Lewandowski's Chicago Fire debut ends in 3–2 loss at Inter Miami as Suárez scores twice

Match overview

Robert Lewandowski's first appearance for Chicago Fire ended in a 3–2 away defeat to defending MLS Cup champions Inter Miami on Wednesday night at Nu Stadium. The hosts were without Lionel Messi, who is resting after the World Cup, but Luis Suárez stepped up with two goals to secure the win.

Chicago took an early lead in bizarre fashion when goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo completely missed a back‑pass from Ian Fray in the 18th minute, the ball rolling into an empty net. Suárez levelled from the penalty spot nine minutes later and then put Miami ahead in the 51st minute. Puso Dithejane drew Chicago level at 2–2 in the 67th minute, but Preston Plambeck struck the winner in the 87th minute.

Lewandowski's performance

The 37‑year‑old Polish striker started the match and was substituted after 62 minutes, replaced by Finnish international Robin Lod. He managed one blocked shot, 27 touches and completed 87.5% of his passes on 14 attempts. Lewandowski often dropped deep to collect the ball and rarely found himself inside the penalty area.

Polish media described the debut as mediocre. WP SportoweFakty's reporter noted that “for the first 20–25 minutes journalists mainly talked about Robert Lewandowski, looked for him, discussed his transfer. But minutes passed and Robert showed nothing fantastic on the pitch.”

Coach and player reactions

Head coach Gregg Berhalter stressed that the priority was simply to get Lewandowski on the field after only seven or eight days of training with the team.

He has a lot of quality and very high standards. That work ethic and his skills will help the team. The priority for us today was for him to appear on the pitch. He has only been training with us for seven or eight days. We expect him to get back to form so he can have an impact on the team.

Berhalter confirmed the substitution was planned and said he felt an immediate connection with the striker. Lewandowski himself was calm after the match.

It was the first match, so calm down. Everything step by step. In football nothing is built overnight or from one week to the next. I knew before the match that I could play a maximum of 45–60 minutes. After one week, less than 10 days, I obviously need more time to be ready. We made too many easy defensive mistakes and Inter Miami scored one goal more. But in the end we look ahead.

Suárez steals the show

While Lewandowski's debut was subdued, Suárez delivered a match‑winning performance. The Uruguayan, who extended his contract with Inter Miami through the 2026 season, converted a penalty and added a second‑half strike to take his team to victory. After the final whistle, the two former Barcelona forwards shared a handshake and a brief conversation on the pitch, with photos of the moment circulating widely on social media.

What comes next

Chicago Fire sit third in the Eastern Conference with 26 points, behind Inter Miami (34) and leaders Nashville SC (36).

Lewandowski said the match gave him “a few answers” about how his new teammates move and behave in competitive situations, and he expects to feel fresher with each game. Chicago Fire's next fixture is in a few days, giving the Polish captain another chance to open his MLS account.