SUÁREZ BRACE SPOILS LEWANDOWSKI DEBUT AS INTER MIAMI EDGES CHICAGO FIRE 3-2
MIAMI, FL (July 22, 2026) — A highly anticipated Major League Soccer debut was spoiled Wednesday night as Inter Miami CF secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Chicago Fire FC at Nu Stadium. The match marked the official MLS debut of global football icon Robert Lewandowski, who recently signed a multi-year Designated Player contract with Chicago.
Lewandowski started and played 63 minutes for the visitors. Chicago struck first in unconventional fashion in the 18th minute. A firm back-pass slipped completely under the legs of Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo, rolling over the line to gift the Fire an unexpected 1-0 lead via an own goal.
The hosts quickly shook off the error. In the 27th minute, Inter Miami earned a penalty kick, which veteran striker Luis Suárez confidently converted past Chris Brady to level the score heading into halftime.
Suárez struck again just six minutes into the second half, capitalizing on a clinical Inter Miami buildup to fire home his second goal of the night and give Miami a 2-1 advantage. Chicago responded with tactical substitutions in the 62nd minute, pulling Lewandowski and Philip Zinckernagel for fresh legs. The strategy paid immediate dividends. In the 66th minute, newly introduced winger Puso Dithejane scored his first-ever MLS goal with a brilliant strike, shifting the momentum back to the visitors at 2-2. The decisive blow came from the Miami bench. In the 86th minute, home-grown talent Preston Plambeck found the back of the net just 18 minutes after subbing on, sealing the 3-2 victory for Inter Miami.
With the win, Inter Miami advances to 34 points on the season (10-2-4), while Chicago leaves Florida empty-handed, frozen at 26 points (8-5-2). Final match statistics recorded Inter Miami with 52 percent possession, three shots on target, and eight corner kicks, compared to Chicago with 48 percent possession, four shots on target, and four corner kicks. Cautionary yellow cards were issued to Miami’s Reguilón and Chicago’s Elliott.
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