PODCAST · sports
The Hot Cast
by The Hot Cast
A weekly Chicago Fire podcast from Hot Time in Old Town
Episodes
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Grand Closing
Rubena nd RJ are back for the season finale of the Hot Cast. They start by talking about Greg Berhalter wasting no time on the roster decisions of players with 2025 club options; dropping all but Jeff Gal and Jonathan Dean. Then they review the season starting with the winter transfer window.…
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Birthday Present
The Chicago Fire have a new Top Man. And it is who we thought it was. Ruben and RJ examine the hiring of Gregg Berhalter from every conceivable angle. They start with the big picture stuff about what his responsibilities are going to it. In the second half of the show, the hosts go to Magical...
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Go Quietly In to That Good Night
The Chacago Fire are all but done with 2024 and Ruben and RJ are here to start the three-week mourning period. They discuss the losses against Nashville and Montreal and lament the fact that the Fire look like they'd rather be anywhere else. In the second half of the show, they take a look at the...
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Deep Dive
Ruben and RJ are back to discuss all things Chicago Fire. They start with the loss against DC and as promised, Ruben takes a deep dive into the Fire's tactics and tries to identify the difference between the first and second halves. A hint: It revolves around playing players where they're most...
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We're Cooked
Better late than Never, it's this week's Hot Cast! Ruben and RJ are back to discuss what went wrong against Inter Miami and if the problems can be fixed or is it too little to late in 2024. In the second half of the show, your hosts go back and forth on what there is to look forward to for the…
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MLS is Weird
Ruben and RJ return to the podcast airwaves to break down how the fire stole a point against NYCFC at the weekend despite some poor play. They discuss their major preparedness issues the team has and why it's not going to change anytime soon. In the second half of the show, they talk about the…
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Heitz Out
Ruben and RJ return just in time to talk about Georg Heitz's pending departure from the club. They discuss what he did for the club, what he didn't do for the club, and what he leaves in his wake. In the second half of the show, they discuss what the club can do going forward into next season and...
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We Suffer
With RJ on assignment, Ruben called in Fire expert and good dude Tim Hotze on to entertain his Tin Foil theories about the Chicago Fire- including his thoughts about Frank Klopas losing the locker room. But before that, they discuss the matches vs NYCFC and FC Cincinnati, the Fire's situation...
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Rollercoaster
On this week's episode of the Hot Cast, Ruben and RKJ dissect an up-and-down week for the Chicago men's soccer outfit. They discuss how the comeback win against Philidelphia was directly responsible for the loss in San Jose. They talk about injuries and the seeming lack of depth and what it means...
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Reality Check
The Fire lose their second game in a row where they outperform the other team for a large portion of the match! Ruben and RJ break down the game and point fingers at who is responsible for the lack of responsibility. They also talk about how good the team played at times and break down the first...
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Mixed Feelings
The Fire lose to Orlando City and Ruben and RJ are back to take stock of where the Fire are. They discuss what the performence of the Fire means in context of the rest of the season and whether or not leading in almost every statistical means anything. In the second half of the show, they look...
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Two In A Row
The Fire go up to Toronto and win their second game in a row and the Hot Castr have some thoughts. Ruben and RJ debate whether or not their form is sustainable or it's just like last year when they have their mid-season glow-up before disappointing us down the stretch. Then they talk a bit about...
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Winning While Losing
The Chicago Fire finally won a match after only two months and all it took was a formation change and removal of their Designated Player. Ruben and RJ discuss the match, and Ruben warns why this could be just a one-off, while RJ is the positive one this week. The show's second half is spent...
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Slow Improvement
What's life going to be like without Xherdan Shaqiri? That's the main topic of discussion for this week's Hot Cast. Ruben and RJ start the show by discussing what his early departure for Euro 2024 means for the club in both the short and long term. And in the show's second half, they talk about...
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Patching Wallpaper
After a week off, The Hot Cast is back and the unfortunate news is that If we had a show last week, it would probably sound a lot like this one. Ruben and RJ discuss the Fire's lack of attacking ability and why they can't fix it for about half and hour, and then talk about how they could fix it...
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Below Rock Bottom
Ruben and RJ are back this week after a horrid performence against the Revolution. They discuss how they would manage the club if they had the job and what, if anything is actually working. They then look at the roster construction and try to sus out what if any moves could be made during the...
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Better is not Good
On this episode of the Hot Cast, Ruben and RJ return to the podcast waves to discuss what turned out to be a very interesting scoreless draw. They discuss the tactical changes made in the match, how the club responded to the previous week's injuries, and how the defense responded to giving up 4...
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Make a Change
Rubena nd RJ return after a dismal performence from the Chicago Fire has them wondering what needs to change. they discuss Frank Klopas' roll with the club and talk about whether or not he needs to resign as manager. They also discuss the recent Bears stadium announcement of an announcement and...
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Up and Down
Ruben and RJ return after a week off to an up-and-down stretch of the Fire. They catch up on the win in Houston and compare it to the hopeless performence against the Red Bulls. What was the difference between the two games and what can the Fire do to have more like Houston? They also discuss the...
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We've Seen Enough
The Chicago Fire laid an egg in Atlanta and Ruben and RJ break down what went wrong. They discuss Frank Klopas' tactics and what they'd change to make the team function better. They also discuss whether or not FK is the right man for the job. Then they talk about the decline of Rafael Czichos and...
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Rain On Me
Ruben and RJ are back to discuss everything but the Fire's 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution, but they do that anyway. But they start the show talking about the referee lockout being over before getting into the draw. They talk about Allen Arigoni's good performances and the bounceback…
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Winning is good?
