PC: Marin Murillo/LMD Media Group
Despite the Chicago Fire signing global football superstar Robert Lewandowski this summer, the celebration of his arrival has been halted due to the club falling into a losing slump since the MLS returned from a seven-week break due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Since returning from the break, the Men in Red have lost two-consecutive matches, falling to Inter Miami and NYCFC away from home without their injured MLS All-Star defender Mbekezli Mbokazi and former MLS Golden Boot front-runner Hugo Cuypers, who requested a transfer to Liga MX side, CF Monterrey.
The absence of the South African prodigy instantly put a hole in the defensive unit, causing the team to concede six goals to start off the second half of the MLS regular season. Mbokzi suffered a severe muscle tear during a training session and will be out for a lengthy amount of time. His sudden injury led to his replacement and ruled him out of this season's MLS All-Star contest.
With Fire center back Christopher Cupps away on international duty, the team will enter Saturday's match against Charlotte FC with only three active center backs on the roster (Jack Elliott, Joel Waterman, Sam Rogers).
Chicago will mostly call up Chicago Fire II’s Jack Sandmeyer to the first-team squad for the remainder of the month to fill in the defensive hole temporary as a back-up. The club's 2026 MLS SuperDraft selection has been called up to the first-team squad earlier this season, so the chances of him being an option is likely.
“The depth is we have three center backs right now, potentially [Jack] Sandmeyer from the second team,” Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter said at the mid-week press conference. “The center backs have been challenged. But I think they’re guys that will respond."
"I think it’s a good opportunity for our center backs, whether that be Joel [Waterman], Jack [Elliott], Sam [Rogers], whoever it is. It’s a great opportunity in this home game.”
Apart from the club's defensive struggles, the departure of Cuypers has left the offensive unit with questions on how to break through the opposing side's back line and prevent box-to-box attacks from developing with a much older striker with Lewandowski as their frontman.
The 37-year-old prolific striker has yet to score despite playing in two matches for his new club.
Although it will take time for Lewandowski to become fully fit to play a full MLS match, the club will need to find answers at home after displaying a lack of urgency towards goal in their past two losses. The Fire were able to train all week without any mid-week matches ahead of Lewandowski's home debut.
During the mid-week press conference, Berhalter emphasized his belief in trusting the process and knows that very soon, the team will thrive and the wins will come.
"We need time," Berhalter said. “This week was certainly helpful. You could see Robert [Lewandowski] is getting his legs underneath him. The guy’s the first out on the field, the last to leave the field, doing extra sessions; came in on Sunday to train."
"He’s doing everything he can. It’s just a race against time, in terms of he’s only been training for two weeks right now."
The month of August will be a busy one for the Fire, playing eight matches in August between MLS and Leagues Cup play. Berhalter expressed his excitement for the club's upcoming fixtures against MLS rivals and Liga MX opponents (Necaxa, Santos Laguna, Cruz Azul), viewing the month as a time full of big opportunities.
“It’s going to give the whole squad an opportunity to get on the field, which is important," Berhalter said. "We haven’t had a ton of rotation so far. We’ll definitely see that in this month of August.”
The Fire will host Charlotte FC, who currently sit at sixth place in the Eastern Conference, at Soldier Field on August 1. Since returning to league play, Charlotte has earned four points after drawing against Atlanta and securing a win against the New York Red Bulls.
Lewandowski will be seeking his first goal since joining MLS after two underwhelming performances and the rest of the squad hopes to get back on the winning side to finish what they started in the first half of the MLS regular season.
