When former FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski arrived in MLS with the Chicago Fire, it looked as though he would form one of the league’s most intense attacking partnerships with Golden Boot leader Hugo Cuypers.
Yet, less than two months after making his debut, the two are instead set to meet in an awkward single-game Leagues Cup quarterfinal clash between Aug. 25–27. It’s a far cry from the publicly harmonious welcome Cuypers gave when announcing he’d swap to the No. 99 shirt to allow Lewandowski the No. 9.
Lewandowski and Cuypers never got to share the pitch in the Windy City. The two were set to dovetail together on July 16 against Lewandowski’s former teammate, Thomas Müller, and the Vancouver Whitecaps, but the match was postponed to October due to smoke. By the time the next match came, Cuypers had completed an up to $8 million transfer to Liga MX side CF Monterrey, opening up the top striker spot for Lewandowski to claim.
In many ways, Lewandowski stole Cuypers’s job—despite the Belgian star proving himself as the top goalscorer in MLS. In two different leagues, the likelihood of the two ever meeting was minimal until now.
Leagues Cup Brings Pair Together
Though Phase One of the Leagues Cup, the tournament featuring 18 teams from MLS and all 18 from Mexico’s top flight, Monterrey finished fourth in the Liga MX section with two wins and a loss—including three goals from Cuypers. Chicago, meanwhile, had Lewandowski score once in their three wins, clinching first in the MLS table and setting up a quarterfinal clash between the two.
“Of course,” manager Gregg Berhalter said after Chicago’s final match, a 2–1 win over Liga MX giants Cruz Azul. “Of course it turned out like that. We helped them out a little bit, so they’ll come here in a good mood. But it’s a good team. Monterrey’s a good team. It’s going to be a good competition.”
The Leagues Cup tournament doesn’t offer the same prestige as many of the other competitions both Monterrey and Chicago compete in. Still, it brings Concacaf Champions Cup berths for the two finalists and the third-place finisher, as well as cash rewards.
Now, it also gives Chicago a chance to prove they made the right decision by pushing Cuypers aside for the Polish legend.
“You can’t write a better story than that,” Fire and USMNT goalkeeper Chris Brady told MenInRed97. “We know Hugo. We’re familiar with him, and a lot of the scouting will revolve around him because I know he’s hot right now. It’ll be a good game. I think the key for us is going out and approaching it the same way we approached this game: must-win at home. We’ve got to bring the energy from minute one.”
The winner of the quarterfinal clash will advance to take on Club América or the Columbus Crew and be assured of playing either for the title or in the third-place match, with dates to be determined.
Why Cuypers Left Chicago
While there were initial hopes for Cuypers and Lewandowski to battle for a starting spot, or to share the pitch in a two-striker system, the club and Cuypers worked together to send him to a new team.
The player, in his prime at 29, wanted to maximize his form and earnings and found that opportunity with Rayados, as the club looked to replace the attacking void left by Germán Berterame’s departure to Inter Miami.
“Everyone knew the situation in Chicago with Robert arriving,” Cuypers said on a Leagues Cup Apple TV broadcast. “There was a scenario where everything was working out well, and we could have played together.
“But there was also a scenario where he would have been the main guy in the short or medium term. I didn’t want to take that risk. I wasn’t going to move just to move, and when Monterrey came, it was the right fit.”
There’s no doubt, though, that the clash might be a bit awkward. Will Chicago honor their former star—and if so, how will he take it ? It was always possible that Chicago could take on Monterrey, but few expected it to come so soon, with the Fire in position to end a 20-year trophy drought.
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