We welcome.
We welcome for the first time someone who now gets to hang out and have the He's got the keys to the kingdom, he's got the garage door opener. He now knows how to enter into the hour of chaos on Friday if he so chooses. Max Anderson Radio play by play, Voice of the Chicago Fire, dropping in for our.
OPO intel and our OPO research.
What up, dude, John, Thanks for having me on. I appreciate and I want to make sure you can hear me all right.
For you are okay, everything is fine, hey, and it is up and running and all right.
So it's a chat.
I see.
I'm trying to get rid of the lower third because it's like I was trying to promote something.
Now people can see who we are, all right.
Uh.
The reason that we do we started.
Doing this this year on the network is we wanted to have OPPO research and we want to kind of introduce everyone who follows at Land United since that's where we're based. We wanted to bring in folks from each individual market there and break it and sit there and find out what to expect when it comes to the twenty twenty five MLS season.
So I reached out. This is breaking the fourth wall. I reach out to Max and it's like literally, you know, I reach out.
To Max and I'm like, okay, how about here? And I'm literally trying to figure out, Okay, how can I reach out to him? And it was through Instagram messaging that I got a hold of you. And you're probably sitting there going, uh oh, well now wondering.
Where else you're trying to contact me, John, I feel bad.
I was trying to do it on the twitters but like dming and it was like, yeah, I don't I didn't get the dming.
I don't tweet much anymore. I've pretty much punted on Twitter in terms of tweeting. I think my last tweet was three years ago when I got this job. So yeah, Instagram is is definitely more where you.
Can find me for sure.
Right on and so as the play by play voice of the Fire, So first off, let me ask you what's it like to go from uh from you know, what you were doing with hockey and I know and being a hockey guy, I'm big into that too, So what's it like to be the voice of the Fire.
You know, it surprised me. I'd spent a lot of years doing a lot of high school hockey in the area. I've done some college soccer, college baseball, college softball, and did all through college.
You know, I worked professionally, but this I also do.
And got the opportunity interview for the Chicago Fire job a friend of a friend in the broadcasting world. So, hey, we're looking for a new radio play by play, and I said I'd love to do it. It had been close ten years since I'd call it a soccer game. I didn't tell them that at the time, but I did the tryout.
And I guess it went well enough.
And the original hiring manager, Jamie Chen, who recently left the Fire is now with FIFA as part of their preparations leading up to the World Cup. Is an a one human being took a chance on a guy that you know, I have a lot of play by play experience, but not necessarily a lot in soccer.
So it's been a great season three, it's been It's been awesome.
Yeah, and Jamie is a friend of ours here at the network as well, So anytime we want to knock on a FIFA FIFA Ish door, Jamie is the guy that we talked to on a national scale coming into this season. Everybody was sitting there and looking at Greg Burhalter being the the Bill Parcells of Major League Soccer, getting both job titles. You know, you having the business
card full on the front end the back. What was the buzz like when three GB wandered in the door and the expectations when the season started.
So, you know, personally, I found it really interesting. You know, obviously as a soccer fan, you follow the US men's national team. I follow a little bit of Europe. I say a broad in Barcelona, so so I've see Barcelona's my side. But you really got to know Greg through what felt like a pretty negative last year and a half of media attention, right you know, the net bo
scandals that people claim that we're going on. I bring all that up to say I am convinced at this point that it was a media machine gone a buck because I've gotten the chance to watch Greg Burolter up close for you know, close to three months now, and I think he's a phenomenal coach, and I think the pulse that he has on his team is great. He's phenomenal with the media. He absolutely answers your questions. He you know, after the seventeen loss to Nashville, which was
I don't even know how to analyze that one. He said what everybody saw, and I think that's what got firefans really frustrated the last few years, is you would get people talking about the club as if, well, we're making progress here in a four to one loss, and no, Greg Buralter made it clear that was unacceptable. We apologize to our fans. It's we're gonna be better. We're gonna answer to it. They're gonna be repercussions, and I think
that's all fans really want. It's been a rough decade for Fire fans and there's been a lot of expectations. There's big, big names that have been brought in that haven't quite lived up, and so coming into the season there's a little bit of trepidation just because of I think the mental schema that at least I know I built up about Greg Burholter and his national team experience.
