Ruben and RJ are back on an off weekend for once to talk about all the discourse surrounding the local men's XI. They briefly talk about the loss to NYCFC and quickly move on to the news dropped in The Athletic about the three known head coach candidates that have had interviews for the job. They discuss who they are and what the positives and negatives they could bring to the job. Ruben also talks about tactical philosophy and the dubious success of the Bob Bradley coaching tree. All that and m...
Nov 03, 2021•27 min
Ruben and RJ are back battling the flu on this week's Hot Cast. They start off talking through the last week or so of results for the Fire and talk a bit about why things are going better for them now versus the previous 6 months. Then they talk about Fan Appreciation Night and what it was like having 30 thousand people at Soldier Field. We also get an RJ Food Review and discuss the two recent signings; Homegrown midfielder Sergio Oregel and Kacey Anderson FIFA personality and content creator. T...
Oct 26, 2021•32 min
Ruben and RJ are back to talk about them Fires. In today's episode. they speak to the Fire's 3-1 loss to Toronto FC, but end up feeling positive about the whole thing. Then they jump off to begin to explore who should be on the team for next year, and who will need to find a roster spot elsewhere. Then they discuss the official adoption of the brand new team crest and explore the new items in the shop. Then finally they spend too much time talking about the diamond chain and of course, Mascot Wr...
Oct 05, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Ruben and RJ are back with another big picture episode. Ruben makes the case on why Georg Heitz and Raphael Wicky should come back next season after they use the last week of results to talk about the Fire's current roster problems. Then they talk about how to fix it and go through and look at who most likely is and isn't coming back next year. All that and more on this week's episode of the Hot Cast.
Sep 28, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 21
On today’s episode of the Hot Cast, Ruben and RJ forgo a real discussion on the losses to DC and Montreal to focus on the macro view of the club. They start by discussing the absences of Ignacio Aliseda and Gaston Gimenez and what they mean for the squad going forward. Then they talk about the interview Fire general manager Georg Heitz gave to Tyler Terens that aired at halftime of the Montreal match and was put on Youtube. All of that and a farewell to Carli Lloyd on this week’s Hot Cast....
Sep 21, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 20
On today’s episode of the show, Ruben and RJ find a window to record during a short week around family obligations to talk about the Chicago Fire’s loss to Sporting Kansas City. They opine on Fredrico Navarro’s debut and how it changed everything and talk about Raphael Wickey getting it wrong in the first half. Then they look at the defense and how a back four looks without their captain and what they can do going forward for the rest of the season and beyond. It’s all business on this compact e...
Sep 14, 2021•27 min
Ruben and RJ are back to discuss the win against the Red Bulls and what the Fire did right in order to secure their first road win in nearly two seasons. They also go in-depth on what Frederico Navarro will bring to the team, and how it could potentially change what the Fire do on a tactical level. Then they talk a bit about the upcoming vacation and whether or not they'll be watching any of the World Cup qualifiers. All that plus opinions on Rikishi and early 2000's WWF?? on this week's Hot Cas...
Sep 01, 2021•42 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Ruben and RJ are back this week to discuss the last week in Chicago Fire land. They go over the two losses to Miami and Orlando, talk about the new sister club, the Swiss FC Lugano and what it could mean for the Fire, and discuss the shortcomings of the Fire in the most recent transfer market. All that and more on this week's Hot Cast.
Aug 24, 2021•37 min
On today's show, Ruben and RJ are joined by Hot Time Chicago Red Stars editor and occasional Fire contributor Alex Campbell joins the show to talk all things Chicago soccer. We start with the Fire's win over Columbus and from there, they discuss the implications going forward for the squad. Then they discuss Elliot Collier and his role on the team and try to figure out how and why he keeps getting minutes. They then switch gears and discuss all things Red Stars, including whatever is happening i...
Aug 17, 2021•59 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Ruben and RJ are back this week and talking about the Fire's 4 point week. They break down what went right against the New York teams, and then discuss how the club can still improve. They specifically bring up Luka Stojanovic and the unique (good) problems he poses in the Fire lineup. They then transition to talking about next year and whether or not the current performances are predictive of next season. Also, another RJ Soldier Field Food Review and more on this week's Hot Cast.
Aug 10, 2021•34 min•Season 3Ep. 15
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. Plus RJ reviews a canned coffee classic. All that and more on this week’s Hot Cast.
Aug 03, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 14
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 this week's Hot Cast. (The LWOS article) https://lastwordonsports.com/2015/09/14/ex-player-slams-chica...
Jul 27, 2021•33 min•Season 3Ep. 13
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 America finals and last night's Home Run Derby. All that, plus RJ baits Ruben into making a terribl...
Jul 13, 2021•25 min•Season 3Ep. 12
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 talk a bit on the news around MLS and discuss Arlo Wite's 4 games in front of the mic. All that and R...
Jul 06, 2021•48 min•Season 3Ep. 11
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 talk about the return to the club of fan-favorite Patrick Nyarko as a coach of the U-19 Academy club....
Jun 22, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 10
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 CONCACAF Nations League. All that plususual tangents on this week's Hot Cast.
Jun 01, 2021•40 min
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.
May 25, 2021•34 min
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.
May 25, 2021•37 min•Season 6Ep. 8
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 much more on this week's episode of The Hot Cast.
May 06, 2021•37 min•Season 3Ep. 6
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 season. All that and more on this surprisingly on-topic edition of the Hot Cast.
Apr 27, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 5
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, It wouldn’t be a soccer podcast this week if they didn’t talk about the mess that is the European ...
Apr 21, 2021•56 min
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.
Apr 13, 2021•45 min•Season 3Ep. 3
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 failure for a bit, as well as Bobby Wood’s arrival in MLS— and if the Fire not trying to sign him was a mi...
Apr 02, 2021•45 min•Season 3Ep. 2
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 whether or not not bringing in a big name will hurt them in the long run. Then they talk a bit about...
Mar 09, 2021•56 min•Season 3Ep. 1
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 Podcast
Nov 10, 2020•41 min
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 defend Tottenham Hotspur.
Nov 04, 2020•34 min•Season 2Ep. 17
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. Note: Due to next Tuesday being Election Day in the United States, the next episode of the North Lot ...
Oct 27, 2020•32 min•Season 2Ep. 16
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.
Oct 20, 2020•34 min•Season 2Ep. 15
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.
Oct 13, 2020•34 min•Season 2Ep. 14
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?
Oct 06, 2020•37 min•Season 2Ep. 13
