Gregg Berhalter has no doubt Robert Lewandowski can transform the Chicago Fire into a team worthy of competing for titles.

Lewandowski has joined the Fire after leaving Barcelona upon the expiration of his contract.

The striker has netted 629 goals in 869 club games. He has plundered 89 goals for Poland, too.

Lewandowski scored 120 goals in 193 matches for Barca, after his move there from Bayern Munich in 2022.

The 37-year-old holds the record for the most goals in a single Bundesliga season, plundering 41 goals in 29 top-flight appearances in the 2020-21 campaign for Bayern, and Chicago head coach Berhalter believes he will prove to be a difference-maker for the Fire.

"Robert has scored over 700 career goals; he has the most goals in the top five leagues in the last 15 years," Berhalter said.

"He's third on the all-time scoring list in the Champions League, behind [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi, and he has 13 league titles and countless other titles.

"We have a good team right now. I think Robert is a piece that can help take us to the top."

The Fire are back in action as MLS returns this week. They take on the Vancouver Whitecaps, who have Lewandowski's former Bayern Munich team-mate Thomas Muller in their squad.

Chicago went into the World Cup break on the back of three straight wins, leaving them third in the Eastern Conference.

"When I start to play at a new club, always in front of me is [the goal] of winning some titles. It’s the same [here]," said Lewandowski.

"I know it won't be easy, but still, in soccer you want competition, and there is something. Here, 'something' means to win some titles."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Chicago Fire - Hugo Cuypers 

Cuypers scored 13 goals in 11 appearances in the first part of the season, the most any player has scored in his first 11 games of a season in MLS history.

The 2-1 win over Toronto FC on May 23 was the first time all season that Cuypers didn’t score in a match in which he appeared.

Vancouver Whitecaps - Brian White

White had two goals and two assists in his final match before the break, his second game with four goal contributions for the Whitecaps (April 2025).

He has scored double-digit goals for the Whitecaps for the fifth straight season, while no other player in club history has more than two 10-goal MLS seasons.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Chicago have taken 26 points through 14 matches this season, their second-most at this stage of a season in club history (27 in 2001).

The Fire won their last three league matches before the break and are looking for their first four-match league winning streak since June-July 2017.

Chicago have also won two of their last three matches against Vancouver (L1), including a 3-1 road win in the last meeting in March 2025.

The Fire have never won consecutive meetings with the Whitecaps, as the only two-match winning run in the series was by Vancouver in 2015–16.

Vancouver are on 32 points through 14 matches this season, their most at this stage of a season. Five of the previous six teams to reach 32 points in the first 14 games of a season went on to win the Supporters' Shield.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Chicago Fire - 35.3%

Draw - 24%

Vancouver Whitecaps - 40.7%