Robert Lewandowski scored in the 20th and 68th minutes on Saturday night to lift the Chicago Fire to a 2-1 win over Charlotte FC, his first two goals in Major League Soccer and their first win since the World Cup break.
In Charlotte’s first and only shot on target for the whole night, they struck first through Pep Biel in the 18th minute, finishing a pass from Idan Toklomati. Charlotte’s lead only lasted 93 seconds, after which Chicago fired back and Philip Zinckernagel headed the ball down to Lewandowski from 19 yards out. The striker took two touches before firing a long-ranged shot into the bottom corner for the equalizer and the first goal of his MLS career.
Chicago’s winning goal came after half-time. Following a sequence of 25 passes, Andrew Gutman crossed the ball to Robin Lod, who passed it to Lewandowski inside the penalty box, from where the Pole shot from just outside the 6-yeard box past Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. Charlotte pressed late and won a corner in the dying moments of stoppage time, but Chicago held on for 3 points.
Lewandowski played the full 90 minutes, plus six of stoppage time, and finished with four shots, his two on target being his goals. The victory was moved the Fire to 29 points as they stayed fourth in the Eastern Conference and one point behind third-place New England. It also made Lewandowski the fourth player in club history to score twice on his home debut, after Frank Klopas, Andy Herron, and Poland international Tomasz Frankowski.
“That type of quality is hard to find,” Berhalter said afterward. “He’s dynamic, smart and clever. In the box, he’s an absolute killer. This is hopefully the beginning of a lot of goals.” Lewandowski, who had gone scoreless in road losses at Miami and New York City to open his Fire tenure, called the breakthrough a relief: “Every time I go to a new club, I’m waiting for the first goal. I think it makes the next step a little bit easier, for the team and also for me.”
Attendance at Soldier Field was 32,183.
What’s Next for the Chicago Fire
Most of the league, including the Fire, now shift to the Leagues Cup, where they face three Liga MX opponents in group play at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview: Club Necaxa on August 6 and Santos Laguna on August 9, followed by Cruz Azul on August 13. They return to MLS play on August 16, hosting the Portland Timbers at Soldier Field.
