Chicago Fire Top West-Leading Whitecaps 3-1 as Lewandowski Wins His MLS Reunion With Müller

Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller spent eight seasons together at Bayern Munich, according to the AP, and their long-awaited MLS reunion started with both of them on the bench. Lewandowski still got the last word. Twelve minutes after coming on, he laid the ball across for Maren Haile-Selassie's 88th-minute finish, the goal that put the night away.

Chicago Fire FC beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Tuesday night at Soldier Field, with Jonathan Bamba, Philip Zinckernagel and Haile-Selassie scoring against the Western Conference leaders. The makeup match, postponed months ago after wildfires got in the way, per the AP, lifted Chicago past Charlotte into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Bamba Lights the Fuse

Chicago came out sprinting. Haile-Selassie forced a save from Yohei Takaoka in the third minute, and in the ninth, Anton Salétros, back from injury according to the club, carried the ball through midfield and found Bamba on the left. Bamba cut toward the top of the box and bent a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner. The AP said it was his first goal since March 21.

The Fire kept coming. Jack Elliott hit the bar off a Zinckernagel corner in the 18th minute, and Zinckernagel and Haile-Selassie both missed the target in the 22nd and 23rd. Then Mathías Laborda was penalized for a handball in the box, and Zinckernagel stepped up in the 27th minute and smacked his penalty off the left post.

Vancouver's best first-half looks came from captain Ryan Gauld, who sent a second-minute effort over the bar, and Brian White, who headed wide off a corner in the 37th and fired over from distance in the 40th. Chicago led 1-0 at the break, which felt generous to the visitors.

Müller Arrives, Zinckernagel Atones

Whitecaps manager Jesper Sørensen sent Müller on at halftime for Aleksa Cvetković. Five minutes later, it was 2-0 anyway. Bamba helped spring Leonardo Barroso forward, and Zinckernagel played a give-and-go with Haile-Selassie before finishing into the bottom right corner in the 50th minute. The AP said it was his first goal since May. Missing a penalty and scoring anyway is the soccer version of failing the written test and acing the road test.

Vancouver threw on Bruno Caicedo and Yadaly Diaby before the hour and finally started to push. They won five corners between the 48th and 72nd minutes, and the fifth one paid off. Oliver Larraz swung it in, and Laborda powered a header that Josh Cohen got his hands to but could not keep out, per the Whitecaps, to make it 2-1 in the 73rd. Caicedo forced Cohen into a save a minute later.

The Turning Point

At 2-1 with a quarter-hour left, the West leaders had the momentum. Chicago head coach Gregg Berhalter answered in the 76th minute by sending on Lewandowski and Puso Dithejane, both fresh off goals for their national teams according to the club, and the move broke the game open. Takaoka saved a Dithejane shot from distance in the 83rd, and in the 88th the substitutes combined again. Per the club, Dithejane played the ball back to Djé D'Avilla, Johan Gómez backheeled D'Avilla's through ball into Lewandowski's path, and Lewandowski dribbled in behind before squaring for an unmarked Haile-Selassie.

Star Turns

Maren Haile-Selassie had a goal and an assist on five shots. Chicago said his 22nd goal for the club moved him into a tie for 10th on its all-time list, his 29th assist tied Jesse Marsch for seventh, and his 51 goal contributions rank sixth in club history.

Philip Zinckernagel shook off the penalty miss to score the winner, his team-leading fourth game-winning goal of the season, per the Fire. The club said he now has 16 goal contributions this year.

Jonathan Bamba scored his third goal of the season, per the Fire, and set the tone for an attack that never really let up.

Robert Lewandowski needed only a cameo to make his mark. The AP said he has six goals and three assists through his first 12 MLS appearances.

Josh Cohen, filling in for Chris Brady while Brady was on U.S. men's national team duty, won his second straight start, according to the club, which said he went 163 minutes without conceding before Laborda's header.

For Vancouver, Mathías Laborda scored his fourth goal of the season, and the Whitecaps said his eighth goal contribution set a new MLS career high. The club said he now has 13 goals including playoffs, second among defenders in its MLS history behind Kendall Waston's 15. Oliver Larraz's assist was his fourth of the season, tying his MLS career high.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Chicago outshot Vancouver 22-15.
• Shots on target: The Fire put seven on frame. Vancouver managed two.
• Corners: Vancouver won eight to Chicago's two, and scored off one.
• Clearances: Chicago made 36 of them to hold the lead.
• Penalties: Chicago's only attempt hit the post.

What It Means

Chicago improve to 13-6-8 (wins, draws, losses) with 45 points and have won two straight after a 1-0 win at Charlotte. The AP noted that the top four finishers earn home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, which makes that jump to fourth meaningful. The Fire host New York City FC on Saturday afternoon.

Vancouver drop to 15-5-7 but stay on 50 points and atop the West, three points clear of St. Louis and Dallas, per the AP. The Whitecaps came in off a 3-3 draw with D.C. United, and this was the first of five straight road matches, with LAFC up next on Saturday.

The Closing Take

The marquee matchup was two former Bayern teammates, and the marquee moment arrived like a post-credits scene: you had to wait until the very end for the stars to share the frame. Lewandowski delivered the assist, Müller played the second half, and Chicago's wingers did the rest. In a playoff race this tight, that is a reunion worth framing.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details from the AP, Chicago Fire FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps; no postgame quotes were published in the sources.