Robert Lewandowski has returned early from the international break, clearing the way him to feature for the Chicago Fire on Tuesday.
Poland’s all-time leading scorer returned to the national team this month, appearing in three UEFA Nations League matches despite rumors earlier in the summer that he might retire from international duty. Lewandowski started two of the three games, and scored a hat trick on Friday against Romania; he also received two yellow cards, ruling him out of Monday’s trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On Saturday morning, the Polish federation stated that Lewandowski would return to Chicago, confirming the news that the 38-year-old had already suggested in the post-game press conference a few hours earlier.
“I really regret the yellow card, because it means I won’t be able to play in Bosnia,” Lewandowski said after the 6-0 win in Warsaw. “It was unfortunate. There’s nothing left for me to do but accept that I’ll be missing the next match.”
“I don’t know if there’s any point in me flying to Bosnia if I’m suspended. After all these years, these trips aren’t so easy anymore. We’ll probably figure it out soon. I don’t like doing things just for appearances. What does it give me to be there with the guys if I can’t play on the field? … I doubt it would make any sense.”
Lewandowski’s early return to Chicago is a welcome surprise for Gregg Berhalter’s team, who were already anticipating to play this make-up fixture without as many as six first team players. In addition to Lewandowski, Chris Brady, Noah Allen, Puso Dithejane, Robin Lod, and Anzor Mekvabishvili have all been away on national team duty, and as a result missed last week’s meeting with Charlotte FC.
Despite the plentiful absences, the Fire managed to get the job done at Bank of America Stadium. August signing Johan Gómez started up front and scored the game’s only goal — his first in MLS.
The Fire have not yet publicly confirmed Lewandowski’s status for Tuesday’s game against Vancouver, although his early return makes it quite likely that he will have some role to play, even if it isn’t in the starting XI. The 38-year-old will be reunited with longtime FC Bayern teammate Thomas Müller, who recently extended his Whitecaps contract through next summer.
