Kyle Sheldon, Fire Senior Vice President of Marketing, joins the show to discuss the Fire's new identity rebrand, the process they're undergoing to get input, the conversations they're having with fans, some particular individuals who will be contributing to the project, why the club wasn't this transparent last year, and what makes a good soccer brand. Follow Kyle on Twitter @kylesheldon Follow Alex on Twitter @alex_s_campbell Follow the show on Twitter @Soccer_Cast Subscribe, rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts! Music by HookSounds

Current staff writer for The Athletic and former Chicago-based soccer journalist Sam Stejskal joins the show to talk about Djordje Mihailovic's move to Montreal, the Fire's run of young, international acquisitions and what these moves say about the Fire's strategy in the market and positioning for the future. Follow Sam on Twitter @samstejskal and check out his and Paul Tenorio's podcast, Allocation Disorder Follow Alex on Twitter @alex_s_campbell Follow the show on Twitter @Soccer_Cast Subscribe, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts! Music by HookSounds

Alex is joined by Brian Sandalow of the Chicago Sun-Times, Jeremy Mikula of the Chicago Tribune, Patrick McCraney of Hot Time in Old Town, and Guillermo Rivera of The Athletic to talk all things Chicago Fire from the lousy year that was 2020 both on and off the field. Topics include the logo rollout, missed opportunities due to COVID, "Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.", whether sports are important or not right now, new signings, Frankowski, Mihailovic, where the Fire should try to further improve in the offseason, the search for a training site, MLS Cup predictions, hopes for 2021 and a whole lot more. Subscribe, rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts! Music by HookSounds

Bad news first: the Chicago Fire's season is over after a 4-3 loss to NYCFC eliminated them from playoff contention. Alex starts the show by offering a few thoughts on the game and the feelings around the team following the loss last night. On a more exciting note, Chicago soccer legend Peter Wilt is back on the show to discuss his latest project: a new soccer team in Chicago as part of the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), debuting next August! Peter discusses the origins of the team, what he hopes it can be, the importance of fan engagement in the process of developing a team identity, and a little Fire and Red Stars as well. Check out the team's website, chicagonisa.com Follow the team on Twitter @ChicagoNISA Follow Peter on Twitter @PeterWilt1 Follow Alex on Twitter @alex_s_campbell Subscribe, rate and review wherever you get your podcasts! Music by HookSounds

MLS is back....again! With the regular season back underway, Brian Sandalow of the Chicago Sun-Times joins the show to talk about last Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Columbus Crew, Tuesday's home opener (finally!) against FC Cincinnati, and the news that the Fire have had a player test positive for COVID-19 and the implications of that news. It would be great if you could subscribe, rate, and review the show wherever you get your podcasts! Follow Brian on Twitter @BrianSandalow Follow Alex on Twitter @alex_s_campbell Follow the show on Twitter @Soccer_Cast Music by HookSounds

Another pod, another great guest! Red Stars' midfielder Danielle Colaprico joins the show to discuss her work with KICS Football Club in Chicago with whom she recently ran a free clinic in Hyde Park for kids in the city's south-side neighborhoods, recovering from the NWSL Challenge Cup, and looking forward to her first real break from soccer in years. Follow Danny on Twitter and Instagram @dannycolaprico Follow the show on Twitter @Soccer_Cast Follow Alex on Twitter @alex_s_campbell Rate, review and subscribe wherever you get you podcasts! Music by HookSounds

The first three-time guest on SoccerCast, Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Time is back to debrief the last month in Utah for the Red Stars. In addition to discussing the 2-0 victory for the Houston Dash over the Red Stars in last Sunday's Challenge Cup Championship, we reflect on what we've seen in this abbreviated 2020 season. How are the players feeling now that they're back home? Where in the world might they be going next? What did we learn this last month and what are the big takeaways? And where are the Red Stars heading into 2021? Follow Annie on Twitter @AnnieCostabile Follow Alex on Twitter @alex_s_campbell Follow the show on Twitter @Soccer_Cast Music by HookSounds

BIG SHOW First things first, let's get the bad news out of the way: the Chicago Fire are out of the MLSisBack Tournament after a 2-0 loss to Vancouver...things were bad on the field, things aren't good off the field, it's not great! (0:00-4:30) Alright as for the good stuff, Red Stars defender Bianca St. Georges joins the show to talk about the NWSL Challenge Cup so far, her path from Canada to West Virginia to Chicago, being in the presence of Christine Sinclair, and what it would mean to help the Red Stars lift their first NWSL trophy. (5:00 - 21:30) Then, play-by-play commentator Jenn Hildreth, who will be calling Sunday's final, talks about watching the tournament as both a fan and broadcaster, breaks down the matchup between Houston and Chicago, and discusses her path to being a play-by-play broadcaster and the significance of having an all-female broadcast crew this Sunday on CBS. (21:00 - 45:00) You can follow Bianca on Instagram @biancastgeorges You can follow Jenn on Twitter @jennhildreth You can follow the show on Twitter @Soccer_Cast You can follow Alex on Twitter @alex_s_campbell Listen, rate, review, subscribe and share! Music by HookSounds

Patrick McCraney, managing editor of Hot Time in Old Town, joins the podcast to discuss the Fire's defeat to San Jose, what we're looking for in their final group game and if it would be best simply to avoid LAFC, as well as the Red Stars' penalty-kick victory over OL Reign, why Alyssa Naeher is the best, the influence of US Soccer on national team playing time, and whether we're going to see more NWSL after the Challenge Cup ends

The Chicago Fire have their first win of 2020! Alex is joined by Jeremy Mikula, soccer reporter for the Chicago Tribune, to break down the match from tactics to goals to rocket that is Mauricio Pineda's rise. Then, the Red Stars beat Utah 2-1 to get out of the NWSL Challenge Cup basement and give themselves a North Carolina-free side of the knockout bracket, so how are we feeling at the conclusion of the preliminary round? Follow Jeremy on Twitter @ jeremymikula Follow Alex on Twitter @alex_s_campbell Follow the show on Twitter @soccer_cast Listen, subscribe, rate, share! Music by HookSounds