After two months between matches in their regular-season campaign, the Chicago Fire are headed to New York to play their second match this week, this time taking on New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.
A decade after NYCFC entered the league, the Fire are still in search of their first win at that venue – and after Wednesday’s loss to Inter Miami, are still in search of their first result of the Robert Lewandowski era. Yankee Stadium’s small pitch has long made the erstwhile baseball stadium a fortress for the home team.
In his Fire debut, the Polish star played 60 minutes, with the former Barcelona star identifying the heat and humidity of South Florida as challenges, noting that he and his new teammates were learning each other’s tendencies.
A first win in New York city proper. A first goal for their team-record signing. Will balmier weather – and two days of training – give the give the team from Second City enough of a boost to claim one – or both – of these firsts?
New York City FC
For the vast majority of NYCFC's history, two things have been true: The club moves around between (mostly) baseball stadiums for home games and Maxi Morales orchestrates things – generally very well - through the midfield.
That was once again set to be true when the team re-signed the 39-year-0ld Morales to a one year deal at the start of the season. Morales had been timeless, and generally bulletproof – but an ACL injury ended his season and put the future of his career in doubt.
NYCFC's brass knew that Morales's talent may be ageless, but that ultimately time would catch up with him, and signed Nico Fernández to a DP deal last summer, bringing the then-25-year-old Argentine over from La Liga in Spain.
In 2025, he had begun to look like a disappointment, but this year, he's excelled, with 11 goals and 4 assists through 16 games.
Almost everything NYCFC does runs through him – but the team has talent elsewhere, particularly on the right, where Agustín Ojeda and Bronx native Tayvon Gray play.
They still don't look like a complete team – but have planty of dangerous pieces.
Chicago Fire
The Fire will once again be without Mbekezli Mbokazi, ruled out for this game, but the big question remains at the other end of the pitch: How long can Robert Lewandowski play, and how effective can he be in those minutes?
On his Fire debut Wednesday, he went just over an hour and had just 27 touches as the Fire struggled to find the right moments to get the Pole involved.
The team started out in a 4-4-2, with Maren Haile-Selassie – who looked like one of the most dangerous players on the pitch for the Fire – starting up top alongside Lewandowski.
In the second half, the Fire switched it up to a 5-4-1, but that gave the Polish striker little time in the formation.
Will the Fire revert to a 4-3-3, giving them an additional midfielder to help to find that service that was missing against Miami?
And will players like Puso Dithejane, who scored his first MLS goal in his off-the-bench performance, or Jason Shokalook, a natural striker who didn't come on until the game's waning moments, long after Lewandowski's exit, get more minutes in New York?
Lineup and Match Information
