By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Jonathan Bamba scored twice and Robert Lewandowski added a goal and an assist as Chicago Fire FC defeated the Colorado Rapids 4-2 on Saturday night at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
The victory held Chicago in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 55 points and one regular-season match remaining, positioning the Fire for a home playoff series in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Bamba’s brace came in the 41st and 56th minutes, while Lewandowski struck the go-ahead goal in the 74th minute after entering as a substitute, according to the team’s match recap. Puso Dithejane scored just 36 seconds after entering the match in the 88th minute to seal the result.
The four goals gave Chicago 61 for the season, marking the first time in club history the Fire have scored 60 or more goals in consecutive seasons. Chicago posted a record 68 goals in 2025.
“I think it’s great that he scored,” head coach Gregg Berhalter said of Lewandowski after the match, according to MLSSoccer.com. “I think it’s great that he embraced his role. We described what type of game it was going to be and how he could make an impact, and that’s exactly what he did.”
Colorado’s Morgan Whittaker opened the scoring in the 22nd minute for the home side. Bamba equalized before halftime, getting on the end of a deflected cross from right back Jonathan Dean.
In the second half, Bamba struck again after fellow winger Philip Zinckernagel found Dean overlapping on the right, who played a cross for Bamba to tap home. Colorado equalized through Paxten Aaronson shortly after.
Lewandowski, who entered as a substitute after the hour mark, broke the deadlock in the 74th minute. Forward Johan Gómez held off a challenge and played to Zinckernagel, who spotted Lewandowski on the left. The Polish striker rounded the goalkeeper and finished for the 3-2 lead, according to the club’s recap.
Zinckernagel recorded two assists, his fourth multi-assist match with the Fire, moving him into ninth place on the club’s all-time assist list.
“With [Bamba], it’s really simple: Just keep doing what he’s doing,” Berhalter said, according to MLSSoccer.com. “He has the skill. He has the technical ability. So for him, it’s about: how does he continue to get in good attacking positions, and then when he is, how does he finish them off?”
Lewandowski’s goal was his seventh of the regular season and snapped an eight-game goalless streak dating to Sept. 9, according to MLSSoccer.com.
Chicago hosts longtime rival Columbus Crew on Decision Day, Saturday, Nov. 7, at SeatGeek Stadium with kickoff set for 3 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast on Apple TV.
