PODCAST

The Hot Cast

A weekly Chicago Fire podcast from Hot Time in Old Town

sports soccer

All Episodes

00:37:00

Two on the Bounce

The Hot Cast ·

2023/06/28

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 against Kansas City and dicsuss whether or not this was the best win of the year. In the show's

00:32:58

Where Do We Go From Here?

The Hot Cast ·

2023/06/15

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 should accelerate the timeline for hiring new staff so they can make their own summer window splash

00:33:29

And the Road Ends

The Hot Cast ·

2023/06/07

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 should be of all the known candidates. All of that plus some rage and sadness on this week's Hot

00:32:45

Quarterfinal Bound

The Hot Cast ·

2023/05/25

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 next week is like with games in Foxboro and Toronto coming up in the next week. All of that plus ACEN

00:37:16

Live By The Klopas Die By The Klopas

The Hot Cast ·

2023/05/18

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% right. They go on to discuss how he can try to find some sort of middle ground. After thanking our

00:31:45

Worth

The Hot Cast ·

2023/05/10

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. They discuss how the team played well and how they dealt well with St. Louis's press at times. Then

00:36:47

Checkpoint

The Hot Cast ·

2023/05/03

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 Patreon thank yous, they look forward to the game against Nashville. All of that plus RJ reviews a Jack &

00:31:54

Roller Coaster week

The Hot Cast ·

2023/04/27

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 how impressed they were with the amateur squad and what the game meant to them. Finally they talk

00:33:56

The Most Dangerous Lead

The Hot Cast ·

2023/04/20

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, who made their return from injury and team debuts respectfully. Then, after taking a break to thank our

00:48:30

Brighter Days

The Hot Cast ·

2023/04/12

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 transition to talking about the Fire's relatively easy win over Minnesota United and the looming

00:28:43

Boring Boring Fire

The Hot Cast ·

2023/04/05

Ruben and RJ are back this week for a quick episode of the Hot Cast. In today's show, they discuss the 0-0 draw against a DC United side trying to figure themselves out. They talk about the improvements at full-back for the Fire and how that will help them move forward. After that, they talk a bit about up front and what the club needs to do to get back to the way they were playing and scoring in the last two weeks. Then they go on to discuss the upcoming game against MNUFC. All of that plus

00:46:11

The First Win of the Year

The Hot Cast ·

2023/03/29

Welcome back to the Hot Cast! Ruben and RJ return to discuss the Fire's first win of the year. Unfortunately, it's not the happy discussion that one would think. The Fire blew a 2-0 lead and the hosts are feeling some type of way about it. They also discuss Ezra Hendrickson's stubbornness about the number 10 situation. Then they go on to talk about next week's game against DC United and what to expect from Wayne Rooney's side. All that plus RJ's pizza adventures on this

00:42:11

Here We go Again

The Hot Cast ·

2023/03/22

The Chicago Fire blew another 2 goal lead and Ruben and RJ have things to say! On this week's episode of the Hot Cast, your hosts discuss the collapse against Cincinnati while also being positive about the things they should be positive about like the play of Maren Haile-Selassie and Brian Gutierrez. Ruben then breaks down where the Fire went wrong on the goals. Then they discuss why they play better with Gaston Gimenez and without Xherdan Shaqiri. All of that plus them desperately trying not to

00:50:31

It Could Be Worse

The Hot Cast ·

2023/03/15

Welcome back to they return of the HotCast. On Today's show, Ruben and RJ talk about the two opening games of the season, and how much trouble they think the Fire are actually in. They break down what worked and didn't work against NYCFC and Philly; including a breakdown of the how the Fire stopped the Union from finding many dangerous chances. Then they discuss the news of the new left-back, the new training facility, and more. It's all that and the World Baseball Classic on this week's

00:51:03

The 2023 Fire Season Preview

The Hot Cast ·

2023/03/02

The Chicago Fire are back and so is the Hot Cast! For the 5th year, Ruben and RJ Preview the season just days before the first match against NYCFC. They review all the outgoing and incoming players before talking about each position group and their key players, including what they think about Kacper Przybylko, Xherdan Shaqiri, and new face Arnoud Souquet (and hear Ruben struggle with basic French pronunciation) After that and a time out to thank our Patreon subscribers, we then move on to discuss

00:41:38

The 2023 Schedule Show

The Hot Cast ·

2022/12/21

The 2023 schedule is out and that means the return of the Hot Cast! Ruben and RJ return to talk first about the last month or so of soccer. From the World Cup and Xherdan Shaqiri's performances to the tragedy surrounding Grant Whal's passing. Then they talk bout Jhan Duran's situation. What clubs are coming for him, and where the best place for him to end up would be. After that, they transition into talking about the Fire's schedule. What are the most interesting games? What's the toughest stretch

00:37:12

The World Cast: Here Come the Knockouts

The Hot Cast ·

2022/12/03

It's been an absolutely crazy couple of days in Qatar and Ruben and Alex are here to talk about it. Group E and Group H finished off with some crazy results and some surprise additions to the knockout stage. Ghana get revenge of a sort against Uruguay for the actions of 12 years ago and South Korea continue the country's year of miracles by beating Portugal and qualifying themselves into the last 16. Their reward? A match against Brazil. Meanwhile, the hosts look forward to the first knockout round

00:59:03

The World Cast: Decider Days

The Hot Cast ·

2022/11/29

Welcome to episode 2 of the World Cast, Hot Time's World Cup podcast. Today on the show, Ruben and Alex start by talking about their feelings on the tournament as a whole, from the lack of quality games and the crackdown on protesters of all sorts to the amazing upsets and teams underperforming. Then they go over all the groups and scenarios on who will make the knockout stage. They talk about what went wrong for Mexico, which team is going to play spoiler, and which Cinderella teams are going to

01:26:16

The World Cast: World Cup Preview

The Hot Cast ·

2022/11/17

Welcome to the World Cast! Hot Time in Old Town's World Cup podcast. In this episode, Ruben and Alex preview the group stage and get you ready for the month-long journey in West Asia. They start by going over the USMNT roster and attempt to figure out who's going to start up top and on the wings, as well as what their ideal XI is. They then go group by group talking about the teams and who will survive to the knockout stage. There are some spicy hot takes here, and you don't want to miss out on

01:21:49

The Grand Finale

The Hot Cast ·

2022/10/17

On the final episode of the HotCast for the 2022 season, Ruben and RJ take stock of the Fire in a free-flowing conversation that takes you all over the place. They start with the question of whether or not the campaign was a disappointment (it was) and from there, they discuss what part randomness had to play in the fate of the 2022 Men in Red. From there, they discuss what the club needs to do in the offseason to improve, and little room for error there is. Plus, Ruben has a bad take about the GM

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The Hot Cast

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