Second-half substitute Robert Lewandowski scored the tiebreaking goal in the 74th minute to lead the Chicago Fire to a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday in Commerce City, Colo.
Lewandowski, who added an assist on the Fire’s fourth goal, eluded three defenders before scoring his first goal in nine matches off a pass from Philip Zinckernagel.
Jonathan Bamba scored a brace and Puso Dithejane also tallied for the Fire (16-10-7, 55 points), who clinched a playoff spot two weeks ago.
Morgan Whittaker and Paxten Aaronson scored for the Rapids (12-14-7, 43 points), who had their 10-match home unbeaten streak snapped. Colorado is eighth in the Western Conference standings with two matches remaining.
Colorado opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Whittaker converted a pass from Georgi Minoungou from 12 yards out. Whittaker has scored in three consecutive matches.
The Fire leveled the match in the 41st minute when Jonathan Dean slipped a pass to Zinckernagel, who attacked from the right side and drew Colorado goalkeeper Nico Hansen off his line. Zinckernagel lost possession as he closed in on goal, but the ball ricocheted to Bamba, who deposited a shot into the back of the net.
Zinckernagel played a wide pass to Dean in the 56th minute. Dean whipped a cross to a sprinting Bamba, who tapped the ball in to give Chicago a 2-1 lead.
The Rapids answered two minutes later when Aaronson connected on a jumping shot off a bouncing cross from Minoungou to tie the match.
Lewandowski put Chicago ahead in the 74th minute, and Dithejane, who also entered in the second half, added an insurance goal in the 88th minute off an assist from Lewandowski.
Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady made two saves, while Hansen also recorded two saves.
In the 17th minute, Bamba carried the ball out of midfield and slipped a pass to Noah Allen, whose left-footed shot bounced just wide of the near post.
Moments later, Whittaker rose above the Fire back line but couldn’t get a clean header on Miguel Navarro’s cross.
Aaronson ripped a shot in the 26th minute that forced Brady into a diving save.
Hansen made a kick save on Zinckernagel’s close-range shot in the 60th minute, conceding a Chicago corner.
