Lewandowski Set to Travel with Chicago Fire for Away Match Against Toronto FC

A striker of historic stature is expected to step onto BMO Field this weekend, when Toronto FC host Chicago Fire.

In June this year, Chicago Fire signed iconic forward Robert Lewandowski on a contract running through the 2027-28 season. If he plays on Saturday, it will mark Lewandowski's first MLS match on Canadian soil.

Lewandowski became a free agent after spending four seasons with Spanish giants Barcelona. Before that, he played for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, and began his career in Poland with Lech Poznan and Znicz Pruszkow.

The Polish forward is often overlooked in discussions about the greatest strikers of all time, which is unfortunate because his name deserves to be mentioned. Lewandowski has maintained an impressive and consistent scoring rate throughout his European club career, scoring 629 goals and providing 159 assists since making his professional debut at age 19 in 2008.

Age does not appear to have slowed the 38-year-old veteran. In the 2025-26 season, Lewandowski scored 19 goals for Barcelona in all competitions, including four Champions League goals.

He also made a quick impact in Chicago, recording four goals and one assist in seven MLS matches, while also scoring in the Leagues Cup. Last weekend, he scored and assisted in Chicago's 2-2 away draw with the Seattle Sounders and was named to the MLS Team of the Week.

Stopping the Polish goal machine will be one of Toronto FC's toughest tasks in MLS this season. However, head coach Robin Fraser explained that the team cannot focus all of its attention on Lewandowski.

“Obviously, he is a very, very good player with a lot of experience. To say, ‘we just have to man-mark him and stop him,’ would be naive. He is much smarter than that, and Chicago is much stronger than that. The key is how our entire team works together to deal with it,” Fraser said.

Toronto FC's Chilean center-back Benjamin Kuscevic expressed a similar view. The defender, who built a partnership with Walker Zimmerman in his first MLS season, said: “He is a very good striker. But I approach every striker the same way in every match—I don't want him to score. I don't care who he is.”

Chicago Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter favors a highly aggressive high press, asking his team to disrupt opponents' buildup play and regain possession. The style demands a great deal of physical effort from players, but Lewandowski has not backed away from defensive responsibilities.

“His running in defense and pressing has really impressed me... He has shown a willingness to do those things while also creating opportunities for the team,” Berhalter said.

For Toronto FC, this will undoubtedly be one of their toughest MLS tests of the season. How they limit this historic scorer without allowing Lewandowski to draw all of their attention will determine what result they can achieve at home.