Feed the Fire: A Chicago Fire Podcast · Glass House Soccer, Bleav

Fire Farewells and USMNT World Cup Draw

December 13, 2025·50 min

Nick comes back after about a week away and says his voice is a little shot from a three-day work conference. He thanks listeners for writing in and makes sure to circle back to Donnie's emails. The show starts with the familiar Fire-and-MLS frame before moving into World Cup 2026. He says he wants to take a deeper look at the groups that have been drawn and at the United States group, and he points out that one more team still has to be decided for the U.S. side of the bracket. From there, he shifts into the structure of the tournament and how the knockout paths shake out. He notes that Inter Miami earned a first-round bye as the 2025 MLS Cup winner. He says they will face the winner of Nashville or Atletico Ottawa. He also notes that the Seattle Sounders got an automatic first-round bye as the 2025 League's Cup winner. He says Seattle will face the winner of the Whitecaps or Cartagines. He makes clear that he is hoping for Vancouver there. He then walks through the bracket and says San Diego drew a very difficult path. He points out that San Diego could have to face two Liga MX clubs in the first two rounds. He adds that the club could then end up seeing the LA Galaxy in the quarterfinals. He says that would be a very tough route. He turns to the bottom-left portion of the bracket and says LAFC has a relatively easy first-round matchup. He immediately adds that the second round gets much harder. He says LAFC could then run into Cruz Azul or Monterrey in the quarterfinals. He continues tracing the paths and says that winner would then face San Diego, the Galaxy, Toluca, or another club. He calls that a very difficult side of the competition for Major League Soccer. He observes that most MLS clubs land on the right side of the bracket. He says Miami still got a difficult draw even with the bye, because they will likely have to play Nashville and then likely Club America or the Philadelphia Union. He says Miami does not seem to have any favors in this setup. He finishes the bracket talk on the bottom-right side, where Cincinnati, Seattle, and Vancouver sit. He says it is hard to know whether MLS clubs would rather keep facing MLS opposition or start taking on Liga MX teams. He says the whole thing should be a lot of fun and worth watching when it kicks off in the first week of February. He then moves into World Cup talk and says he has been looking at ESPN's Player Performance Index. He mentions the top 50 names and includes players like Miles Robinson, Aziel Jackson, Leonard Maloney, James Sands, and Gio Reyna. He frames those players as part of the group that could lead the United States toward World Cup success. He closes by thanking everyone for listening, following, subscribing, and sharing the show. He says the feed will keep covering MLS transfers, Chicago Fire news, and more World Cup talk as the tournament gets closer.

As heard by us

A Chicago Fire check-in that moves into a clear, conversational look at World Cup 2026.

The episode starts with Chicago Fire and MLS before opening out to World Cup 2026, and that wider frame gives it shape without losing the local angle.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want a Fire-focused pulse check that also breaks down the World Cup 2026 bracket?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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