It's done a point eighty for me. And even though the last few games have been have been kind of rough, and I'm sure we'll talk more about that, you still see a huge difference from what it looked like the last few seasons.
And so how would you characterize what Chicago is going through in twenty twenty five. Everybody's saying, Okay, well it's a rebuild, it's this, it's that. How would you characterize what's going on?
I wouldn't call it a rebuild.
I'd call it a transitioneer And I know that can be a cop out a little bit in terms of, you know, not wanting to call it as bad, because I do think they reloaded in some really nice way. Filed Zychernogles come in and been a revelation. He's been phenomenal up the right wing. He's shown both great play on the ball, but great play in terms of finishing.
You know, Jonathan Bamba hasn't quite tally the goals. I think the Fire fans and even Greg Burholter, who frankly has been pretty tough on Bomba expecting a lot out of him. He had two assistant his first match in the MLS and he said, where is the scoring?
Again?
Going back to Greg Burholter just being the goods. So, you know, I think those pieces up front. Kuiper's has been more dynamic than he was last season, even leading the team and goals last year. He's been much more creative this season, up to seven goals now, and he that top three have been really, really good.
They're scoring a lot of goals. That has not been the problem. Problem has been on the other side.
Problem has been on the back end, giving up a league leading MLS goals. The back line has been a mess. Jack Elliott stabilized it. I'd say, to start, you've started to see the inklings of a solid defensive core if Carlos Tehran could stay healthy. Of course, right as he found a rhythm, he got hurt again. And it sounds like, based on Greg Burholter's mens, he's gonna be out a while. He said, called it his pretty serious injury. So it sounds like he's gonna be out for.
A little bit.
And if you were watching, you saw it was not not good to watch. And then you had the seven two debacle in Nashville. Now, part of the context you have to understand is the Fire earlier this season did something they haven't done in twenty years.
They won three straight road games. They were the talk of the MLS. Frankly after about match Day six.
And injuries and national team duty, really ruined this team's rhythm. I know everyone has injuries, but it's been a revolving door of injuries to key players to the point where you know, they had four homegrown players starting a.
Game that weren't on the roster a year and a.
Half ago, so that it's it's been tough at times to really stabilize things on the back and en in the midfield. Caldacosta has been in and out of injury. Brian Gutierrez had a goal as first game, just like he did last year. Everybody's like, this is the year that Brian goodears. Then he goes national team duty, gets hurt, not playing with national team, miss is a couple more games, then gets a red card.
That was a red card.
I'll leave it at that, And so his season's kind of been, you know, not trying to find his footing too. So it's just been disjointed all together. In the middle of it, I think Gregorolter has done a great job trying to piece this thing together. But you know, now there's talk about, you know, Alex de Bruyna, is that as kept sorry Vin de Bruyna, is that is that
a thing that might might come down the Pike. That would obviously be the summer, so this team still got a month or two of games before any meaningful reinforcements come their way.
Yeah, last time out, you're starting eleven, started with with Brady.
In that and then it didn't. Then we'll get into that in a second.
Andrew Gutman, who is familiar to a lot of folks here in the Atlanta area with his time with it Landey United, Elliott Cups, and who we refer to as a little ball of hate. Johnny Dean from his time in Birmingham. We knew him from USL Championship underrated player Johnny Dean. Good to see him there, pineda goody eras or a hell Bamba Kuipers and Zincer Noaugle in a
four to three three as it's listed. So now that Brady is not in that for the thirty sixth minute red card, who is it going to be in that this weekend? Up there going up against it Landy United.
We haven't heard officially, it's not gonna be Jeff gall From what we understand, it sounds like it's gonna be Brian Dowd called back on an emergency hardship waiver, now I know MLS rules. This is one that kind of caught me that I had to read up on exactly how this emergency rule worked.
But it does sound like.
They can recall him from loan for one game.
Again, I didn't know that was possible, but.
I guess there is some hardship exception within the MLS. You know MLS rules. Cecos out there can can certainly chat me here and quote me on it. That is not nless I was familiar with. But you capable goalkeeper, He's not Chris Brady. Frankly, Chris Brady the last three seasons has had I think some national team cloud taken away from him just because of the performance of the team. I truly believe a solid run of team performance and he's in the running to be the US ben's.
