worst (A low bar, they know). The second half of the show is all about Messi and whether or not Joe Mansueto...

The Chicago Fire have been eliminated in the US Open Cup and we're here to talk about it. Ruben and RJ discuss the penalty decision and how it was game over afterward, the questionable tactics from Head Coach Frank Klopas, and how the roster was not prepared for the schedule congestion. Then they spend some time on where the Fire go from here and we stake our early claim on who the new manager...

Ruben and RJ return in another Postgame edition of The Hot Cast. They discuss the win in Austin and how they did it-- alongside the redemption of Xherdan Shaqiri and why he's playing well all of a sudden. They talk about innovative ways Frank Klopas has this team playing and how his substitution decisions have helped improve the way the Fire games have played out. Then they talk about what the...

The Hot cast is back and so is the Frank Klopas era! Ruben and RJ discuss his two first league games and the highs and lows their in. They talk about how on the road, his conservative approach led to Charlotte having too much time on the ball, whereas RJ talks about how the players let themselves down. Then they talk about the St. Louis match and how Frank got the personnel and the tactics 100% ri...

Ruben and RJ are back to discuss an action-packed week in Fire soccer, and it's not even over yet. They start with the game against Nashville and talk about how much it stunk to lay down in service of the Open Cup midweek. Then they discuss Ezra Hendrickson firing what it means for the club, and how Frank Klopas would change the team. They transition nicely into the Open Cup game from Tuesday....

Ruben and RJ are back after a disappointing draw with the New York Red Bulls. They discuss some big-picture themes on what's going on before getting on to the game proper. There, they discuss the pleasant surprise of Meran Halie-Selassie and what he means for the team. Then they talk about the goal at the end of the game, and discuss what is actually the real problem. After that and the Patreo...

Ruben and RJ are back post US Open Cup to discuss the last week of Fire soccer. They start, inevitably, with Xherdan Shaqiri and the Fire's loss against Atlanta United. They discuss the wasted good performances and worry about things other than performence deciding lineups. Then they discuss the first-ever Chicago Derby as the Fire took on Chicago House for the very first time. They talk about...

Welcome back to the Hot Cast. On today's show, Ruben and RJ go over another collapse against the Philidelphia Union. They start by discussing Gastoin Gimenez's value while Ruben asks if he's either the only sane man or the actual crazy one when mentioning how valuable the former DP is to the team this year. Then they spend some time talking about Xherdan Shaqiri and Georgios Koutsias,...

The Chicago Fire have won two in a row, but more importantly, they have an opponent for their Third Round Open Cup match, and It's Chicago House! Ruben and RJ start this week's show by talking about the cupset and giving some Open Cup trivia about the last time the Fire played another team from the Chicagoland tournament in the oldest of American Soccer traditions. After that, they then tr...