The Hot Cast

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 game from Tobias Salquest and also praise the performence of Hugo Cuypers, as well. They also spend some time talking about some of the problems with Frank Klopas' tactics.

In the second half of the show, discuss Next week against Atlanta, the international games taking place last weekend, and Omari Glasgow. Plus RJ gives his prediction for the White Sox record. All that and more on this week's HotCast

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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 Arigone, two players playing above expectations right now, as well as other Fire players playing well.

Then they talk about next week in New England and what a Shaqiriless lineup (he's on international duty) will look like.

All that and more on this week's Hot Cast.

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 case for them having a good night. They also talk about officiating and the scab referees.

In the second half of the show, the hosts discuss the upcoming game against CF Montreal and whet the Frie have to do to get their first win of the season.

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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 week's Hot Cast.

You can support the show at patreon.com/TheLantern

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 the upcoming game against Cincinnati and talk about what the Fire will need to do to get their first win of the season.

In the second half of the show, they talk about the behind-the-scenes news that broke midweek including the ongoing labor discussions between PRO and the referee's union and the US Open Cup deal that would see the Fire not participate in the tournament.

All that and more on this week's Hot Cast

You can support the show at patreon.com/TheLantern

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 Eastern Conference, which looks to be another season-long battle royale.

They also spend time discussing the bad vibes surrounding MLS and the Open Cup and other things surrounding the beginning of the American soccer calendar. All of that and more on this week's Hot Cast.

You can support the show at patreon.com/TheLantern

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 temperature check on their feelings about the Fire's prospects for the season and laugh at the Duncan McGuire Blackburn saga. All that and more on this week's Hot Cast.

You can support the show over at patreon.com/LanternSoccer

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 seasons beyond. Ruben also reveals his tin-foil theory about the club's goings-on from 2016 to 2019 and they discuss whether or not the club was going to go out of business.

They also manage to talk about the acquisition of Tom Barlow from the New York Red Bulls and take a look at the Fire's preseason schedule at Coachella. All that And More on the second offseason edition of the Hot Cast.

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 announcement including the expansion of the Fire's scouting network into Africa, the rumors of a big-name striker, and the head coaching vacancy.

(Note: this was recorded before the announcement that Chris Armas will manage the Colorado Rapids in 2024.)

You can support the show over at patreon.com/TheLantern

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 it just wasn't enough. Then, they discuss what the club should do in the offseason.

In the second half of the show, they take a look at all of the Fire's expiring contracts and try to determine who's options to pick up and whether or not to trigger the buy option on Maren Hallie-Selassie (Yes they should)

All that and more on this week's Hot Cast.

You can support the Podcast over at patreon.com/TheLantern