National team keeper within a year he has.
He makes some saves that I don't see anybody else in this league making. He is dynamic, he's young, he's an incredible athlete and goal and he's really come along in the final tier of his game. First two years getting to call Chris Brady, the saves weren't the question. He was not very good playing the ball out of the back, and if you want to make that next step as a keeper in Europe, which I think eventually he will, you've got to be able to handle the
ball out of the back. You've got to be able to place it where you need to within the thirty yards of the box. And he was not good at it the first couple of years. He's been much better at it this year. A lot of that having to do with Greg Parrohlters system and the importance of control out of the back, and so that's been I think the last frontier of his game. And like I said, I think he's in Europe and then not to just in future and potentially leading the ESPN's national team in the next.
Year or so.
Max Anderson played by play voices Chicago Fire.
Dropping by for our oppo research segment that we have every week is at Lanty Night. It's getting ready for the Chicago Fire. I guess this is the match game portion of the program. For things to go well offensively for Chicago. Blank is happening on the field, and it can be people and interactions and formations and attack minded ideas. How if things are going well, what are folks seeing in the attack for Chicago.
So for most of the season it's been because Andrew Gutman and Jonathan Bomba have been creating up the left side. Now, that wouldn't have been my answer to enter the season. It would have been because Brian Goodiers was dynamic in the midfield, but he just hasn't found his footing.
So far this season.
If he gets his footing in the midfield to set up guys like Bomba, guys like Zinkernagol, and guys like Kuipers, it can be a long game.
They've scored a lot of goals this year.
That has not been the problem scoring wise. You're going to see again the dynamic play on the left side between Bomba and Gutman. I don't have to educate your audience on what Gutman can bring and his attacking nature up that left side, but that seems to me when this team's going best, it's those two creating on the left side, and then Kuiper's really pushing the middle to create the space kind of at the edge of the eighteen.
They've scored a lot of goals kind of in that six to eighteen range because they are able to push up into the box, get that kind of clear space, a little more in behind, and guys like Kuipers are finding the ball and finishing. Guys like you know, Bomba and Gutierres at times are also finishing.
What's it been like to see Kuipers evolve over the last stand full of season.
Well, last year he looked like a box poacher.
I mean that's really all he looked like. And you didn't really see him create. You didn't see him work open spaces. You didn't see him create for others. You really just saw him kind of camp out in the box and wait for a cross to come in that he can either head in or after it bounces around he can kick it in. That's been different this year especially, you know, not as much last month slowed down as the entire team has, But on the whole he's playing
more to space. He's again he's really doing a nice job of pressing defensive lines to create space between lines, which is where the Fire have had some success. So sometimes he's just using himself as a dummy in terms of clearing space and allowing guys to come in behind him with much better looks at goals. So he's obviously still doing the poaching. He's still doing the box poaching, but that's not his entire game. Maybe only half his goals. Three or four of his goals have been right place,
right time. They've also been creating space. He's a key goal against.
Cincinnati.
They ended up losing the game, but it was a key goal in the game to get him back in.
It was a force over.
He turned, got it to bom Bomba, threaded it through to Gootman, and Gootman finished it. So even in the transition play, he's been able to create some chances and be more dynamic than just a box poacher.
So is there And I don't know if this is a conventional wisdom or a fear from those who are watching outside of the field of play, but is the idea currently Okay, we know we have defensive defensive deficiencies from the department of redundancy department, But is the idea almost to outscore the opponent knowing that we're going to give some up, that we're putting that much more pressure on our offense because of the frailties at the back.
You'd see Greg Burhlter's head explode if you asked him that question. Yeah, the answer is absolutely non. He's not here to play you know, West Coast football. He's not here to play Golden State Warriors three point. He knows that things need to be cleaned up. And that's been the key, really is the mistakes. I mean it has been. You know, if I think of all the goals this season, less than half, maybe a quarter or off of just brilliant, really good solid soccer play right and build up, they're
the mistakes in the back have been killing them. And they've been avoidable mistakes that frankly, that's what FC Cincinnati did. Fire worked so hard for their two goals. Cincinnati pounced on three mistakes and scored bing bang boom, one of those being really unfortunate. I'm not sure if anybody saw the clip, but Maricio Pineda just outside his own boxes tripped by the ref creates a four on three the other way, and since Ta gets to score again looked
up that role. Would have thought there'd been a little bit more clear in the rule. That's a judgment call. I think that should probably operate like when the ball hits the referee, and if somebody in possession of the ball makes contact with the referee, I think that place should probably stop or be an advantage play at least for that player.
