COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Chicago Fire are leaving Colorado with three points in the bag, and they have their stars to thank for it.
Jonathan Bamba and Robert Lewandowski got the job done in a back-and-forth goalfest that hands the Men in Red a crucial three points in the race for fourth place.
The biggest shock in the team news emerged about an hour before kickoff: Robert Lewandowski was benched in place of Johan Gómez. It is the first time since the legendary Polish striker arrived in MLS this summer that he was benched for non-fitness reasons, and he comes off the back of eight games without a goal – his longest drought in 15 years.
A half-full Dick's Sporting Goods Park was not conducive to a rapid start to the action, and the opening minutes were cagey with playoff implications high for both sides. The Fire's first chance came in the 17th minute, when Noah Allen popped up in behind the Rapids defense, but fired his shot wide from a one-on-one position.
Five minutes later, the home team had their breakthrough. A left-footed shot from star Designated Player Morgan Whittaker sent Chris Brady the wrong way after a disorganized Fire defensive unit granted him far too much space in the penalty box.
The Rapids' pressure sustained for most of the rest of the half, but in the final minutes, the Fire finally caught a break. A Jonathan Dean cross found Jonathan Bamba from close range, and the two namesakes combined to draw the visitors back level in the 41st minute.
Less than a minute into the second half, Jack Elliott – who, quite significantly, got the nod ahead of Andreas Hanche-Olsen in the center back race – headed just wide on an excellent Anton Salétros all over the top.
That momentum didn't go anywhere, and in the 56th minute, the two Jonathans combined once more. Bamba again found the back of the net, securing his first MLS brace with his third goal in two games.
That lead didn't last long. Practically straight from kickoff, Paxten Aaronson popped up at the back post on a Rapids attack to stick the ball into the net and tie things at 2-2 in the 58th minute.
A few minutes later, after the momentum had calmed down a little bit, Lewandowski was finally introduced, replacing Maren Haile-Selassie and shifting the Fire's shape to a true 4-2-4.
That change worked, and the decision to start Lewandowski from the bench seemed like a master stroke. Ten minutes after coming on, the Pole found himself in behind the Rapids back line, rounded the goalkeeper, and rolled the ball in for his first goal in close to two months.
Puso Dithejane added the dagger in the 88th minute; within seconds of coming on, he rolled the ball past Nicolas Defreitas-Hansen to make the score 4-2.
Also of consequence, André Franco made his long-anticipated return to the MLS pitch after 396 days out with knee injuries. The Portuguese midfielder came on in the second half and helped close out the win.
The win keeps the Fire in 4th place heading into the Decision Day, and puts them in a great spot to secure home field advantage in a first round playoff series that will almost certainly be against 5th-placed Charlotte FC.
Starting XI (4-3-3) — Brady (5); Allen (7), Mbokazi (7.5), Elliott (7), Dean (8); Haile-Selassie (6.5), D'Avilla (7), Salétros (8); Bamba (9), Gómez (7), Zinckernagel (7)
Substitutes — Lewandowski (8), Mekvabishvili (7.5), Franco (7.5), Gutman (7), Dithejane (8)
