The Hot Cast

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 to stick a DP in front of Guti, Duran or Mueller? And finally, at the end of the show, they also briefly discuss the findings of the Yates investigation of the NWSL misconduct allegations. All that and more on The Hot Cast.  

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. After that they talk about some of the good things that came from that game, including the emergence of Jhon Duran and the continued improvement of Brian Gutierrez. All of that plus some needed clarification on their comments about Georg Heitz and Nelson Rodriguez.  

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. All of that plus Gaga under Graham Potter on this week's Hot Cast. 

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 units in MLS. All of that plus a look ahead on this week's Hot Cast.  

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 emotions of the upcoming week of matches and Ruben tries to convince you to go to Columbus this weekend. All that and more on this week's Hot Cast.

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 more positive whereas RJ has trouble believing, and you can't really blame him. All that and more on this week's Hot Cast.

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 on this week's Hot Cast. 

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. They go over the Chinonso Offor deal, and Ruben explains why it was good, even if at first glance it looks like they got hosed in the deal. They then spend a few minutes talking about the Jhon Duran Instagram controversy. All of that plus EVO 2022 on this week's Hot Cast! 

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 to get the best team on the field. Plus, Ruben makes a bold tactical comparison in which an ex-Fire player is involved. All that and more on this week's Hot Cast. 

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.