Lewandowski ready to provide big lift to the Chicago Fire

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CHICAGO (AP) — Robert Lewandowski is looking forward to providing a big lift to the Chicago Fire as he is set to join Major League Soccer.

The 37-year-old, who signed a two-year contract with the Fire, knew he didn’t want to stay in Europe when his contract expired with Barcelona in May.

“I couldn’t imagine myself with a different club besides Barcelona, so that’s why we knew that the next step would be outside of Europe and of course, that it’s not easy to move from Europe to USA, but we are very excited,” Lewandowski said on Tuesday at an introductory news conference at the club’s training facility. “But of course, our lives are changing, but it’s a new experience.”

Lewandowski scored 119 goals in 192 appearances for Barcelona. He helped Barcelona win three La Liga championships in four seasons, including this year, and one title at Copa del Rey, Spain’s national tournament.

Lewandowski also has played a record 167 international games for Poland, beginning with a goal in his debut against San Marino in 2008, when he was 20. Lewandowski is Poland’s all-time leading scorer with 89 goals.

Lewandowski is a designated player, one of three roster spots that MLS teams carry that can exceed the salary cap. The Fire are scheduled to open McDonald’s Park, a soccer-specific stadium, in 2028.

“I see the potential to win titles with the new club,” Lewandowski said. “I’m very happy because it’s the new step in my career, the new step in my life. Now, we’re in a good position, but of course, we have to start working hard, and I also hope that we can enjoy after this season, a lot of what we achieved.”

Adding a player with the resume of Lewandowski was a no-brainer for Fire coach Gregg Berhalter.

The team is in third place in the Eastern Conference as the league prepares to resume after its World Cup break this week. The Fire host the Vancouver Whitecaps on Thursday night, and Lewandowski could make his club debut then.

“This is a massive signing for our football club,” Berhalter said. “We’re excited to bring Robert to the club. We’re excited to see how he can change the culture.

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

Lewandowski is expected to form a strike partnership with Hugo Cuypers, who is the league’s leading scorer with 13 goals.

“It’s not too common to play with two strikers nowadays, but we’ve been working hard on what that looks like around the penalty box, what combinations look like, how to affect the back line with two strikers and we have some really good data points,” Berhalter said.

“We’ve been scoring goals lately, we’ve been really picking apart the back line and we don’t see any reason why that can’t continue with Hugo and Robert on the field together.”

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