On this week's episode of the Hot Cast, Ruben and RJ break down all things Fire at Cincinnati. They discuss all the blossoming of young talent on this team after the Team of the Week performances by both Brian Gutierrez and Jhon Duran. They then question whether or no the team is better without Xherdan Shaqiri, and what that could mean going into next year. They then leapfrog from that to discussing where the Fire would be best served by DP's with all this young talent on the roster. Do you want...
Oct 04, 2022•53 min•Season 4Ep. 27
The Hot Cast returns as Ruben and RJ are here to herald the end of the season. They start the show talking about Saturday's collapse against Charlotte, and the play of Kendell Burks, and how he's a talented but not an MLS-level player. (yet, according to Ruben) And from there, they talk about Xherdan Shaqiri. How he seems uninterested in helping the Fire and they discuss whether or not the Fire should accept a deal for him, what a deal like that would look like, and where it could come from. Aft...
Sep 19, 2022•40 min•Season 4Ep. 26
On today's show, Ruben and RJ talk about the virtual end of the Chicago Fire's season. They go over the good, bad, and indifferent of the two games against Miami and Montreal- including the performances of their younger players. That dovetails into a discussion about Ezra's job as a coach as well as Georg Heitz's positive and negative qualities. Then, they start thinking about next season a bit as they discuss where the roster needs to improve, and what space they have on the roster to do so. Al...
Sep 15, 2022•46 min•Season 4Ep. 25
Ruben and RJ are back to discuss the week in Fire news. They start by briefly discussing the results of the two Derbys from last week, both 0-0 draws on the road. They complain a bit about the Gillette Stadium field quality and lament the lack of finishing from Fire attackers. Then they talk about the injuries that have plagued the team's creative players for the last month. They then get positive with praise for the defense and the job the coaching staff have done to make them one of the best u...
Sep 05, 2022•28 min•Season 4Ep. 24
Ruben and RJ are back this week to prematurely eulogize the Chicago Fire's season. They dissect the loss against Montreal and explain how it wasn't that bad a performance until they couldn't score any goals. They then talked about the injuries to Shaqiri and Czichos and how that, more than the loss itself, was the nail in the Fire's coffin. They then talk about how the club are going to finish the season with these injuries and a two-game rivalry week on the horizon. Finally, they talk about the...
Aug 29, 2022•36 min•Season 4Ep. 23
Ruben and RJ are back to discuss the demoralizing loss to NYCFC. They break down what went wrong for the Fire, including an in-depth explanation of what happened during the pigeon's first goal. They also discuss what City did well and how they smothered the Fire's potent midfield attack. They eventually move on to talk about the injury problems and what they're going to do if Carlos Teran isn't healthy. They also look at the remaining 8 games to see if the Fire can do the damn thing. Ruben is mo...
Aug 22, 2022•41 min•Season 4Ep. 22
The Hot Cast returns to look at the Fire's loss against the Union. Ruben and RJ break down the defensive errors, and both of them have positive and negative things to say. They then talk about what the Fire should do moving forward without Gaston Gimenez, including tactics and personnel decisions that need to be made rather quickly. After that, they leave MLS behind to talk a little about the first ever Girrard/Lampard coaching derby and a detour to the Field of Dreams game. All of that and more...
Aug 15, 2022•42 min•Season 4Ep. 21
Ruben and RJ return with another episode of the Hot Cast. On today's show, they rap about the Fire's come from behind win on the road in Charlotte. They discuss how this wouldn't have happened in the past, and how this team's mental fortitude projects to good things going forward. They also talk about how good the defense was, considering the circumstances, and they praise Xherdan Shaqiri and Kacper Przybylko for finally coming into their own. Then they talk about all the news from the last week...
Aug 08, 2022•43 min•Season 4Ep. 20
Welcome back to the Hot Cast. Ruben and RJ start the show with the big news of the week; Gabriel Slonina's impending transfer to Chelsea in England. They discuss what it means for his career, the pros and cons of the move, and what it means for the Fire. Then they go on to break down the Fire's 0-0 draw with Atlanta. They talk about Jairo Torres getting the start, as well as all of the other tweaks Ezra Hendrickson made over the weekend. They also talk about what tactical changes he could make t...
Aug 01, 2022•39 min•Season 4Ep. 19
Ruben and RJ return to the Hot Cast! On today's show, your hosts discuss the amazing turnaround of the Fire's season over the last 10 or so days. They talk about what's happened for the Fire to get there, and what they need to do to continue to get better in order to not just make the playoffs, but do some damage there. They look forward to the weekend against Atlanta and fantasize about the results. All of that plus RJ's Food Review on Water!!! on this week's Hot Cast.
