Emergency match thread, by popular demand!
We don’t cover Major League Soccer normally here at Bavarian Football Works, but today is an exception and a momentous occasion — a meeting of two Bayern Munich giants.
Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski were a deadly duo in Bavaria for years, powering the Bayern attack for eight straight Bundesliga-winning seasons. Now, Müller is in his second campaign in MLS for the Vancouver Whitecaps, while Lewandowski is freshly arrived at the Chicago Fire.
This match
was originally scheduled back in July but postponed due to air quality hazards in Chicago. Vancouver remains top of the Western Conference with three points to spare, while Chicago sits fifth in the Eastern Conference (having been third at the time of the original date).
Müller took to Instagram to preview the reunion back in July. However, he got a little sidetracked putting former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel on blast for…whatever that was in England’s crushing semifinals collapse to Argentina at the Men’s World Cup, which had just occurred.
You know? Robert ‘Today No’ Goalski?
Anyway, onto the match-up, which pits two MLS heavyweights against each other. Müller has nine goals and six assists for VWFC on the season. Lewandowski, freshly arrived as a Designated Player from FC Barcelona, has six goals and two assists under his belt. The original game would have been a debut. Now it is just an opportunity for this:
Come on Thomas and Robert, give us a moment to remember!
Rolling it back to the postponement
How bad was the air in Chicago back on that day in July? The original matchday was on a Red Forecast Air Pollution Action Day in Chicago — not a good day for people to be out and about, much less huffing and puffing as the players would have been expected to for 90 minutes and change. Then again, the NWSL pressed ahead with a Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit match earlier that week at Citi Field in Queens, despite AQI of over 170 at kickoff and the sky looking like this:
There’s no reason matches have to go on through all that stuff but it appears there aren’t automatic triggers to call off scheduled events, either. The MLS postponement at the time appears to have been a matchday judgment call. According to a 2020 ESPN article, there’s no formal policy in the league but they may evaluate once the AQI hits 150, a range which qualifies as “Unhealthy”.
Just another part of our new reality to navigate — in this case, climate change-driven wildfires increasing in frequency and severity. Let’s get those emissions reduced, folks!
Thankfully, the air in Chicago today looks beautiful and the index is in the 30s.
Hooray for the rescheduling, and onto the match!
Match Info and How to Watch
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Time: 8:30 PM EDT
- TV/Streaming: Apple TV, Find Your Country
If you’re interested in more MLS, the league is streaming on Apple TV with the MLS Season Pass. And if you still aren’t sure how to watch Bayern this season, well….Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango? (Peacock also carries the Bayern games in Spanish).
Odds and Ends
Elsewhere in international men’s football today, Argentina is taking on Benin (7:00 PM EDT kickoff) in Lionel Messi’s final match ever for his country. It’s the end of an era…and a contrasting denouement to the tale of his career versus that of his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Müller recently weighed in, again, in Messi’s favor — this time on the podcast of former NFL star and true blue soccer enthusiast Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson.
It’s worth checking out the whole pod episode if you get the chance. Lots of good nuggets in there.
But onto the match!
We may or may not have staff on hand today to monitor this one, as we’re focused instead on Bayern and Germany coverage. So please keep us and your fellow fans updated if you are watching (and behave!) in the comments below.
Tips for commenting:
- If you’re a new member, feel free to introduce yourself! We’re
mostlyvery friendly! Also, we’re from all parts of the world so don’t feel shy if you’re from a country that doesn’t seem represented on the blog. - Use the on-screen “Refresh comments” button to periodically load new comments.
- Keep the sorting to “newest” to easily follow the conversation. It puts the newest comments at the top.
- While swearing is allowed within reason, please be polite to your fellow posters and avoid gratuitous obscenities. Racist, homophobic, and misogynistic language is not allowed whatsoever.
Check out our beginners thread if you have any more questions. That’s about it. Auf geht’s!
SBN App: Engage with match threads on Bavarian Football Works from your phone with the new SB Nation app. Commenting and interacting with your communities is easier than ever before with the Game Chat feature. The app is available currently in the U.S. on iOS and Android devices.
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- New, improved notifications system!
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
