Richter relishes facing Lewandowski as Union take unbeaten run to Chicago

Union face playoff rivals and Lewandowski test in Chicago

The Philadelphia Union travel to Soldier Field on Wednesday to face Chicago Fire in MLS with both sides in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Union arrive on the back of a meteoric rise up the Eastern Conference and a club-record unbeaten run since the World Cup break.

Philadelphia have gone unbeaten in 13 games since the World Cup break, registering 11 wins in that span. The latest came Saturday with a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake, with goals from Bruno Damiani and Milan Iloski.

The Union sit sixth in the East with six regular-season games remaining, three places and six points below Chicago. Chicago are just a point behind second-placed Inter Miami after beating New York City 2-1 last time out.

Richter on the run and the Chicago test

Asked about the run ahead of a direct rival clash, Ryan Richter said:

"If we don't take points from those teams, then they'd be higher in the table. So that's also part of the reason why we're positioned where we are, and some of the teams we've played against, the reason we've been able to jump them is because we've had these head-to-head matchups. It's not like we've been playing against bad teams. Chicago is going to be a real test and it's one we have to be up for."

Preparing for Lewandowski

Chicago boss Gregg Berhalter can call upon former Bayern Munich and Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski. Richter is relishing the challenge.

"Yeah, it's another chance for us to play against a world-class player. And that's a pretty good opportunity for our centre-backs in particular," he said. "But for our team as a whole, it's a guy that has the quality and the level where he can win a game with one touch at any time. So for us, we have to make sure that we're always aware of where were at. Don't give him space to operate. He's one of the best strikers of all-time and we have to make sure we do a really good job with him."

The preview notes Lewandowski has scored five goals in 13 MLS appearances, with only 300 minutes on the pitch. He has overperformed an expected goals figure of 3.79, hitting the target with 10 of 27 shots for an 18.52% conversion rate.

Players to watch

Chicago Fire – Robert Lewandowski

Lewandowski remains the focal point for the Fire as they push for a top-two finish.

Philadelphia Union – Cavan Sullivan

Having made history as the United States' youngest-ever goalscorer during the international break, Sullivan laid on an assist in Philadelphia's win over Real Salt Lake. With that strike, Sullivan equalled the single-season record for MLS goal contributions by a teenager (20), surpassing Alphonso Davies (19 for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2018) and going level with Diego Fagundez (20 for the New England Revolution in 2013).

Match outlook

Philadelphia's 35 points won since the World Cup break are the most any team has collected in a span of 13 matches within a single MLS season in the post-shootout era (since 2000). They face a difficult task against a Chicago side that have won nine of 14 home games in MLS this year (D1 L4).

The Fire have won three of their last six MLS matches (D1 L2) and won the reverse fixture 2-1 at Subaru Park in March. OPTA win probability is Chicago Fire 43.2%, Philadelphia Union 30.1%, Draw 26.7%. The preview predicts a draw.