Jul 25, 2022•36 min•Season 4Ep. 18
On today's episode of the Hot Cast, Ruben and RJ break down the game against Columbus. They discuss the role the front office and coaching staff played in the Fire's total collapse, and what Ezra and co. could have done to change the outcome. They then have a frank discussion on where the club is both in the season and toward the future. Then things get a bit positive toward the end as Ruben discusses all the good stuff from Saturday, including the continued maturation of Jhon Duran and Brian Gu...
Jul 11, 2022•38 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Ruben and RJ are back to squeeze in a HotCast! Recorded just after the Final Whistle on Wednesday, your hosts revel in the victory as much as they can, breaking down what went right against Philly that didn't happen on Saturday in Houston. They talk about Shaqiri's effectiveness and relitigate where he's most effected. All of that and more on this post-game edition of the Hot Cast. Note: Ruben was feeling sick and tested positive for Covid the next day. We apologize for any quality issues....
Jun 30, 2022•26 min•Season 4Ep. 16
Ruben and RJ are back from the international break, and so are the Fire's winning ways! Your hosts break down all the happenings of the match. They praise the breakout performance of Brian Gutierrez as well as heap praise on Chris Mueller. Then they talk about the narrative surrounding Gaston Gimenez and how is performances don't quite fit it. They go on to talk about all the things they missed from their time off. RJ has some thoughts on the Arlo White situation, and Both Ruben and RJ have thou...
Jun 20, 2022•47 min
Start your 4 day week right with this week's episode of the Hot Cast. Ruben and RJ talk about the heartbreaker against TFC and what went wrong (spoiler, not much), and why it always seems to happen to the Fire. Then, they talk tactics. They figure out why things looked so good over the weekend Ruben makes an argument that the Fire are clearly better then their record is, and RJ pushes back a little. After they exhaust the topic, they talk a bit about the weekend in world soccer. All of that and ...
May 31, 2022•39 min•Season 4Ep. 14
The Hot Cast is tired. Ruben and RJ slog through the week that was in Chicago Frie Soccer. They talk through the Fire's week in New York and while there was a lot of good play, the results trump the good progress they've made. They continue to talk about the struggles of Xherdan Shaqiri and what the team has to do to get him going. They then branch out to talk a bit about the larger soccer world, as it was the final day of the Premier League and Serie A. It was not a good day for one of our host...
May 23, 2022•33 min
Ruben and RJ return with a brand new Hot Cast after the Fire's loss to FC Cincinnati. Today, they go over what went wrong with the Fire's defense and why they can't seem to find the back of the net except on set pieces. They have a long discussion about Xherdan Shaqiri and where he could help the team because it doesn't seem like the middle is it. However, the boys are actually pretty optimistic about the club's future despite the loss, so if you want some reassurance for the rest of the year, t...
May 16, 2022•44 min
Ruben and RJ return for a brand new episode of the show. Ruben sounds like he's in a fish bowl because he's developed an allergy to bad defense, and the Fire are trying to kill him. They break down what went wrong on the turf fields of the Benz, including a disastrous performance by Carlos Teran. They then talk about what to do with Xherdan Shaqiri and where he's the most effective. Ruben then gets positive about the future while RJ seems a little less convinced. All of that and more on this wee...
May 09, 2022•35 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Ruben and RJ return after a week off because Ruben was moving. They discuss the loss to the Red Bulls and why this keeps happening. They discuss the officiating quality of Jon Freedman as well as MLS and PRO referees as a whole, bemoaning their general lack of consistency and compatance. Then they talk about Jairo Torres and Chris Mueller’s impending arrivals, and what that would mean tactically for the squad. Spoiler: 2011 Real Madrid gets a mention. All that plus RJ’s long-awaited two-sentence...
May 03, 2022•40 min•Season 4Ep. 9
The Chicago Fire are out of the Open Cup, and Ruben and RJ are here to talk about it. They go over every little detail of the match from coaching strategy to the on-field performances to the rub of the green and lack of it. No stone is unturned and nothing is left unsaid. Then they run down the results from the rest of the 3rd round and go over tonight's fixtures. They also take a bit of time to go over the LA Galaxy match from last weekend and look forward to the trip up to Minnesota at the wee...
Apr 20, 2022•55 min•Season 4Ep. 8
The Chicago Fire finally lost and Ruben and RJ are back this week to discuss the inevitable. They go over the loss to Orlando including praise of the Defense's attention to detail. They also discuss the lack of offensive production, and Ruben finally gives you all permission to panic. Brian Gutierrez's red card is also talked about, and your hosts talk about the lack of discipline of the squad and how they have to wake up to the new reality of not being able to disrupt quick restarts. All of tha...
