PC: Chris Baumgardner/LMD Media Group
Since the hiring of former USMNT Head Coach Gregg Berhalter in October 2024, Chicago Fire FC have shown zero signs of slowing down the progression of becoming one of the most high-profile and potentially one of the most competitive clubs in MLS.
Robert Lewandowski officially joined the Chicago Fire on June 29, 2026, signing as a free agent after his contract with FC Barcelona expired over the summer.
On Tuesday, the global football icon and Poland’s all-time leading goal scorer Robert Lewandowski trained with his new club for the first time at the Fire's training facility ahead of his highly anticipated MLS debut this Thursday against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
After completing his first training session with the team, the 37-year-old prolific striker spoke to the media in Chicago along with Berhalter.
Earlier this month, the former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich striker visited Chicago to negotiate a contract and tour the club’s multi‑million‑dollar performance facility. The visit appeared to have made a significant impact on Lewandowski’s decision to choose the Fire over a handful of European and Saudi Arabian clubs that were battling to put him on their roster.
"I wasn't impressed by the offer, but rather by how much the club tried to show me how much they wanted me," Lewandowski told the media during his introductory press conference on Tuesday.
The arrival of Lewandowski isn’t just about the club signing one of the most decorated strikers of this generation.
The signing represents a new era for the city of Chicago. Potentially, this new era of soccer in Chicago could lead to the club performing at the highest-level in its history and growing its global profile across the soccer world.
"This is a historic day, not only for Chicago Fire FC, but for the city of Chicago and for MLS as a whole," Berhalter told the media during his opening statement. "Just to give you some context on how big of a signing this actually is - Robert has scored over 700 career goals."
Lewandowski emphasized that he has one goal in mind during his time in Chicago: winning titles.
"When I start to play at a new club, always in front of me is [the goal] of winning some titles. It's the same [here]," Chicago's newest striker said at his press conference. "I know it won't be easy, but, still, in soccer you want competition, and there is something. Here, 'something' means to win some titles."
With the combination of an incoming $750 million McDonald's Park stadium and the club’s players developing a winning mentality that has led the team to third place in the Eastern Conference in the first half of the MLS regular season, the signing of Lewandowski puts the club in a different competitive bracket in MLS, making the club top contenders for championships.
“From the day Joe Mansueto and I met for the first time, we set out to build a world-class Club that inspires greatness, unites Chicago and wins championships,” Berhalter said earlier this month.
“His arrival reinforces our ambition to compete for trophies and raises the standards for the Club to heights worthy of this city. We cannot wait to get to work with him and have Chicago see first-hand why he is among the most revered sporting icons in the world.”
Lewandowski hinted that he has watched MLS in the past from having close friends of his play for clubs within the league but emphasized that playing in the league will be "completely new".
"I spoke to Bastin [Schweinsteiger] and Thomas [Muller]. "When I started asking about not only the MLS, but also the city and how they looked at the club, they told me that it's amazing," Lewandowski said.
Prior to taking the field, the Men in Red have a couple roster issues that they must resolve in order to be league compliant with the arrival of Lewandowski.
The Fire currently have all 31 roster spots filled, requiring at least one player to be removed off the senior roster to make room for the Polish-native. MLS rosters are made up of 31 roster spots with 20 of them reserved for senior signings.
The Men in Red are in need of two additional international spots on the roster due to the current roster that lists Lewandowski, Hugo Cuypers and Jonathan Bamba in Designated Player slots.
With the anticipated return of André Franco in the second half of the MLS regular season, who is recovering from an ACL tear from last season, the Fire will need two more international roster spots to be league compliant.
Based on league rules, the Fire will need to trade for international roster spots from other MLS clubs or remove players who are currently occupying a spot. To bypass these complications, the Fire could assist in potentially granting a player already taking an international roster spot a green card through an updated permanent residency status.
The biggest concern for fans after the signing of Lewandowski is how much the Fire are invested in keeping Cuypers in Chicago long-term.
The Belgian native is currently the leader of Golden Boot race in MLS with 13 goals in only 11 games in 2026. After making league-wide headlines prior to the seven-break, Cuypers’ talents have been on full display with this season serving as the peak of his career.
Berhalter touched on some of the research that the club conducted prior to signing Lewandowski to ensure that playing a system that involves two strikers would be best decision for the club.
"It's not too common to play with two strikers nowadays," Berhalter told the media on Tuesday. "We've been working hard on what that would look like in the penalty box, how to effect the backline with two strikers, and we have some really good data points. We are really excited about this possibility."
The Fire will take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in their return to MLS play on July 16 at 7:30 p.m. CST at Soldier Field.
