However, the Soccer Gods threw a critically spicy twist into the Fire’s path to the Sept. 6 closing, pitting them in opposition to Lewandowski’s de facto predecessor, Hugo Cuypers, for Tuesday’s quarterfinal vs. LIGA MX powerhouse CF Monterrey at SeatGeek Stadium (8:30 pm ET | Apple TV).
“We knew it was always going to be Hugo coming back to Chicago, right? No matter what, with the way fate works out,” head coach Gregg Berhalter instructed reporters on Monday.
“Hugo’s been great. He’s been great for us. It was great to work with Hugo.”
Familiar faces
Cuypers, the Fire’s club-record signing, was transferred to Monterrey final month shortly after Lewandowski’s blockbuster summer arrival from FC Barcelona, departing with a then-MLS-best 13 objectives.
The Belgian striker has since scored 4 instances for Rayados, together with in three straight Leagues Cup Phase One video games to assist his new membership safe a quarterfinal berth.
According to Berhalter, Cuypers is only one of a number of offensive threats – together with former LAFC and Columbus Crew standout Diego Rossi – poised by a Monterrey aspect led by ex-San Jose Earthquakes coach Matías Almeyda.
“Look on the depth of their attacking items. Whether it’s Hugo or Rossi or [Lucas Ocampos] or [Jesús] Corona or [Orbelín] Pineda,” he stated.
“They have a number of players who can hurt you.”
Lewa leads the cost
Of course, Chicago boast a formidable assault of their very own, centered round a generational striker in Lewandowski.
The Polish legend has had a direct affect since debuting in July, scoring 4 objectives in 9 appearances throughout all competitions. That consists of the third and closing tally within the Fire’s 3-1 win over Santos Laguna, one in every of three straight victories en path to an ideal Phase One efficiency.
Now, the stakes shall be even greater as Chicago face Monterrey in a win-or-you’re-out match.
“It’s an elimination game, it’s a quarterfinal, and you know you’re two games away from a trophy,” Berhalter stated. “So I feel it provides a special factor to it. We respect them [Monterrey], however on the identical time we’re gonna must trigger them issues.
“And we can do that.”
Trophy chase
The attract of a trophy holds particular significance for the Fire, who’ve gone 20 years since lifting their final title: the 2006 US Open Cup.
According to defender and academy product Andrew Gutman, Chicago have blossomed into a real contender, as evidenced by their third-place standing within the Eastern Conference (36 factors) and Leagues Cup marketing campaign.
“We always knew that we could be a top team in this league, both in MLS and Leagues Cup,” Gutman stated. “For us, it was [about] beginning to really do issues that might present that we might be a high group. Going into Leagues Cup, we made it a aim of ours to go and win this trophy.
“… I know the club hasn’t won a trophy in a long time, so we really wanted to go for it,” Gutman added. “We got out of the group, and now it’s time to push on again.”