Benched Lewandowski goalless again in Chicago Fire loss, while Bogusz nets brace for Houston

Starting from the bench

Robert Lewandowski was surprisingly left out of the starting eleven for Chicago Fire's trip to New York City FC on the night of July 25, the same week he debuted in a 2-3 loss to Inter Miami. Coach Gregg Berhalter named the 37-year-old among the substitutes, and the visitors quickly fell behind when Nicolas Mercau struck from outside the box in the 10th minute. Joel Waterman headed in an equaliser from a free-kick in the 29th, but NYCFC regained the lead almost immediately through Agustin Ojeda and added a third before the break as Malachi Jones tapped in after another Ojeda burst. Lewandowski was sent on at halftime alongside Jonathan Dean, yet the Polish striker managed no clear scoring chance as the match ended 1-3.

Fan backlash

News of Lewandowski's omission triggered an immediate storm on social media. Under the club's lineup post, supporters posted comments including "Where is Lewandowski?", "Lewy is just PR for this club", and "This will be another loss. If we don't make the playoffs because of decisions like this, there will be big problems." Several fans also noted the contrast with the departure of former top scorer Hugo Cuypers, questioning why the marquee signing was on the bench so soon after arriving.

A gesture to the fans

After the final whistle, Lewandowski walked toward the section packed with Polish supporters who had travelled to New York with flags and national team shirts. He handed his game jersey to the crowd, a gesture captured in photos that circulated on social media. The moment came despite a second straight defeat that left the Polish captain goalless in his first two MLS appearances.

Bogusz takes centre stage

While Lewandowski struggled in the Eastern Conference, Mateusz Bogusz produced a decisive performance for Houston Dynamo. The 24-year-old opened the scoring in the 12th minute of a home match against Austin FC, finishing off a quick counter-attack assisted by Ezequiel Ponce. He added a second 15 minutes later, latching onto a long pass from Guilherme and beating the goalkeeper from a tight angle. Guilherme later made it 3-0. Przemysław Płacheta started for Austin and was substituted after 60 minutes. Bogusz now has six goals this MLS season, and Houston sit seventh in the Western Conference, still in playoff contention.

What comes next

Chicago Fire return home on August 2 to face Charlotte FC at 02:30 Polish time, a match that will mark Lewandowski's first appearance in front of the home crowd since joining the club on June 29. The Fire are fourth in the Eastern Conference with 26 points from 16 games, one point ahead of NYCFC who have played one match more. Nashville SC lead the conference with 39 points. Berhalter's side are still well placed for a playoff spot despite consecutive post-World Cup defeats.