Feed the Fire: A Chicago Fire Podcast

Hey, soccer fans! I hope you're keeping warm this January. The Chicago Fire certainly are keeping us engaged with the latest transfer moves - Kellyn Acosta and the club have mutually parted ways. The MLS veteran helped bring the Men in Red into a new era under Gregg Berhalter, setting standards in training, professionalism, and play - and gave us one of the most memorable goals in Chicago Fire history, the Windy City Miracle against Montreal in 2024. Tune in to hear Nick's thoughts on Acosta's impact and how the roster has to evolve without him. The Fire also sign another South African international, Puso Dithejane, a winger from TS Galaxy. Dithejane brings youth, depth, and speed to the Fire wings. Nick discusses where they new player will fit within the Fire's system and how this could be the first domino to fall to shake up the winger position on the roster. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! Happy New Year! The sudden firing of Wilfried Nancy by Celtic Football Club got Nick thinking: Can Major League Soccer coaches find success abroad? To test this theory, he looks at the recent, former coaches of the Chicago Fire: Frank Klopas, Ezra Hendrickson, Raphael Wicky, and Veljko Paunovic. Despite the small sample size, Nick is able to draw some larger conclusions based on the former managers of the Men in Red. Tune in as he breaks down their careers and analyzes whether MLS managers can find success abroad. Nick looks at winning percentage, difficulty of the league, and expectations placed upon the coaches by their respective teams. He also reveals Opta's current rankings of the Top 10 soccer leagues in the world. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy New Year, soccer fans! With the new year comes new roster moves for Chicago Fire FC. They transfer homegrown defender Justin Reynolds to Sporting Kansas City and sign free agent goalkeeper Josh Cohen. Tune in as Nick breaks down the details of the transfers and gives his opinions on how this strengthens the Men in Red for the upcoming 2026 MLS season. These moves create some flexibility to roster Robin Lod and provide an improvement at the backgup goalkeeper position. Cohen also brings a wealth of experience - having started UEFA Champions League matches - and will push starter Chris Brady to keep improving. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! Nick is back with Part 3 of his holiday roundup. In this part, he discussed the Chicago Fire's latest acquisition: free agent midfielder Robin Lod. While not a like-for-like replacement of Brian Gutierrez or famed international talent, Lod bring a toughness, winning pedigree, and consistent on-field performance that the Men in Red will surely benefit from. Lod had a distinguished career with Minnesota United, and his experience in MLS is another factor that benefits Chicago. Nick also looks at the transfers that have been occurring around the league, and rattles them off in lighting-round formt. He notices that DC United quietly is having a producting off-season, signing three starters from within MLS. He's also noticed an increasing trend of intraleague signings. The Fire could really take advantage of this with their next crop of academy players. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! Nick is back with Part 2 of his Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer holiday roundup. Today, he discusses the rumored divisional realignment that could take place with the 2027-2028 MLS season. This alignment would see the departure from the current Eastern/Western Conferences and transition to six, geographic based divisions, specifically: Midwest: Chicago Fire, Minnesota United, St. Louis City, Sporting KC, FC Cincinnati, Columbus Crew. Pacific/Northwest: Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps, San Jose Earthquakes, Real Salt Lake, Colorado Rapids. South/West: LA Galaxy, LAFC, San Diego FC, Austin FC, Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas East/Southeast: DC United, Nashville SC, Atlanta United, Orlando City, Inter Miami, Charlotte FC East/Northeast: Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bulls, New York City FC, Toronto FC, CF Montreal, New England Revolution In the second half of the show, Nick previews the Coachella Valley Invitational tournment. This season, the Men in Red face LA Galaxy, Austin FC, and the Portland Timbers in their pre-season tournament. These cross-conference opponents provide a great test for the Fire as they look to build on a succesful 2025 season. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! Nick is back with his holiday round-up of all things Chicago Fire FC and Major League Soccer. In Part 1, he reviews the latest reporting on the club's meetings with star Poland and Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski. Things look to be progressing, but slowly. Tune in as Nick gives his thoughts on how Lewa could fit within the Fire's system and what their roster could look in over the next few seasons. In the second half of the show, Nick discusses the Men in Red's MLS SuperDraft pick, defender/midfielder Jack Sandmeyer of the University of North Carolina. A versatile defendive player, but one that projects as a centerback in Nick's mind, Sandmeyer could be the future starter paired with Cupps and Mbokazi. What do you think of the Fire's sole selectionfrom the 2026 draft? Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! Nick is back talking all things Chicago Fire FC, Major League Soccer, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Tune in as he says farewell to Brian Gutierrez, who transferred to Chivas in Liga MX, and to Giorgos Koutsias, who had his loan to FC Lugano in Switzerland made permanent. The Men in Red will have to make up for the offense lost, but Nick think that will come after they fix the defense. Tune and see if you agree with his analysis. Next, Nick looks at the ConcacafChampions Cup draw from the MLS perspective. Nine MLS clubs made the top tournament in the region, and each of them have a difficult pathway - be it facing multiple Liga MX clubs or familiar MLS opponents. To wrap the show, Nick breaks down the World Cup groups after the recent draw, and he examines what he thinks are the Groups of Death. He also evaluates the best matchups for the United States within its group and rants about the greed of FIFA in their ticket pricing. Finally, he recaps the ESPN articles ranking the USMNT player pool. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! And congratulations to Inter Miami CF on their MLS Cup victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps! In this episode, Nick breaks down the stats, the big plays, and the just what the Herons did to win their first Major League Soccer championship. Though cheering against the Boys in Pink, Nick realized that the 'Caps never had control of the match despite the strong statistics. But, Miami is a team that bought its title - a strategy that is difficult to maintain - while Vancouver is a team on the rise and is sure to be in the trophy hunt over the next several seasons. In the second half of the show, Nick looks ahead to the next installment of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. A reduced field of 80 teams will compete for the trophy next season. Tune in as Nick looks at the schedule, new rules, and qualification standards for each of the divisions in US Soccer. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! MLS Cup 2025 is almost here! Who takes home the trophy: Inter Miami aka Messi & Friends or the Vancouver Whitecaps? Nick breaks down the matchup, the stars who will impact the game, and gives his reactions to the pick from the pundits at Major League Soccer. Later in the show, Nick extols the passion of the South African soccer fans that has come in full-force from the Chicago Fire signing Mbekezeli Mbokazi, the rising center back star from the Orlando Pirates. He also provides an update on the new food and beverage partner, Levy, for the new stadium opening in 2028 at The 78 neighborhood. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! Nick is back after a Thanksgiving week vacation to Rome. (Be sure to check him on YouTube wearing his new Roma jersey.) He's still a little jet-lagged, but brings to you all the transfer talk surrounding the Chicago Fire. Is Georgios Koutsias likely to return to the Windy City? Will Brian Gutierrez make his move to Liga MX? Just how good is the new center back signing from South Africa, Mbekezeli Mbokazi? Tune in and Nick will answer all these questions and more! Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! Major League Soccer and the Chicago Fire have released their 2026 season schedule. Listen in as Nick gives you the breakdown of the season, the matches he's highlighted, and what the Men in Red's non-conference opponents look like. The Fire's 2026 season has a long home stretch, a long away stretch, and featured matches against the Philadelphia Union, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Inter Miami. We also see the Fire host Sporting Kansas City and the Portland Timbers, while travelling to Seattle for some cross-continental action. Nick also gives a preliminary scouting report on Fire transfer target Mbekezeli Mbokazi. The 20 year old South African centerback is primed to jump from the South African Premiership, prove himself at a higher level, and possibly leap to a top league in Europe. For now, though, he's expected to sign with Chicago and provide a much-needed defensive piece as the club is likely to move on from Chase Gasper and Omar Gonzalez, and Jack Elliott's future is in doubt. Which matches are you most excited for? How do you think the Chicago Fire's schedule looks? Are you in on signing Mbekezeli Mbokazi? Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! The post-season is roster build season! Clubs all around Major League Soccer are releasing players, extending contracts, and exercising options on big names and depth pieces. While the Chicago Fire made news signing Andre Franco and Anton Saletros, there are a now a number of available players with MLS experience the Men in Red should consider evaluating. Would you like Giacomo Vrioni backing up Hugo Cuypers? How about Sean Johnson returngin to Chicago to back up Chris Brady? Could Bryce Duke fit in as a start for Gregg Berhalter's style of play? Nick also discussed the terrible allegations against Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner. Accused - again and by more sources - of homphobic, misogynistic, and racist comments, MLS has re-opened their investigation into Tanner. Meanwhile, the club has placed him on leave. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! They finally did it. Major League Soccer has approved a calendar shift. Starting with the 2027 season, the league calendar will run from July to May, with a winter break. Tune in as Nick gives you all the facts, goes over all the reactions, and reads you the quotes from the decision-makers in MLS. This is a historic development. As part of the news, MLS has announced that it will not require a separate subscription to MLS Season Pass, and that all games and content will be available with an Apple TV subscription. What does this signify for the growth of the league? Stay tuned, and Nick will give you his opinions. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! There were some major announcements from the Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer recently. In this episode, Nick gives all the deatils on the permanent signing of Andre Franco from FC Porto and the finalized deal to bring Anton Saletros to the Men in Red from AIK in Sweden. Could these two also be playing with Walker Zimmerman, who leaves Nashville SC as a free-agent? Nick breaks down how he'd fit tactically and within Greg Berhalter's system. Don't forget to subscribe and follow the show wherever you listen. Nick has a double header of episodes coming your way discussing a historic announcment from the MLS. Stay tuned! Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! The Chicago Fire's 2025 has come to a close, with a disappointing defeat against the Philadelphia Union. The play on the field was terrible, and the behavior of a number of fans was even worse. We talk about the poor performances, touch on the future of the team, and quickly recap the playoff picture from around Major League Soccer. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! The MLS Playoffs are in full swing, and the Chicago Fire provided the most exciting match of the first round when they took Supporters' Shield winner Philadelphia Union to penalties, ultimately falling short of the upset. The Men in Red came out with a game plan to play ugly, slow things down, and look for counter-attack opportunities. Despite excuting well, the Fire found themselves in 2-0 hole late, but stormed back behind goals from Jonathan Bamba and Jack Elliott. This team never gives up. Listen in to hear Nick's takes on the big plays, the coaching decisions, and how the result could affect Game 2. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! Nick has somewhat recovered from his night at the MLS Play-In Game where the Chicago Fire defeated Orlando City 3-1 to advance to the 1st round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Men in Red played a nearly perfect match, outworking, outplaying, and outcoaching their opposition. Brian Gutierrez opened the scoring, and Hugo Cuypers sealed the win with two goals of his own. But no one on the Fire had a poor or even mediocre match. This will surely give the Fire faithful a boost of confident, and maybe give Philadelphia Union fans some doubt. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! It's the Major League Soccer Post-Season! The playoffs are finally here, and the Chicago Fire are finally back! Tune in as Nick breaks down the match up between the Men in Red and Orlando City. He looks at the stats, the players to watch, and gives his prediction for the play-in game. He looks at the rest of the playoff matchups and even takes a peek ahead to the possible Fire - Union matchup in the First Round. Nick concludes the show talking about Golden Boot winners and the latest MLS coaching vacancy - Atlanta United have fired Ronny Deila. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! The Chicago Fire return to the MLS Cup Playoffs, but will they be in the play-in game or able to secure a guaranteed first round appearance (complete with guaranteed home-match)? Tune in as Nick breaks down the scenarios. For the Men in Red to jump as high as 6th or 7th, they need to defeat the New England Revolution on Decision Day and need a little help from Nashville and Orlando City dropping points. It's not a wild scenario to see the Fire make a jump up the table on the final day of the season. Nick also gives you all the MLS Cup Playoffs trivia that you can handle - the all-time leading goal scorer, top performing clubs, and the longest playoff streaks and shoot-outs are all covered. Be sure to tune in and impress all your MLS friends this post-season. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, soccer fans! The Chicago Fire have the weekend off, but there is no shortage of soccer and MLS headlines. Tune in as Nick looks at the MLS playoff picture, breaks down the domestic and international schedule, and reviews the top headlines from around Major League Soccer. He analyzes the USMNT roster for the upcoming friendlies, identifying which players could have an impact on the field, and which players could have an impact in training and the locker room. The time is now for the USA to look towards the FIFA World Cup 2026. Nick also discusses Jordi Alba's sudden announcement of his retirment and runs down the list of the top 22 players under 22 in MLS. Tune in and join the conversation! Make sure you like & subscribe, rate & review, and keep growing the show. Follow the Fire on SportSpyder. Connect on social media: Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.