But hey, again, I don't make the rules.
So no, it's really been the mistakes out of the back specifically that have really hurt them.
So then, is the Nashville game just one of those that you sit there and you take it and you put it in file thirteen, you throw it away, you flush the toilet, and it's just like, Okay, we learn from it, but we don't dwell on it kind of a thing.
So that's the school I come from, and that's my take. And then when we heard Greg on the postgame podium, he said, no, we're not throwing that away. He said, there's going to be accountability. We're going to learn from it.
And it would be one thing if they had a performance like that, and that was the first one, and obviously seven goals is way beyond, but it's the mistakes, and it's some of the same mistakes we've seen over and over this season that I think Greg's point was, well, we threw this out last time, and we're back here. We can't throw this out. We have to get better from this and we have to stop making some of these mistakes. I mean, the depth that was able to
be played in behind their back line. Last game was unacceptable. You know, Jack Elliotts had a rough couple of games. As good as he was for the first postseason, he was not good the last couple of games. Missed a couple of markings, specifically in the Nashville game. We'll get to the Orlando City game, which which I know has some oddities to it too, and that really needs to
be cleaned up. So no that I think we're at the point now in this run of five games without a win where Greg's like, we can't keep throwing away what we're doing. We have to figure out why we're doing it. We have to fix it. So that was
more the attitude. And again to my opening comments by Greg Burhalter, his candor and you know, his openness with the media has been so refreshing, just getting up there and saying, fans, we apologize, unacceptable can't happen, and we're gonna fix it, and we're gonna be better next time. And with you know, ten men, and for sixty five minutes.
They were so the Orlando match, if I just if I just use the if I go Larry King and go Orlando sticks in your head.
I can't remember the last time I saw a goalie red card. That'd be the that'd be one thing. You know.
I guess it was deserved.
You know, you watch it in slow enough times you could convince yourself otherwise. But you understand why the red card was given. Fortunate that it ended up being an inch three inches whatever outside the box so that they didn't have to have the PK for it.
That was a break.
I think the really my biggest takeaway from that game was a young man named Chris Cups and a sixteen year old that stepped in after a team that gave up seven goals the game before in Nashville, down ten men for sixty five minutes, played center back and played as you know what off and that really caught Greg Burholter's attention to I think we got to five questions in the postgame media. He goes, how is nobody asked
me about Chris Cups yet? Like a sixteen year old in his MLS debut making a start ends up having ten You know, he was like, he could not say enough good things. He didn't start in the MLS Cup game yesterday. I would assume that he will on Saturday. I don't know how he couldn't after the struggles that Sam Rodgers has had and Carlos Tehran being hurt. Omer Gonzalez is a fill in at this point. He's not an answer in terms of any significant amount of time.
So I think we're gonna see the sixteen year old again.
All right, I'm trying to think of that, and I'm and I'm trying to buzz through everything in my head here. Okay, So what would you anticipate the starting eleven looking like going into this matchup with at Lamb.
It's a hard one because you can't really take much from the US Open Cup game yesterday.
They basically went starters.
They needed a win, they and they won for nothing and it went well for the most part. You know, I think that, you know, you're you're gonna see the I think the big three, although I thought Marin hyglis Selass looked good yesterday. You know, he's kind of been relegated to bench duty after being two years of a starter for the fire. I think there's a chance maybe for a little bit more dynamic play up and down the right side.
You see him as a starter.
