Lewandowski's goalless start deepens as Chicago Fire fall again; Bogusz nets double

Another defeat, no goal

Chicago Fire suffered their second consecutive defeat since Lewandowski's arrival, following the 2-3 loss to Inter Miami in his debut. The 37-year-old started that match and played 63 minutes without scoring. Against New York City FC, coach Gregg Berhalter left him out of the starting eleven, opting for Robin Lod and Maren Haile-Selassie up front. Lewandowski entered at the start of the second half with Chicago trailing 1-3 after two identical through-ball moves, as described by TVP Sport journalist Jakub Kłyszejko. The change brought no improvement, and the match ended 1-3, a sixth league defeat of the season for Chicago.

Voices from the bench

NYCFC coach Pascal Jansen acknowledged the quality of the addition but noted a tactical cost.

When Lewandowski joined the lineup, the team gained another player of enormous quality. At the same time, it's clear that the dynamics of play that Chicago had previously favored have now been somewhat disrupted.

He stressed that the club must find a way to make Lewandowski "most dangerous." Polish journalist Katarzyna Przepiórka pointed out that playing without departed top scorer Hugo Cuypers leaves Lewandowski isolated, often forced to drop deep to build-up, even to the defensive line. Kłyszejko was blunt.

Robert Lewandowski has never played in such a poor footballing team. Now, at 37 years of age, he is not able to create something out of nothing and decide a match on his own.

He added that the striker's habitual dropping deep yielded little and that the substitution "didn't help the team at all."

Fan frustration erupts

When the starting lineup was announced without Lewandowski, the club's social media posts were flooded with angry comments. "Where is Lewandowski?" became a common refrain. Others called the signing mere PR, and some warned, "This will be another defeat. If we don't make the playoffs because of decisions like this, there will be a lot of problems." Comparisons to the departure of Cuypers, the league's top scorer, added to the discontent. Adam Belmares, an American journalist, commented that Fire "have lost their identity," struggling to defend and lacking urgency in the final third. After the final whistle, Lewandowski approached a group of Polish fans behind the goal and handed over his shirt, a gesture noted on social media.

Eastern Conference standings

Despite the slump, Chicago Fire remain fourth in the Eastern Conference with 26 points from 16 matches. NYCFC sit on 25 points from 17 games. Nashville SC lead with 39 points from 16 outings.

Bogusz delivers a double

While Lewandowski struggled, another Pole thrived. Mateusz Bogusz scored twice in Houston Dynamo's 3-0 home win over Austin FC. The 24-year-old opened the scoring in the 12th minute, converting an Ezequiel Ponce assist from close range. He added a second just over 15 minutes later, latching onto a long pass from Guilherme and finishing calmly from a tight angle. Guilherme then made it 3-0. Those goals brought Bogusz's season tally to six, keeping Houston seventh in the Western Conference and in playoff contention. Przemysław Płacheta also started for Austin before being substituted after an hour.

What's next

Chicago Fire's next fixture is a home match against Charlotte FC, scheduled for the night of Saturday to Sunday, offering Lewandowski a first appearance before his new home crowd. The week-long break gives Berhalter time to adjust the system. Meanwhile, Houston Dynamo continue their push for the postseason, with Bogusz in fine form.