The Hot Cast

On this week’s episode of The Hot Cast, Ruben and RJ talk about the Chicago Fire ’s performance against the Philadelphia Union , and to the surprise of no one, they heap praise on everyone except the referee, including positive thoughts on Francisco Calvo, to whom they give credit where it’s due. Then they talk about some news and notes from the weekend and preview the game against NYCFC tomorrow....

On this week's show, Ruben and RJ talk about the loss to Toronto and why they feel good about it. They also talk about Frank Klopas' managerial skill and bring up a 2015 twitter thread by ex Fire player Hunter Jumper about how it went when Frank Klopas was in charge the first time around. RJ also reviews the Soldier Field tacos and rediscovers the Chicago Fire MySpace page! All that and more on th...

On this week's show, Ruben and RJ talk about the win at Orlando and discuss the good and bad of the performance. They discuss Robert Beric's goal and whether or not it made up for his poor play in the First half, check their hype levels on if the team has turned the corner or not, and discuss the lack of depth for the upcoming schedule. They also go a little off-topic, discussing the Euro and Copa...

Ruben and RJ are back after a week off with an in-depth breakdown of the Chicago Fire's win over Atlanta United while comparing that performance with the previous two games against Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati. They also talk about how the Fire can continue this good run of form and what to do when their Captian and third designated player return from international duty. After that, they t...

Ruben and RJ are back from the three-week break to review a busy week in Chicago Fire Soccer. They start the show with a breakdown of what went wrong against Columbus and from there, they talk about what's going wrong in the big picture and what they have to do to fix it and salvage the season. Then, they opine on the new logo and anticipate the return of the red shirts in 2024. After that, they t...

Today on the show, Ruben and RJ lament the small tragedy that was the 1-0 loss against Montreal.  They talk about the ineffectiveness of the striker and center back positions as well as praise the good things, such as the return of NAcho Aliseda to the lineup and the general positive play of the midfield. After that, they moved to touch on a wide variety of topics, including Euro 2021 and the...

This is the episode that was supposed to go out last week but didn't publish properly for some reason. I'm posting it for posterity. Go ahead and listen if you want. There's a really good rant about the state of the coaching staff on here, as well as more talk about the failures of the defense against DC United. Enjoy it if you want. 

Ruben and RJ are back this week and are a bit more serious than usual. They break down how the Fire's tactical change worked and whether or not it will work against everyone else, or if it was a one-shot success story. Then they talk a bit about next week's game against Montreal and the Fire's chances. All that plus only one off-topic tangent on this week's episode of The Hot Cast.

This week, Ruben and RJ discuss the larger problems with the Fire-- including whether or not Raphael Wicky is the right man for the job at this moment in time and once again lamenting the play and communication skills of Francisco Calvo. They use that as a jumping-off point to discuss the seemingly inevitable entrance of David Luiz this summer and what effect that could have on the squad. That and...

Ruben and RJ are once again here to talk about the Fire. They go over what went wrong in Atlanta including a discussion over the mistakes in the offseason coming home to roost, as well as the issues the defense has with talking to each other. Then they talk about the upcoming game against the last-place New York Red Bulls and whether or not the Fire have a shot at getting their first W of the seas...

On this week’s episode of The Hot Cast, Ruben and RJ talk about the Fire’s 2-2 draw with the Revs, including praise for the performances of the debuting Chinoso Offor (and almost debuting) Luka Stojanovic, and they discuss the problems with the defense and find themselves at a loss for words. Then they try to talk about the Red Stars and Ruben ends up defending the Gotham FC rebrand. And of course...

On the inaugural episode of The Hot Cast Ruben and RJ preview the Fire season by going through each position group and discuss them in-depth. They then go through the first 2 months of the schedule and try to figure out where they'll be in the standings on June first. Hint: RJ is optimistic. Ruben is not. All that and more on the podcast formerly known as The North Lot. 

