Chicago Fire vs. Vancouver postponed due to smoke, air quality; Lewandowski’s MLS debut delayed

Thursday night’s marquee MLS match between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps, in which star Robert Lewandowski was set to make his league debut at Soldier Field, has been postponed to Oct. 6 due to poor air quality in Chicago.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has made Chicago’s Air Quality Index hit the two worst levels: very unhealthy to hazardous. The city of Chicago closed all public beaches and pools, while the Chicago Park District canceled all outdoor activities that couldn’t be moved inside.

Lewandowski joined the Fire from Barcelona this summer and was introduced this week as MLS returns to play following its World Cup break. The Fire was due to host the best team in the Western Conference, which is led by Lewandowski’s former Bayern Munich teammate, Thomas Müller.

The game was set to be notable for another reason, as it was slated to be a Berhalter family reunion. The Fire is coached by Gregg Berhalter, who was set to face off against his son, Sebastian, the key Whitecaps player, U.S. World Cup midfielder and MLS All-Star.

That will all have to happen in October instead. Smoke filled the air in Chicago stemming from more than 800 wildfires in Canada, with wind patterns pushing that smoke south.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency declared an Air Pollution Action Day for Chicago and Northern Illinois, and individuals were urged to limit prolonged outdoor activity and take more frequent breaks.

The timing is unfortunate for MLS, which is looking to capture global soccer attention that the World Cup has brought to North America. The league scheduled a handful of marquee games on Thursday and Friday, after the World Cup semifinals but before Sunday’s final.

There were three other matches scheduled for Thursday: CF Montréal vs. Toronto FC (6:30 p.m. CT), St. Louis City vs. Sporting Kansas City (7:30 p.m. CT) and the Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers (9:30 p.m. CT).

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