The Chicago Fire aren’t suddenly relevant because they signed striker Robert Lewandowski. Chicago signed the Polish superstar because, for the first time in 15 years, they are becoming relevant again.

“I think that it’s very rare that a person wins every single place he (Lewandowski) goes,” Chicago coach Gregg Berhalter said. “I don’t think there’s been a better forward in the last decade and a half than Robert Lewandowski.”

While the last 15 years consisted of records, silverware, and 710 goals for Lewandowski, it was anything but glamorous for his new club, Chicago.

From 2010 until Berhalter took over prior the 2025 campaign, the Fire accumulated a winning percentage of 29% (145W-208L-142D), didn’t win a playoff game in their measly two appearances in the playoffs, had to pay $60m to leave their former ground SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, underwent brand redesign that has to be quickly walked back, and collected two wooden spoons. There’s more but I’ll spare you. 

While 15 years is more than just some down years, when things started turning for the worse in Chicago, it was a completely new reality. Right off the bat, the Fire won MLS Cup in their inaugural season in 1998. That was the pinnacle, but more followed: U.S. Open Cup victors four times, and they advanced to the semifinal or further nine times over 12 years. When the Chicago Fire hired Gregg Berhalter in October 2024, it put one cook in the kitchen.

Director of Football and Head Coach. Not often does an individual come into a club and hold that much agency immediately, even Peter Vermes had to wait three years to do that at Sporting KC.

“His previous success in MLS, where he thrived in a dual role, and his experience leading the U.S. Men’s National Team over the last six years make him an ideal fit for our vision for the club moving forward,” owner Joe Mansueto said soon after hiring Berhalter.

Chicago made the playoffs in Berhalter’s first season, defeating Orlando City in the midweek Wild Card match before falling to Supporters’ Shield winners Philadelphia in the opening round. Not a high bar, yet it was a resounding success. Chicago has a winning record for just the second time since 2013, scored 68 goals, the second-most in MLS behind eventual champions Miami, and earned a 23-point improvement from 2024.

Today, the Chicago Fire sit in third place in the Eastern Conference before resuming play on Thursday against Western Conference leaders Vancouver. Two Chicago starters in that match will also start the not-as-important All-Star Game two weeks later. Defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi and forward Hugo Cuypers will each be closely watched.

Turn the TV on during the World Cup and you saw Mbokazi crushing it for South Africa. Mbokazi is wildly popular, and his agent has admitted the post-World Cup buzz around him has resulted in “prestigious” clubs in Europe taking interest.

Also at the tournament, a pair of Chicago Fire homegrowns represented their nations. Naperville, IL, native and current goalkeeper Chris Brady made the USMNT roster, while former Fire midfielder and Berwyn, IL, product Bryan Gutierrez was often a starter for the Mexican national team.

Now to Cuypers, he’s great. Chicago doesn’t score two goals per game under Berhalter without the star man. The best compliment, besides leading the Golden Boot race, is that his $12 million transfer fee has been completely worth it.

I suspect Chicago will give Lewandowski and Cuypers at least the rest of 2026 to figure things out while starting with one another. But if it’s too clunky, Chicago should be able to recoup its club-record transfer fee, especially with such proven MLS production from the Belgian. 

“Hugo is a smart guy who can adapt. I think Robert probably will make him even better. System-wise, we have been playing a little bit of 4-4-2 with a bit more of a [number] 10-type player, but I don’t think it’s going to change that much,” Chicago midfielder Phillip Zinckernagel said.

Cuypers has said all the right things and even gifted the No. 9 shirt to Lewandowski, as the Belgian will now don No. 99. “Robert is one of the greatest No. 9s ever, and it wouldn’t look right if he was playing with another number,” he said. “It was an easy decision for me to give it to him, and I really hope we can achieve a lot of things.”

Chicago has gotten the top-end signings mostly right as well. Jonathan Bamba hasn’t quite been a home run, but Phillip Zinckernagel, also signed in Berhalter’s first transfer window, certainly has. His debut season of 15 goals and 15 assists was the first 15/15 season in club history. Overall, he’s totaled 42 goal involvements in 46 MLS games in Chicago colors and will play in his second All-Star Game this month. He will be the biggest asset in getting Lewandowski chances.

“Hugo is a smart guy who can adapt. I think Robert probably will make him even better,” Zinckernagel said. “System wise, we have been playing a little bit of 4-4-2 with a bit more of a [number] 10 type player, but I don’t think it’s going to change that much.”

You know about Robert Lewanowski’s exploits and individual honors that give him a resume worthy of greatest striker of the last 20 years. Does he get bored of celebrating when he’s scored over 700 times? Chicago hopes not with MLS Cup finalists Vancouver and Inter Miami as the first two games on offer after the break. 

Chicago has the largest Polish population of any city in the world outside of Poland. The reception Son saw from the Korean community at LAFC matches, I expect that for Lewandowski at Soldier Field. There will be thousands who have never been to an MLS match before going to see him.

“The culture at home was Polish,” aid Chicago native and 2024 MLS NEXT Pro MVP David Poreba. “We spoke Polish, ate Polish food. I’m just as Polish as I am American. I always watched Robert, whether at Bayern, Dortmund, or with the Polish national team. He was an idol of mine growing up, so it’s amazing that he’s coming here.”

If Lewandowski honors his two-year contract, the superstar striker will be in the starting lineup as Chicago welcomes its new soccer-specific stadium, McDonald’s Park, in 2028.

The Fire have never had their own home in Chicago. Soldier Field is an NFL stadium where the Fire are not the primary tenants. Their former ground, SeatGeek Stadium, was too far from downtown Chicago, and the Fire realized as much, paying the village of Bridgeview $65 million to break the agreement and return to Soldier Field in 2020.

McDonald’s Park officially broke ground in March 2026, and the estimated $750 million project is privately funded by owner Joe Mansueto — all the more impressive after seeing the farce the Chicago Bears have undergone as they likely move to Hammond, Indiana for their new stadium. Good on the Fire for building the first professional sports stadium in Chicago in more than 30 years.

When Gregg Berhalter signed as head coach, it made sense as a hire to raise the floor of a struggling franchise in a major market. He’s done that, and Lewandowski has the power to take it higher.

It feels like the Chicago Fire rough draft has been written to join the brass of MLS. Will the on-field results be the convincing factor? The day they’ll truly be the real deal is when you look up “Chicago Fire” on Google and it doesn’t display a TV show. Lewandowski may be the final step in making that happen.