Hey, soccer fans! The Chicago Fire lost to the New England Revolution ... again. The Men in Red were unable to break down the Revolutions defense despite controlling possession, shooting, and attacking statistical categories. Nick looks at the issues with the Fire's offense including the integration of summer signings, utilization of substitutes, and improper analysis of superior stats. Remember, especially during the MLS Cup Playoffs, the only stat that matters at the end of the game is the score.

Nick also takes a look at the Chicago Fire's potential playoff opponents and gives his preferences for certain matchups. The Fire have a long way to go to clinch a home playoff match at Soldier Field or SeatGeek Stadium, and their potential matchups aren't favorable. It's likely the Fire will face Philadelphia, New England, or Charlotte in the first round, best of three series. All these teams have given the Fire fits during the regular season, and it's up to Gregg Berhalter and entire coaching staff to come up with a game plan to advance. The second round will see the Fire face Nashville or Miami, the two most difficult teams to play against in Major League Soccer.

There are only four matches left before the MLS post-season. Will the Fire go in on a hot streak or a slump? Will their new signings be fully integrated and comfortable with their teammates? Only time will tell, but we know for sure, there's still a lot of work left to do.

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Hey, soccer fans! Bad losses like the Chicago Fire's latest match vs. the Philadelphia Union force fans and teams to ask difficult questions. In this episode, Nick asks:

• Why the lineup changes?
• What is Gregg Berhalter doing with this subsitutions?
• Why is Robert Lewandowski playing so deep? Is it to open space for Maren Haile-Selassie?
• Is Andrew Gutman in the doghouse, hurt, or just getting rest?
• How can the Men in Red beat a team like the Union that press so high with so many defenders?

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Hey, soccer fans! The Chicago Fire have won three straight and have done it in a variety of ways. Against Alan Saint-Maximin and Charlotte FC, they grind out a tough win with players away on international duty. Against Thomas Müller and the Vancouver Whitecaps, they put in a complete team performance with a resurgent Jonathan Bamba leading the way. Against Matt Freese and NYCFC, they rally back from going a man down to take and hold the lead. These different ways to win will prove invaluable to a team during elimination games in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Nick also looks at how Maren Haile-Selassie has been able to open up the Men in Red's offense alongside Robert Lewandowski. Nick also questions whether the Fire have a "Good Dje, Bad Dje" situation with defensive midfielder Dje D'Avilla, who picked up a red card against New York City FC after a couple clumsy and lazy challenges. He seems to play best during comfortable moments in offense and defense, but gets lost during the transition moments of the match. Will the Fire figure it out before the playoffs, when any mistake could cost a team its season?

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Hey, soccer fans! Tomorrow, luxury seats go on sale for the Chicago Fire's new stadium. Over the next couple years, different seating options will be rolled out, but season ticket members get an exclusive pre-sale opportunity to join the elite and take-in a match with the best-of-the-best. Sounds fancy, right? Nick explores whether this kind of marketing actually alienates fans, portrays the organization as an exclusive club for the rich, and prices out fans from having special game-day experiences. He also provides his takes on the recent bumps in ticket demand and interest in the Men in Red - and why the club and Major League Soccer as a league need to change their strategy of marketing special events (signing of Messi, Lewy; building a new stadium; ownership changes; Designated Players) to sustainable fan-bases, income, and popularity.

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Hey, soccer fans! The Chicago Fire's Chris Brady started in net for the USMNT in their friendly vs. Chile this week. Despite conceding one goal through 45 minutes of play, the critics and USA fans have been highly critical of the Brady's performance. Out host, Nick, thinks a lot of the criticism is unfair, uninformed, and just plain wrong.

Nick provides several different areas of context for how we should evaluate Brady's performance for The Yanks. He discusses the context of the friendlies, the opponents, and the composition of the United States Men's National Team. Nick also addresses Brady's mistakes when the team conceded and looks at his performance in Major League Soccer as compared to other top MLS goalkeepers.

How do you think Brady and USMNT performed? Is the criticism warranted?

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Hey, soccer fans! The Chicago Fire are back in the win column! The Men in Red did just enough against a Charlotte FC team vying with them for playoff positioning to secure 3 points and keep the dream of a Top 4 Eastern Conference Playoff spot alive.

Nick looks at the goal by Johan Gomez - his first for the Fire, standout play by the Mbekezeli Mbokazi upon his return from injury, and an improved performance by the much-maligned Dje D'Avilla. Nick looks at the tactics that worked for this rotated squad and the impact it will have on the season going forward. He also previews the Fire's next match, a rescheduled home game at Soldier Field against the Western Conference leading Vancouver Whitecaps. The 'Caps still have top scorers Brian White and Thomas Mueller, but like the Fire, they are without several key players who are on international duty, including assist leader Edier Ocampo. Stay tuned to find out how Chicago can control the game and come away with another win.

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Hey, soccer fans! With all the hand-wringing and clutching of pearls around the Chicago Fire's on-field performances, we've missed some news happening around the club. Let Nick get you caught up with the latest new: Jack Elliott's contract extention and the impact on the roster or centerbacks. Will he continue to be the starter and captain alongside Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, and Noah Allen? How does the depth at centerback look with Sam Rogers, Mauricio Pineda, and Christopher Cupps contract situations? Nick breaks it all down for you.

We also look at the progress on the Chicago Fire's new stadium, McDonald's Park. Recent updates from the club and from other news outlets like Crain's discuss the status of the stadium construction, the team's digital infrastructure partner Boldyn Networks, ticket availability, and when is the anticipated opening.

Nick also provides an update on the Men in Red called up to international duty: Robert Lewandowski to Poland, Robin Lod to Finland, Puso Dithejane to South Africa, Anzor Mekvabishvili to Georgia, Noah Allen to Greece Under-21s, and our very own homegrown goalkeeper Chris Brady to the USMNT. CFII players in MLS Next Pro also received call-ups, with Vitaliy Hlyut going to Ukraine's Under-19s and Jason Nemo, Jr. and Christopher Morales going to the USMNT Under-17s.

Nick then takes a look up and down the Major League Soccer standings, noting which clubs have a home playoff match secure, which are fighting to move up the table, and which are just fighting for any sort of playoff chances. To close out the show, we note a number of transfers that could impact the Eastern Conference and MLS Cup playoff picture.

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Hey, soccer fans! Can the Chicago Fire come back from Nashville without it looking like the season is on the brink of collapse? The Music City has been a house of horrors for the Men in Red over the years, and this season was no different. The Fire didn't just lose 3-0, they looked completely out of the game from the first minute. Sam Surridge, Hany Mukhtar, Brian Schwake, Cristian Espinoza, and their Supporters Shield leading squad - coached by former Gregg Berhalter USMNT assistant BJ Callaghan - showed Chicago why they are the best team in Major League Soccer (MLS).

But this just wasn't a single bad performance. It was the culmination of a month-long drop in performance and slide down the standings for the Chicago Fire. In this episode, Nick goes into great detail on the factors contributing to the Fire's late season demise. From things out of their control (schedule, injuries, officiating, etc.) to a lackluster offense, from a void in midfield to an exhausted defense, combined with head-scratching coaching and roster decisions, Nick examines it all and tries to find a way to fix it before it's took late.

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