‘Still in preseason mode’ - Robert Lewandowski has Chicago Fire dreaming of ending nearly 20-year trophy drought

There was a school of thought that Chicago didn't really need Lewandowski. And there was a thinly veiled truth to that notion. Fire Manager Gregg Berhalter had started to get a tune out of another striker in Hugo Cuypers, who was top of MLS's scoring charts when Lewandowski arrived. There are levels here - to be clear. Lewandowski is perhaps the greatest No. 9 of the last decade or so. Cuypers had some decent seasons in Belgium and Greece.

But it's all about fit in modern soccer. And if Cuypers was working so well, and scoring goals more effectively than anyone else in the league, why let him go? At first, Berhalter pictured a world in which the two could work together.

“We don’t see any reason why that can’t continue with Hugo and Robert on the field together,” Berhalter said on July 15. "It could be a great combination.”

Still, the picture suggested something different. Berhalter's Chicago were at their most effective with one central striker and three creative players buzzing around him. Cuypers is many things. He is not an elite creator (he tallied five total assists from 2022-2025). And so Cuypers did perhaps the sensible thing, and asked to leave.

"Everyone knew the situation in Chicago with Robert arriving,” Cuypers said. “There was a scenario where everything was working out well, and we could have played together. “But there was also a scenario where he would have been the main guy in the short or medium term. I didn’t want to take that risk. I wasn’t going to move just to move, and when Monterrey came, it was the right fit.”

Berhalter later admitted that they were pondering a 4-4-2 formation, but the balance wasn't quite right. And so Lewandowski became the replacement for Cuypers.

If that sounds like an immense upgrade, it's because it is. Cuypers scored 13 goals in 12 MLS games before leaving. He was the focal point of a Chicago offense that was beginning to hum. Lewandowski, though, is a different beast. There are numerous clear advantages here: size, physicality, the reading of the game.

But perhaps most importantly, Lewandowski is so, so clever. It's in the little things. Take, for example, his first goal in a gutsy 2-1 win over Charlotte on Aug. 1. His first touch was actually very poor. Lewandowski pushed the ball slightly too hard with the outside of his right foot. In trying to create space, he actually made things harder for himself. Some would have responded by lashing at the ball far too quickly, smashing it wide, or leaning back. Lewandowski, though, remained calm. The only angle left for him was an arrowed thing back across the goalkeeper. The striker opened his hips, swiveled his leg around, and found the corner expertly.

The second was a similar sort of attacking nous. That one was a sublime piece of play. Lewandowski darted across the box. Charlotte center back Morrison Agyemang anticipated a pass into the striker, and tried to cut it off. Lewandowski, though, was already two steps ahead, and initiated contact with the defender to create an iota of space, coralled the pass, held him off, and fired into the bottom corner.

Lewandowski admitted that he needed a few games to get going.

"In the match against Charlotte, I already felt much better on the pitch. Coming to Chicago, I knew I needed a preparation period. Anyone who knows about football probably knew that too and likely expected that those first two to three weeks would be about focusing on harder work -regardless of whether there's freshness and the legs are carrying you," he said.

He might have had another in his next game against Nexaca, had it not been for some sublime goalkeeping from Luis Jimenez, who denied him from close range. Berhalter removed him alongside his other star man, Zinckernagel, on the hour mark.

Chicago have won each of their first two Leagues Cup games. A result against Cruz Azul will secure qualification for the last eight. From there, it's time to dream - especially with Inter Miami weakened and other MLS sides yet to fully convince. If they were to win, it would be their first major trophy since 2006 - when they won the U.S. Open Cup.

Of course, there will be further changes here. There are some concessions that Chicago have to make to allow for a less mobile striker. Cuypers was a far more willing runner in behind, and had the legs to press from the front a bit more. They will likely need to keep the ball more effectively.

Thus far, they are in the top 10 in MLS in possession, averaging 52 percent. In their five games with Lewandowski, they've had more than 50 percent just once. But in every game that Lewandowski has started, they have outshot their opponent. They now have the sixth-best expected goals in the league. Only three teams in the East - Nashville, Inter Miami and Cincinnati - have scored more goals (but they have all played a game more). Footballers this good can be genuine 'plug and play' options. But Chicago will certainly have a little bit of adjusting to do.

It should all fit together quite nicely, though. In Zinckernagel, Chicago already have one of the most effective passers in MLS - he is 11th in the league, and third among wingers. Lewandowski is also a tidy creator, though. Cuypers tallied just 10 'chances created' all season. Lewandowski has six through five games.

It's worth noting that this is nowhere near the best version of Lewandowski - not yet, at least. His last season at Barcelona was certainly his worst - at least in terms of goals. But it was also the one where he played the fewest minutes. He started 17 of a possible 31 La Liga games, and totaled 1,000 minutes less than the season before. Hansi Flick was, in effect, phasing him out of the side. Leaving just made sense.

The benefit for Chicago is obvious. Lewandowski might have more than 45,000 career minutes in his nearly 38-year-old legs. But he at least saved a few in his last season in Catalonia. But then there's the inverse. As Berhalter put it:

"Robert's still in his preseason mode"

And that might be the scariest part of all. Lewandowski is already making his mark known; the possibilities from here seem pretty limitless for one of the game's greats.

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