Subscribe to The Hot Line Newsletter HERE: https://www.meninred97.com/#/portal/signupThe Fire remain winless in Seattle, notching their 3rd draw in 9 attempts at Lumen Field since the Sounders joined MLS, but that doesn't mean the day was without victory.Robert Lewandowski turned heads with two big goal contributions, but was only the tip of the iceberg. Maren Haile-Selassie, Sam Rogers, and Die D'Avila all turned in Man of the Match quality performances as a late equalizer sealed a point for the FireTim and John talk, Seattle and a bit of transfer panic as the deadline is only days away without the major move needed to get the Fire over the line in the Eastern Conference and into Concacaf Champion's League contention.

Hot Takes LIVE is so, so back. Matt is joined by Alan, the-Pole-with-the-goal, and John from The Bonfire to talk all things FIRE now that the World Cup is over and Club soccer reigns supreme. But that doesn't mean an end to international matches! John says the Fire laid an egg against Monterrey, do you agree? Lewandowski is scoring goals for GGG, but nobody seems to be celebrating like it's a success. Will Franco or Bamba have a DP spot next season?

The Fire are out of the Leagues Cup courtesy to a 2-1 loss from Hugo Cuypers and CF Monterrey. To help break down what that means and the state of the Fire for the rest of the 2026 season, John and Tim talk to Fire legend Dax McCarty about what he saw last night at SeatGeek Stadium.

The Fire's win streak is over but the undefeated streak continues after a heavily rotated Fire squad gets a point against the Red Bulls in New Jersey. John and Tim break down the issues from the 1-1 draw, but the real focus is ahead: The Fire's next game is against CF Monterrey in the Leagues Cup quarterfinal.The duo break down what to expect from Hugo Cuyper's and a very strong Rayados squad including other familiar faces to MLS watchers.

The Fire continue their winning ways. It may not have been a picture-perfect victory but it was still a victory. It was also David Poreba's first MLS start as he sets up an assist after making it into the XI with his Robert Lewandowski, his favorite childhood player who sealed the win with a strike from the spot.Puso Dithejane's emergence is the main story, however, as he once again found the back of the net. John and Tim break down what they liked – and didn't – from a hot muggy night in Orlando.

The Fire's continue their winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Portland – their second in a row over the Timbers but also just the second in the teams' respective MLS histories. John and Tim talk about all that's working well for the Fire who are on their first five game winning streak in a quarter century, and find themselves singing about some (relatively) unsung heroes in Robin Lod, Maren Haile-Selassie and Sam Rogers, who was starting in MLS play for the first time since February and had a strong performance.After that, they switch gears to talk about the Fire's upcoming game against Orlando City, but mostly, hone in on why they think that Antoine Griezmann might be a budding Florida Man.

Signup for The Hotline (MIR97's Newsletter) here: https://www.meninred97.com/#/portal/signupThe Fire stay perfect! Berhalter's side extend the win streak to 4, and finish as the top team in Phase 1 of the 2026 Leagues Cup. John is joined by Apple TV Match Analyst Neil Sika to talk to recap the tournament and talk the return to league play as the Fire face off with Portland Timber in Soldier Field on Saturday. Will the Fire keep the good times rolling? Or will Marti Cifuentes begin his tenure with a win in league play?

It took until the last half hour to get going but the Chicago Fire found a way to break through and get a win, finishing 3-1 against Santos Laguna in their second game of the Leagues Cup, in a game where seven starters from Thursday rotated, giving 16-year-old Robert Turdean his first minutes and first with the first team.Before digging into all that, though, the duo talk about the state of the Fire's transfer window, with Leon Goretzka still available – for a price. John and Tim talk about the rumored move and the Fire's transfer strategy for the rest of the window, then Tim talks about one of the shortest – and weirdest – press conferences of his career.Finally, they preview the Fire's final challenge of the group stage, with the team set to take on Cruz Azul this Thursday, once again at SeatGeek Stadium, and discuss what all but certainly make this the toughest test the Fire have faced in this tournament.Signup for The Hotline (MIR97's Newsletter) here: https://www.meninred97.com/#/portal/signup

The Fire went to SeatGeek and walked away with a convincing 2-0 win over Necaxa, giving the team their first W over Liga MX competition in nearly two decades.John and Tim break it all down, including what they liked about the 4-4-2 and the team's squad rotation in a game where both fullbacks scored goals and guys like Puso Dithejane and Sergio Oregel Jr. shined.

Right after MLS got back... it's stopping for a break. This time, though, the Fire won't be getting a break as they face three opponents in the Leagues Cup in the first time they've been in the tournament in its current format. Before getting into that, though: The league is getting a new commish! Larry Berg was named longtime MLS Commissioner Don Gaber's successor. John and Tim talk about what might be in store from the new guy before talking about what Garber accomplished in his 27 years on the job.  Then to get into the Leagues Cup spirit, the duo talk to Leagues Cup Executive Director Tom Mayo about what fans can look forward to in this year's edition of the tournament which includes, for the first time, games hosted in Mexico. After talking to Tom, they break down the what to look for from the Fire in the competition and in their first game against Necaxa at SeatGeek on Thursday.