The Chicago Fire won their first game of the season. That's good! But Ruben and RJ wonder, Was it really deserved? They discuss everything from the wind to bad refereeing to the continued struggles of Xherdan Shaqiri. It wasn't all negative though. They heap praise on Fabian herbers and Allen...
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Counting the Lights
Ruben and RJ are back to discuss the Fire's 2-1 loss to Columbus and what the potential fallout should be. They discuss if it was a bad game or a game ruined by one bad performence. Related: Should the bench Xherdan Shaqiri? They also discuss the performence of the defense and Ruben makes the…
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Fall on Their Face
After a 2 day sick delay, the Hot Cast is back to finally discuss everything awful about the loss against Cincinnati. They discuss Frank Klopas' formation mistake and bad substitutions, Rafael Czichos's worst game in a Fire shirt, and why they look so poor up front. All that and more on this…
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The Philly Special
The Fire come out of Philadelphia with a point and mixed emotions and the Hot Cast is here to break it all down. Ruben and RJ discuss the good of Brian Gutierrez's two-point night to the bad of losing their starting left back after two minutes and everything in between. Then, they transition into...
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The 2024 Chicago Fire Season Preview
The New MLS season is upon us and so is Season 6 of the Hot Cast. Ruben and RJ preview the Fire's 2024 campaign thoroughly by going over the squad changes and talking about how they'll affect how the team plays. They also go over their expectations of the team and look at their competition in the...
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Transfers! At the Deadline
It's been a long time since we last had a show. But there's been a lot of activity surrounding the Chicago Fire. So Ruben and RJ return to the microphone to discuss all of it. They talk all of the transfers coming in from Hugo Cuypers to Andrew Gutman and everyone in between. They also give a...
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Chicago Fire Episode V: The The Klopas Strkies Back
The Chicago Fire have chosen their new manager... and It's Frank Klopas for the fifth time. Ruben and RJ are back for the first time this offseason to discuss his return. They talk about what this hire says about the state of the club and how the move not only affects the next season but the...
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Meet The New Boss, Same as The Old Boss
Georg Heitz is back as the Sporting Director for at least another season and Ruben and RJ return to react to it! They dissect this move from every angle and contemplate the thought process and reasoning behind returning them for another season. After that, they address the other news out of that...
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And With a Whimper
Ruben and RJ are back to put a bow on the 2023 Chicago Fire season. They discuss the end of the season at the hands of NYCFC and how it was a microcosm of the season-- Good but passive defense and a feeble attack. They do praise the club for their defensive improvements throughout the season, but...
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The Future is the Past
Ruben and RJ return with maybe the second to last episode of the season. They go over the disappointing performance against Charlotte, including bad performances from the midfield and the lack of good goalscoring chances. In the second half of the show, the boys dicsuss the recent report by…
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Own Your Destiny
It's a special postgame Hot Cast! Ruben and RJ are here to break down the Fire's win over Miami. They start with a discussion on the vibes of the game and then quickly discuss some things the Fire could have done better because they're maniacs. After that, they discuss all the good things, and…
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Stagnation
After a week of technical difficulties, the Hot Cast returns. Ruben and RJ discuss the Revs match and contrast that performence with the two lost games from last week. But before that, they talk about the staleness of the club overall, and how much these last couple of weeks are going to stink....
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When the Wheels Fall Off
Ruben and RJ return to the Hot Cast to discuss everything going wrong with the Chicago Fire. They talk about the seeming lack of effort on display against DC and the disappointment they have in the front office and coaching staff, along with the players. They also have a deep discussion on the…
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Greek Tragedy
On this week's episode of the Hot Cast, recorded just after Wednesday's final; whistle, Ruben is... upset at the approach the coaching staff Fire took in last week's losses in LA and Vancouver, but especally against the Whitecaps. He reads the riot act to the coaching staff while RJ does his best...
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It's a Wash
Ruben and RJ return to the Podcast Studio after what was determined to be a sad performance by the Chicago Fire. They discuss the lack of verve and desire at the end of the game. and talk about Georgios Koutsias's poor performence. On the flip side, They talk about how good the Fire's spine was...
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Pause
Ruben and RJ return to the microphone to discuss the end of the Fire's run in the Leagues Cup at the hand of Club America. They discuss the Fire's performence in the match and how it was actually pretty good from a certain point of view. They talk about Mauricio Pineda and Osumene Doumbia's…
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Top of the Group
The Fire finished P1 in the Central 2 group over Pachuca and Minnesota United and Ruben and RJ needed to discuss it with you! They started by discussing the tournament as a whole and tried to determine it's value to the soccer ecosystem. Then they went on to discuss the Fire's performence and…
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Playoffs?
Ruben and RJ are back just in time to take a break! They discuss the Fire's recent good run of results, but both of them have questions about the quality of those performances. Then in the second half of the show, they discuss the League's Cup, its worth as a tournament, and how they think the…
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Two Steps Back
The Fire followed up their 2 road wins with an egg-laying in central Florida, and your hosts try to figure out what went wrong. Ruben and RJ discuss the Fire and Orlando's tactical approach, poor refereeing, and the Fire's lackluster performence, all of which contributed to the loss. They then…
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Two on the Bounce
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…
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Where Do We Go From Here?
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,...
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And the Road Ends
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...
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Quarterfinal Bound
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...
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Live By The Klopas Die By The Klopas
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...
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Worth
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...
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Checkpoint
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…
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Roller Coaster week
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...
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The Most Dangerous Lead
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...
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Brighter Days
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…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Hot Cast have?
The Hot Cast currently has 162 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Hot Cast about?
A weekly Chicago Fire podcast from Hot Time in Old Town
How often does The Hot Cast release new episodes?
The Hot Cast publishes regularly with 162 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Hot Cast?
You can listen to The Hot Cast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Hot Cast?
The Hot Cast is created and hosted by The Hot Cast.
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