Inter Miami Spoil Robert Lewandowski's Chicago Fire Debut 3-2 Behind Suárez Brace and Plambeck Winner

The night was supposed to belong to Robert Lewandowski. Instead, it belonged to a 39-year-old Uruguayan who refuses to age and a homegrown midfielder who had never scored in MLS before.

Luis Suárez scored twice, Preston Plambeck pounced on a rebound in the 87th minute, and Inter Miami CF beat the Chicago Fire 3-2 on Wednesday night at Nu Stadium. Lewandowski made his MLS and Fire debut, playing just over an hour, but it was Miami who walked off with a fifth straight win, according to the AP.

A Gift, Then a Response

Miami were without Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, who the AP said were taking time off after Argentina's run to the World Cup final. The hosts' night started badly, and in the 18th minute they handed Chicago the lead in the most painful way possible. Goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo tried to take an Ian Fray back pass first time, missed it entirely and could only watch it roll between his legs into the goal, as the AP described it. Own goal, 1-0 Chicago.

Miami responded quickly. In the 26th minute Jack Elliott fouled David Ruíz in the box, and Suárez stepped up a minute later and sent a right-footed penalty into the bottom left corner. 1-1.

The rest of the half was end to end. Chris Brady stopped Mateo Silvetti, Germán Berterame and Sergio Reguilón in a five-minute stretch, while Ríos Novo redeemed himself somewhat by saving an Anton Salétros header in the 43rd minute. Lewandowski's only attempt of the night, a 14th-minute shot from the middle of the box, was blocked.

Suárez Strikes, Dithejane Answers

Six minutes into the second half, Miami broke quickly. Suárez and Berterame combined on a give-and-go, per Chicago, and Suárez finished from the center of the box into the bottom left corner. 2-1, and the Uruguayan had his brace.

Chicago coach Gregg Berhalter made a triple change around the hour mark, taking off Lewandowski for Robin Lod and sending on Puso Dithejane and Mauricio Pineda. It worked fast. In the 67th minute, Maren Haile-Selassie found Dithejane in the middle of the box, and the South African winger fired a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner. According to the AP, it was his first career MLS goal. 2-2.

Miami had the answer. In the 86th minute, Brady saved a Suárez shot from the center of the box. A minute later, Plambeck, on as a 69th-minute substitute, pounced on the loose ball and finished into the center of the goal, which the AP said was his first career goal in MLS. 3-2.

Chicago pushed for an equalizer in eight minutes of added time. Ríos Novo saved from Lod, Dithejane went close, Jason Shokalook sent one just over and Salétros put a late free kick just too high. Miami held on.

The Main Characters

Luis Suárez scored twice from five shots, with three on target. MLSsoccer.com said it took his season total to eight goals. "Despite my age, I still have the ambition to keep playing soccer," Suárez told Apple TV in Spanish, according to MLSsoccer.com.

Preston Plambeck came on in the 69th minute and scored the winner with his only shot. Not a bad night for a homegrown midfielder.

Germán Berterame set up Suárez's second goal and had a header saved in the first half.

Puso Dithejane came off the bench, scored his first MLS goal and nearly added a second. Chicago said the goal was also his first for the club across all competitions.

Maren Haile-Selassie assisted Dithejane's goal, which Chicago said was his sixth assist of the season and his 26th in regular-season play, tying him for eighth in Fire history.

Robert Lewandowski had a quiet debut: one blocked shot and two fouls before being subbed off in the 62nd minute. The AP noted he is a seven-time Bundesliga Golden Boot winner who scored a league-record 41 goals for Bayern Munich in 2020-21. Chicago will need more from him, but one game is one game.

Turning Point: Brady's Fourth Save

Brady made four saves on the night, and the fourth one was the one that hurt. He did his job by stopping Suárez's shot in the 86th minute, but the rebound fell to Plambeck, and that was the game.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Chicago led 15 to 14, but Miami put seven on target to Chicago's four.
• Saves: Brady 4, Ríos Novo 3.
• Corners: Miami 8, Chicago 4.
• Fouls: Chicago committed 16 to Miami's eight.
• Possession: Miami had 53 percent of the ball.

What It Means

Miami improve to 10-4-2 (wins, draws, losses) with 34 points and have won five straight, a streak that the AP said began before MLS took its six-week hiatus for the World Cup. MLSsoccer.com noted they are now five points behind Nashville in the Supporters' Shield race. Next up is CF Montréal on Saturday.

Miami manager Guillermo Hoyos praised the squad. "I want to congratulate the entire squad, a group that has worked incredibly hard during this period," he said. He also addressed the absences of Messi and De Paul. "They truly deserve this time off, and we'll be waiting for them to return whenever they are able and in the right condition to do so," Hoyos said.

Chicago fall to 8-2-5 with 26 points, and their three-game win streak is over, per the AP. Chicago said it was also the Fire's first visit to Nu Stadium. They travel to face New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

The Closing Take

Lewandowski will have bigger nights in Chicago. But on this one, he got a front-row seat to the Suárez show and a lesson that in MLS, the debut does not always go to the script. Sometimes the kid from the academy writes the ending.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by the AP via ESPN and MLSsoccer.com; club notes from ChicagoFireFC.com.