After a three-month delay, Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski will face off on the field in MLS, as the Vancouver Whitecaps travel to take on the Chicago Fire on Tuesday.
The original match, scheduled for July, was postponed due to wildfire smoke and has been the much-vaunted game in hand that the Caps have had ever since. That extra game is currently crucial for both teams — the Caps need points to put some distance between them and a red-hot St. Louis City side, while Chicago wants a result to hop back into the top four in the East.
The summer has been a bit of a roller coaster for Fire fans. Coming out of the World Cup break, things seemed to be going their way — Lewandowski arrived, they mounted a winning streak in league play, and they looked like the favorite to lift Leagues Cup. Those hopes were then dashed with a seven-match winless streak, including a loss to Monterrey in the Leagues Cup semis, which has seen them fall back to earth.
The Fire did break that streak last week, however, with a win over Charlotte FC, one of their rivals for a top-four finish in the standings. And their lineup will get an upgrade against Vancouver, as Lewandowski has returned from Poland duty early in order to feature (thanks to a suspension for yellow card accumulation).
While Chicago has struggled with consistency this season, they are, by all accounts, one of the best teams in the league. Lewandowski has picked up the baton from Hugo Cuypers, who banged in goals before departing for Monterrey when the Polish striker arrived in town, Philip Zinckernagel has been one of the most consistent playmakers in the league, and the backline pairing of Jack Elliott and Mbekezeli Mbokazi is one of the league’s best. Mbokazi returned from injury last week and is already making a difference — the Fire gave up considerably more expected goals when he missed time.
There are, however, potential areas for the Caps to exploit. The Fire haven’t had a real creative spark in midfield without Andre Franco, and don’t have the same pressing ability out of possession without Cuypers, who is a Brian White-esque workhorse. That has meant they can be more predictable and easier to play against than some of their peers at the top of the East. Jonathan Bamba, brought in as a dominant winger, has only four goal contributions this year, and they have yet to unlock his partnership with the other members of their front three.
The Fire will return Lewandowski from international duty, but will still be down regular starters Robin Lod and keeper Chris Brady. The Caps will have the same absences as they did last weekend, with Jeevan Badwal unlikely to be back in time for the midweek match (though Jesper Sorensen didn’t rule out a return in LAFC).
With the Caps hitting the road again and the matches stacking up, Sorensen will need to be deliberate about rotation. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lineup pretty similar to what we saw against DC United, with the possible exception of Ranko Veselinovic getting a start if he is fully fit. Ranko’s physical and aerial presence has been sorely missed, and Tristan Blackmon and Mathias Laborda have never really gelled. Against a talented front three for Chicago, the Caps will need every bit of help they can get.
Given that the Caps have five straight matches on the road, four of which are against playoff teams, there will simply be no easy points in the near future. This will be a game in which Vancouver will need a better mentality than they’ve had in recent matches — the field is likely to be a mess (the Bears play at Soldier Field on Sunday), you’re down a lot of key players, etc.
Given the Lewandowski/Müller dynamic, this game will be catnip for neutrals. But you know Sorensen won’t let the squad be distracted, as this is a big match for the Caps. This road trip will largely determine the trajectory of the rest of their season and whether they win the Western Conference. A win over Chicago (or even a draw) would give them a little bit more breathing room for the run-in.