Inter Miami, without Messi, wins 3-2 as Lewandowski debuts for Chicago Fire

Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald on Jul 22, 2026

Published in Soccer

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MIAMI — Inter Miami was back at Nu Stadium Wednesday night for a game against the Chicago Fire after a seven-week World Cup break, and with Lionel Messi on vacation after Argentina’s run to the final, it was up to his close friend and Uruguayan legend Luis Suarez to wear the captain’s armband and carry the load.

He did just that, scoring a brace to lead Miami to a 3-2 victory and spoil the Fire debut of Polish star striker Robert Lewandowski. But the unexpected hero of the night was Preston Plambeck, a homegrown player who came off the bench and scored the game-winning goal in the 87th minute, finishing off a rebound for his first MLS goal.

“I want to congratulate the entire roster, they worked very hard during this time, so we are very happy and emotional, it’s extraordinary what this group does,” said Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos.

Suarez had scored the equalizing goal on a penalty kick in the 27th minute after the Fire had taken the lead nine minutes earlier on an own goal on a horrible blunder by Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo, who misplayed an Ian Fray back pass and let it go under his leg into the net.

The Suarez PK came after David Ruiz drew a foul in the box. Their teammates ran over the join them in a group hug, relieved to be back in the game.

Suarez scored again to give Miami a 2-1 lead at the 51-minute mark, right footing a shot from the center of the box to the bottom left corner after receiving a back heel pass from German Berterame from the right side. Yannick Bright started the sequence breaking up a Fire run at midfield.

The Fire struck back in the 67th minute to make it 2-2 on a goal from Puso Dithejane on an assist by Maren Haile-Selassie.

Asked about Suarez’s contribution and how he never wants to leave the game despite his 39 years of age, Hoyos said: “Like our No. 10 [Messi], these are players who mark a difference. They express themselves on the field with their tactical intelligence from all the experience they had, and they know their body and mind. They have seen more than the coaching staff. I am not sure these players will be replaced in the future.”

There was plenty of buzz even before kickoff.

Earlier in the day, the club announced the long-anticipated signing of 34-year-old Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who was in the stands for Wednesday’s game. MLS cast a bit of a shadow on the news when it announced that it was investigating a tampering allegation by the L.A. Galaxy against Inter Miami, which could lead to sanctions.

The investigation concerns Casemiro’s discovery rights, a complicated MLS rule that gives a specific club first refusal over a player should they want to join. The Galaxy had named Casemiro to its Discovery List, which gave it priority to negotiate with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player and is claiming that Inter Miami had contact with him before it secured his rights.

Casemiro said in a video released by Inter Miami that he made it clear to the L.A. Galaxy that the only MLS team he wanted to play for was Inter Miami due to his love for the city and its proximity to family and friends, the club’s ambition and the desire to play alongside Messi. He had offers from other clubs around the world as he left Manchester United, but said Miami was his preferred destination.

The other big news ahead of the game Wednesday was the Fire’s starting lineup, which included Lewandowski, making his Chicago debut after playing for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona. He was scheduled to play his first MLS game at home against Vancouver last Thursday, but the game was rescheduled due to smoky air from the Canadian wildfires.

So, instead of playing in smoky weather, he got to play in sweltering hot Miami weather. It was 88 degrees and sunny at kickoff. There was some pink smoke at the start of the match from pyrotechnics, but the air eventually cleared as the action heated up and players from both teams shook off the rust from the long layoff.