On this week’s episode, Ruben and RJ check in on training camp after the Fire’s first three preseason games and discuss what they’re impressed with and what needs to be improved before the start of the season. Then, they try to answer the big question “Where are the goals going to come from?”— Especially if Robert Beric has a slow start to the season. They then talk about the USMYNT Olympic failur...

Ruben and RJ are back for 2021 and they've brought on a special guest. Hot Time In Old Town Suprimo Patrick McCraney joins the pot to talk about all things Fire offseason. They start with everything around the re-rebrand-- The logo, the kits, and the general feeling surrounding the club. Then they move on to talk about the roster itself. They muse about the new signings coming into the season and...

On the last episode of the season, Ruben and RJ discuss what went wrong on Sunday against New York. Then they chat about the big picture and what happened over the course of the season. They also talk about how the team can improve going into next year and a bit about who should stay and who should go. Also, Gunnersaurus is back! All that and a bit more on the season finale of the North Lot Podcas...

On today's show, the boys debrief the games against Nashville and Philidelphia and try to reconcile the dropped points in the context of the playoff push. They also get just as confused by the Points Per Game standings as you would expect. Then they talk about the upcoming games against Minnesota and NYCFC to end the season- including the Loons COVID-19 situation. Also: RJ makes Arsenal fan Ruben...

On this week’s episode, Ruben and RJ go over the unlucky conclusion to the match against the New York Red Bulls. They also talk about what’s going on with Przemysław Frankowski and why he’s been so poor. They also look forward to the next two games against the Philidelphia Union and Nashville FC and discuss how they can make the playoffs. Then they end the show talking a bit about the EPL table. N...

In this week’s episode, Ruben and RJ Go over the draw against KC and try to decide whether or not they’re happy with the result. Then they talk about the news that came out over Monday, including the state of the center back position and the rescheduling of the Minnesota United match. Finally, they end the show with talk about the Supporter’s Shield mess.

Ruben and RJ are back to analyze the Fire's win over DC. They spend a lot of time talking about the defense and how they looked without Calvo and evaluating Wyatt Omsberg's performance. They also talk a bit about the proposed changes to the English football pyramid, and Ruben starts the ending prematurely. 

Ruben and RJ return for another episode of TNL. They talk about what went wrong against Montreal, mourn the loss of a great friend and confidant, and try and figure out What to do now that Gaston Gimenez and Miguel Navarro are on international duty. Plus, How does Ben Olsen still have a job? 

The Boys are back talking about the Fire! Ruben and RJ go deep on the Fire's win against Atlanta and discuss what's going right for once. They also talk about the upcoming run to the end of the season, what to do when Johan Kappelhof gets back, and Ruben has a soccer manga recommendation. All that and much more on this edition of The North Lot podcast.

Ruben and RJ are back this week to talk about, of course , Penalty Fights! They spend time speculating on the reasons for the breakdown against Orlando City, and also lement the fact that once again, the Fire played well and have nothing to show for it. They also talk about VAR, and why MLS sucks at it. They then end the show with some talk about the rest of the world including Weston McKennie's d...

Ruben and RJ are back to discuss all the things that went both right and wrong against Columbus last weekend. They try to find a solution to the Calvo problem while also praising the offense for finally playing well. Then, they talk a bit about the rest of the league and how tight both mid-table races for the playoffs are.  

There were literal fireworks on today's North Lot  Podcast as Ruben and RJ were once again tasked with trying to figure out what's wrong with the Fire. They ask the big question "Is Robert Beric a bust?" They complain about Fransisco Calvo, and Ruben, at least, has something positive to say? Find out what that is on this edition of the North Lot Podcast.

Ruben and RJ are back this week talking ‘bout them Fires. They go over what went wrong in Columbus, talk about the two big news stories of the last week (the signing of Carlos Terán and a player testing positive for COVID) and preview tonight’s game against FC Cincinnati. They also talk about the surprising Pizza Puff sponsorship on the broadcast.