An Inter Miami team lacking the superstar Argentine duo of Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul came out on top against a Robert Lewandowski-led Chicago Fire in a 3-2 thriller at the Nu Stadium in Miami on Wednesday, 22nd July, 2026.
The Lewan’gol’ski Factor
Robert Lewandowski was making his Major League Soccer debut and faced off against a Miami team captained by Uruguayan veteran striker Luis Suárez, who scored a brace, including a penalty, on the way to a nervy win against the Chicago outfit. The game, played after the recently concluded FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, saw the two Argentine stars missing from the lineups or even the team sheet.
Just four days after Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain courtesy of a goal from Lewandowski’s ex-teammate and fellow forward at FC Barcelona, Ferran Torres. The 37-year-old makes his MLS debut after a successful season with Barcelona, where they were crowned the Spanish champions over lifelong rivals Real Madrid.
The Polish forward played 31 games with 14 goals and 3 assists to his name in the last LaLiga season in Spain for FC Barcelona, where he won the league last season. A prolific goalscorer, he started for Bayern Munich from 2014 to 2022 and has scored more than 700 goals for club and country.
The striker has been a constant name on the scorekeepers’ books and has proficently racked up the goals in every club he plays for, and also comes alive to prop up his country with vital goals. He has 89 goals in 167 games for the Poland national football team. He has let the goals flow, reaching the 100-goal mark in the three big teams (Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich & FC Barcelona) he has donned the shirt for.
The Young and the Old Shine Together
Maybe the unlikely heroes to come out of the game were 20-year-old #59 midfielder Preston Plambeck, who grabbed the late winner to spoil Lewandowski’s debut. Plambeck is a product of the youth system at Miami and came off the bench in the 69th minute to replace midfielder David Ruiz and score the 87th-minute winner.
Lewandowski had a shot blocked in the 14th minute, but his high pressing of the opposition goalkeeper may have played some part in bringing about the first goal. Miami keeper Rocco Rios Novo was starting as the replacement for Canadian World Cup keeper Dayne St.Clair, took a casual swing at a back pass from center back Ian Fray and missed the ball and saw it roll into the net to the sheepish grin of the keeper.
The disastrous own-goal in the 18th minute, although, was forgotten quickly as Suarez scored from the penalty spot in the 27th minute after he was struck down by Jack Elliot. The striker followed up with a second-half strike in the 51st minute to put Miami up after a wonderful one-two with strike partner German Berterame, who set him up with a brilliant back-heel.
Chicago struck back through a lucky strike from South African Puspo Dithejane in the 67th minute after the ball struck two Miami defenders and bounced into his path. The game was approaching a final result of stalemate when finally, against the run of play, a Miami counterattack found the Fire’s defense retreating.
Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos’ decision to start Suarez and Berterame worked wonders as they again combined to conclude a beautiful piece of play only for the Fire’s goalkeeper Chris Bardy to deny Suarez from close range. Chicago, although, weren’t out of trouble yet as the 20-year-old hometown boy Planbeck positioned himself up to strike a stylish volley past a hapless diving Brady in goal.
The win kept Hoyos’ side second in the Eastern Conference with 34 points, 5 points behind leaders Nashville, and 8 above Chicago & New England, who both have a game on hand. Inter Miami next faces Montreal away on the 25th, while Chicago travels to New York City on the same day.
