Luis Suárez scored two goals, and Preston Plambeck netted a late winner as Inter Miami beat Chicago Fire 3-2 on Wednesday. The match ruined Robert Lewandowski's debut in Major League Soccer.
Miami played without Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul. They were rested just four days after Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
Lewandowski, who recently signed with Chicago Fire from Barcelona after they won the La Liga title, made his first appearance in MLS. He started the match and played for 63 minutes.
"After just two days with my new team, I didn’t expect everything to work perfectly in my first game," said the 37-year-old Poland captain.
"I also need a bit more time, and I’m sure that next time we’ll play with fewer mistakes than today in defence. If we defend better, we can win this match next time."
Chicago Fire took the lead early in the 18th minute. An own goal happened after Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo failed to handle a simple back pass from Ian Fray. The ball rolled into his own net.
Suárez equalised for Miami from the penalty spot in the 27th minute. He then scored again six minutes into the second half after a backheel assist from Germán Berterame.
Puso Dithejane brought Chicago back into the game in the 67th minute. But Plambeck scored the winning goal just three minutes before the end, volleying home the rebound after Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady saved Suárez's shot.
This win moved Miami to second place in the Eastern Conference with 34 points, five behind the leaders, Nashville.
Miami's coach, Guillermo Hoyos, said there is no rush for Messi and De Paul to come back.
"A World Cup is something immense, and there’s physical and mental wear and tear, and they deserve their space," Hoyos said.
"We’ll be waiting for them whenever they can come back and are in the right condition to be here."
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