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Inter Miami, without Lionel Messi, beat Chicago Fire 3-2. Luis Suarez scored twice, and Preston Plambeck hit a late winner
Miami Beat Fire 3-2 To Spoil Lewandowski’s MLS Debut
Luis Suarez scored twice, and Preston Plambeck struck a late winner as Inter Miami, without Lionel Messi, edged Chicago Fire 3-2 on Wednesday to spoil Robert Lewandowski’s Major League Soccer debut.
The Uruguayan veteran Suarez captained Miami in the absence of Messi and fellow Argentine Rodrigo De Paul, four days after Argentina’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup final.
Poland striker Lewandowski, 37, was making his MLS debut after joining from Barcelona following their Spanish title-winning campaign.
“After just two days with my new team, I didn’t expect everything to work perfectly in my first game,” said Lewandowski, who started for Chicago and played 63 minutes.
“I also need a bit more time, and I’m sure that next time we’ll play with fewer mistakes than today in defense.
“If we defend better, we can win this match next time,” added Lewandowski, a prolific goalscorer who also starred for Bayern Munich from 2014-2022 and has more than 700 goals for club and country.
It was 20-year-old Plambeck, a product of Miami’s youth system, who emerged as the unlikely hero, coming off the bench to score the 87th-minute winner.
Lewandowski had an effort blocked in the 14th minute, but Chicago took the lead four minutes later through a calamitous own goal. Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo, starting in place of Canada World Cup keeper Dayne St. Clair, swung at a routine pass back from Ian Fray but missed, allowing the ball to roll into the net.
Suarez equalised from the penalty spot in the 27th minute and put Miami ahead in the 51st, finishing after being set up by a brilliant backheel from German Berterame.
Chicago’s South African Puso Dithejane made it 2-2 in the 67th minute, but Plambeck had the final say, volleying home the rebound for his first Miami goal after goalkeeper Chris Brady parried Suarez’s close-range shot.
The win lifted Miami to second in the Eastern Conference with 34 points, five behind Nashville, and coach Guillermo Hoyos said there was no urgency for Messi and De Paul to return.
“A World Cup is something immense, and there’s physical and mental wear and tear, and they deserve their space,” he 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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