Robert Lewandowski, the celebrated European star, has made his second appearance in Major League Soccer for the Chicago Fire, generating significant buzz and drawing attention from across the league, including New York City FC.
Lewandowski stepped onto the pitch at Yankee Stadium for the Chicago Fire's match against NYCFC on Saturday, July 25, 2026, to thunderous applause. His arrival in MLS follows that of Lionel Messi in 2023, marking him as the latest high-profile international player to join the league.
The cheers for the Polish striker were notably louder than for the home team, even for U.S. men's national team goalkeeper Matt Freese. Lewandowski played 45 minutes during the match, taking two shots.
"As an attacker, he’s one that you grew up watching during his time at Bayern Munich and Barcelona," said New York City FC forward Malachi Jones of facing Lewandowski. "He’s a very prolific goal scorer and everyone that knows the game can see that. It’s always really cool to share the field with somebody of that caliber. But at the same time, you make sure that you idolize him before the game, after the game, but not so much during the game."
Lewandowski's illustrious career includes scoring at least 100 goals with three clubs: Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona. His trophy cabinet boasts a UEFA Champions League title, a UEFA Super Cup, 10 Bundesliga titles, three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, and three Supercopas. Internationally, he has scored 89 goals in 167 appearances for Poland.
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber highlighted Lewandowski's signing, along with other prominent players, as evidence of the league's growth. "MLS is a better league than we were a year ago, better than we were five years ago and 20 years ago, and we’re going to be a better league five years from now and 20 years from now," Garber stated. He attributed this progress to "smart strategic investment, player development, using more data and analytics to sign players that are going to be effective on the field. And like Antoine, [players who] want to be here. Antoine wants to be here. Leo Messi wants to be here."
Garber emphasized that these top players are choosing to join MLS, rather than needing extensive persuasion. "They made the choice to be here, and I think that’s only going to get better in the years to come."
Lewandowski's presence with the Chicago Fire, a contract running through the 2027-28 season, presents an immediate challenge for NYCFC as they aim to improve their standing in the league. Saturday's 3-1 victory for NYCFC helped them close the gap to one point behind the fourth-place Fire.
NYCFC head coach Pascal Jansen acknowledged the Fire's strength, especially with Lewandowski's addition. "We knew we were going to face a very good team in the league and if you see how they played until the break, that is very impressive," Jansen said. "If you can bring Lewandowski back in, you have another quality player, but you can also tell the dynamics of the game that Chicago likes to play is also a little disrupted now. They have to find a way in order to make sure that they get Lewandowski in situations where he can be the most dangerous that he can be."