But Zigradog has been really good, so I don't see a reason to necessarily place him. It'll be Jack Elliott on the back. I think it'll be Cups on the back, you know. I think it'll be probably Jonathan Dean in the back. He looked better, So you're gonna get see your buddy there. Uh and you'll obviously see Gootman in the back midfield wise, you're gonna see Gutierrez. Will you see or heel? Is that somewhere where there's rotation? Maybe
how this Selassie comes in, I don't know. That seems very offensive focus for a team that struggled on the back end and highley. Selassi doesn't necessarily bring you extra possession. He brings you extra kind of dynamicism up and down the right side. And so we'll see on that. I think I think we're gonna see a lineup we haven't necessarily seen a lot of, though I think it will look different. I think Greg's serious when he talks about changes in making changes right now, the questions where is
Kellen Acosta fit in all this? That's the one name I haven't really said that.
He hasn't had a great year.
He really at time MS has struggled finding his rhythm. Do we see you know, another youth movement there? Or does he come back in the starting lineup because he hasn't been as much in the lineup. There's a lot of questions right now, and I don't know that anything was answered yesterday with the US Open lineup.
And my last question for you, are we going to talk about inter and Barsa in seventh?
Well, it's funny. I had the first half of that game on and then I had to do something with some more calls.
I had to take care of some work things.
So in back of my head, I'm like, wow here in terms of advancing right and about forty five minutes Layers was maybe about the eighty fifth minute I turn it back on, I'm like, what happened here? And then obviously the ending the extra time, So sad Barsa fan over here. It was. It was an all timer, There's no doubt about it. And I hope more people were watching it then I figured were. At least it was on CBS at two o'clock on a what was it Wednesday?
What's day? Tuesday? I don't remember what day that was anymore?
Sure, Uh, yeah, I hope people were watching it because I think it would have been a great advertisement for for soccer. And it was like kind of like watching a King's oilers series in hockey, if you're gonna get something to exactly. I think that was a job that was everyone's reaction to that series. It was Nascar on skates, So if there was a game to watch, it was that one.
And and I feel similarly, Ah, you had to bring that up, man, I do.
See real quick, John, if you don't mind, I see the non fire question. Yes, the report the Chicago So I don't follow the Red Stars very closely. My good buddy Joe Chats from on Tap Sports does. So that's always. Ah, that's always somebody you could you could throw on. And who's saying all right, p Catalonia, That's that's fighting words up there in the chat.
Yeah we have a twitch pitch in Ketalucci is uh got it?
Yeah?
So uh, I don't know as far as that, I will say. So I'm in Northwestern football season ticket, older have been my entire life. Grew up in Evanston, so that lake Front facility is awesome.
Love that have you been, I have not been.
Well, you should make an excuse, make an excuse this fall if you can. It's it's a really cool way to see.
A football game.
And as a lifelong Northwestern fan and talking to other.
Northwestern fans, we all got there. We all kind of looked at each other like, is it too late to build the permanent thing here? Because this is really cool.
Yeah, but now it's gonna get built on the old site and it's going to be great whatever they build new. But I I don't think it's a bad idea. I mean for a season, But I don't know. The Red Stars have a lot of issues right now in a lot of different fronts. Yeah, so yeah, I don't wait too deeply into the Red Stars.
Like I said, my buddy Joe Chats can certainly lay in on that.
Yeah, and calling themselves just the Stars, that's the first issue.
Oh yeah, exactly.
See, that's razy. I need to follow closer for that about it.
I'm dude, I'm right there with you.
So hit the promo for me and everybody gets to follow along on the local radio option on the YA TVs. But go ahead and lay out the promo for broadcast plans coming up this weekend.
Yeah, local radio, you can certainly trigger I'm sure as you all know on Apple TV that local radio option around WLS dot com. Here in Chicago on WLSAM eight ninety, we'll be at Soldier Field. It's gonna be a great night fire looking for the first home win of the season. Haven't won at home, so and Lanta's gonna be fighting that momentum for the Fire, hopefully getting their first home winning the season.
Yep.
So, as always, my friend, great to see you, thanks for breaking breaking the glass, and anytime Friday in the ten o'clock hour, more like ten thirty and beyond Eastern time, the hour of chaos. Basically, if we don't have a guest, we just lay it all out there and folks can parachute in, give me a two or three minute update and get out or hang out or do whatever. So you now have the garage door opener. Drop in anytime and you can let everybody know what's going on up there in Chicago.
Great.
I appreciate that.
Anytime you need me to come on and talk Chicago specifically, just give me how we're.
Happy to do it.
We'll do Max. Thanks for dropping it.
Have a coome one