Apr 12, 2022•32 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Ruben and RJ are here to discuss all things Chicago Fire. They begin the show talking about the 0-0 draw with FC Dallas that kept the Brimstone Cup in Chicago for another year. They talk through the team's reaction to having their two most important signings of the winter be out and still be able to get a result. Rhen they talk through their worries about the attack and what they need to do going forward. Then they react to the Fire making the top 10 of the MLS power rankings for the first time ...
Apr 06, 2022•34 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Ruben and RJ are back this week after taking the international break early due to health reasons, so they have a jampacked show for you today. First, they talk a bit about the win over SKC and how well they played on the day and what it means going forward. They also discuss the big picture of the Fire's first 4 games. What's impressed them, and what they're still worried about. They then spend the second half of the show talking about all sorts of miscellaneous soccer stuff. They talk about how...
Mar 29, 2022•51 min
Ruben and RJ are both ecstatic and perplexed by this week's win at DC United. They talk about the improved defense, Ezra Hendrickson and the rest of the coaching staff's involvement in turning this ship around, and goals, Jerry, goals! They also spend a lot of time talking about Gastón Giménez and how frustrating he is with his inconsistent play. They end the show with some talk about the situation in Mexico from a fortnight ago and the lack of response from the governing bodies of football. All...
Mar 15, 2022•49 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Ruben and RJ are back to break down the weekend's action (or lack thereof). They start with some praise of the Fire's defense and how it's so much better than in the last several seasons. Then they talk a bit about the problems the offense is having, and how they're really unable to fix it during the transfer window. Aftrer breaking down the match against Orlando, your hosts then chat about The Athletic's 2022 MLS Anonymous GM Servey. The Fire were mentioned a bunch we talk about how the Fire ar...
Mar 08, 2022•38 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Ruben and RJ are back and on-topic this week as there was a lot to digest after the scoreless draw in Miami. They go through what happened on Saturday evening player by player and attempt to put their finger on what went right for the Fire and what they need to do to improve on their performance. Then they talk about Saturday's home opener while Ruben tries to convince RJ that Jhon Durán should be starting instead of Fabian Herbers. All of that plus a Manny's Deli shoutout on this week's Hot Cas...
Mar 01, 2022•37 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Ruben and RJ are back for another year of The Hot Cast. They break down the Fire's offseason and discuss their overhaul of the roster. Then they move on to discuss where they think the Fire can go, and try to answer who the club's MVP will be. They then turn their attention to the match at Inter Miami and talk Fire win conditions. All that plus predictions and thoughts on the Cup on this week's Hot Cast.
Feb 26, 2022•42 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Ruben and RJ return for their last podcast before the official season preview and they're here to talk about all things Xeridan Shaquiri. They not only talk about what this move means for the club and their ambitions for the league but also take a deep dive onto the audio chalkboard to discuss the tactics of the move. They talk about where they think he'll be best used and what the squad can do around him to make the most of a player of his caliber. They then shift the conversation to tactics in...
Feb 08, 2022•55 min
Ruben and RJ return to check in on what the Chicago Fire have been up to since their last show. They discuss the brand new signing Rafael Czihos from FC Köln in the German Bundesliga and what impact they'll have on the squad. Then they go over everything that happened over the month of December including Ezra Henderickson rounding out his coaching staff with club legend CJ Brown (and discuss what that means for The House and NISA) the various small signings, and the release of the 2022 schedule....
Jan 04, 2022•55 min
Happy Thanksgiving from the Hot Cast! Ruben and RJ are back sooner than expected to talk about the recent coaching news for both top flight teams in the city. They discuss Ezra Hendrickson's background and examine his resume, talk about how he'll affect the transfer moves during the offseason, and what kind of football to expect out of the club next season. Score another point for Ruben's theory that mid-2000's Chivas USA is secretly the most important MLS club in league history. Then they discu...
Nov 25, 2021•34 min
It's the last episode of the season, which means it's time to eulogize and autopsy the 2-21 Chicago Fire. Ruben and RJ discuss what went wrong, what went right, and everything in between. They discuss their general feelings from the season, the new logo, and have a (very short) debate over who the MVP for the team was. They also ask who the Fire should hire to manage the squad, and try to figure out what the club needs to do to improve the roster for next season. All that and why PSG suck on thi...
Nov 17, 2021•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 25
