Robert Lewandowski Makes MLS Debut in 3-2 Road Loss vs. Inter Miami CF
MLS Chicago Fire FC

Robert Lewandowski Makes MLS Debut in 3-2 Road Loss vs. Inter Miami CF

Published on July 23, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


Chicago Fire FC forward Robert Lewandowski
Chicago Fire FC forward Robert Lewandowski
(Chicago Fire FC)

MIAMI - Chicago Fire FC (8-5-2, 26 points) fell 3-2 against Inter Miami CF (10-2-4, 34 points) Wednesday evening in Miami's Nu Stadium.

Forward Robert Lewandowski made his Major League Soccer and Chicago Fire debut, playing 63 minutes from the start. Winger Puso Dithejane tallied his first-ever MLS goal coming off the bench in the second half.

With all eyes on Lewandowski's first minutes with his new squad, a back pass slipped under the legs of Miami goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo and rolled in for an unexpected 1-0 Fire lead less than 20 minutes in. The hosts shook off the shock of their own goal, however, earning a penalty kick that was converted by Luis Suárez in the 27th minute.

Coming out of the break with the score level, the hosts quickly set the tone and took the lead five minutes into the second. Forward German Berterame combined with Suárez on a give-and-go to put the Uruguayan striker in prime position for a brace, leaving goalkeeper Chris Brady unable to stop the point-blank shot for the lead.

Upon entering the match, Dithejane left his mark, making several dashes into the box. Minutes into his shift, the South African winger turned a pass from Maren Haile-Selassie into a strike that equalized the match, giving Chicago hope of leaving South Florida with points for a second straight time.

The match turned into a back-and-forth affair that wound up finding the legs of Suárez once more in the 87th minute. Brady denied him a hat trick with a massive fourth save of the night, but Preston Plembeck pounced on the rebound to seal the game for Miami in the Men in Red's first visit to Nu Stadium.

NEXT MATCH: The Fire will travel up the East Coast to take on New York City FC on Saturday, July 25. Kickoff at Yankee Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast globally on Apple TV and transmitted locally on wlsam.com in English and TUDN Chicago 106.7-HD2 and Uforia by TREBEL app in Spanish.

Match Notes:

Robert Lewandowski made his MLS and Fire debut from the start of the match. The global football icon became the seventh Poland-born player to take the pitch for Chicago Fire FC in league play, but could not become the 14th player in Club history to score in his first appearance.

Winger Puso Dithejane tallied his first goal with Chicago across all competitions to tie the match in the 67th minute. The South African winger had a match to remember, finishing third on the team in Expected Goals created in less than half an hour of play.

Winger Maren Haile-Selassie tallied his sixth assist of the season on Dithejane's game-tying goal. Haile-Selassie now has 26 assists in regular season play, placing him a three-way tie for eighth among Fire players all-time with Brian Gutiérrez and Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

Chicago played at Nu Stadium for the first time in Club history on Wednesday night. The result gave the Fire a 2-3-1 all-time record on the road against Inter Miami CF.

Defenders Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Lower Body) and Christopher Cupps (International Duty) and winger Chris Mueller (Not Due to Injury) were unavailable for selection. Midfielder André Franco (Lower Body) remains on the league Injured List and is projected to return in the second half of the season.

Social: Twitter - @chicagofire, @vamosfire (Hashtags: #cf97 #VamosFire) | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook

Box Score:

Inter Miami CF 3:2 Chicago Fire FC

Goals:

CHI - Ríos Novo (Own Goal) (WATCH) 18'

MIA - Suárez (7) (Penalty) (WATCH) 27'

MIA - Suárez (8) (Berterame 5) (WATCH) 51'

CHI - Dithejane (1) (Haile-Selassie 6) (WATCH) 67'

MIA - Plambeck (1) (WATCH) 87'

Discipline:

CHI - Elliott (Caution) 64'

MIA - Reguilón (Caution) 90+7'

Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Dean, D Waterman, D Elliott (capt.), D Gutman (Radojević, 89'), M Salétros, M D'Avilla (Pineda, 63'), M Zinckernagel (Dithejane, 62'), M Bamba, F Haile-Selassie (Shokalook, 88'), F Lewandowski (Lod, 63')

Subs not used: GK Cohen, D Barroso, D Rogers, M Oregel Jr.

Head Coach: Gregg Berhalter

Inter Miami CF: GK Rios Novo, D Mura, D Fray (Allen, 85'), D dos Santos, D Reguilón, M Ruíz (Plambeck, 69'), M Bright, M Segovia, F Silvetti (Pinter, 74'), F Suárez (capt.), F Bright

Subs not used: GK St. Clair, D Sumalla, D Abadia-Reda, M Urkidi, F Rey

Head Coach: Guillermo Hoyos

Stats Summary: MIA / CHI

Shots: 14 / 15

Shots on Goal: 7 / 4

Saves: 3 / 4

Passing Accuracy: 87.3% / 86.7%

Corners: 8 / 4

Fouls: 8 / 16

Offsides: 1 / 3

Venue: Nu Stadium (Miami, Florida)

Attendance: 25,123

Referee: Rubiel Vazquez

Assistant Referees: Nick Uranga, Jose Da Silva

Fourth Official: Edson Carvajal

VAR: Kevin Stott

AVAR: Fabio Tovar

Check out the Chicago Fire FC Statistics

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Images from this story

Chicago Fire FC forward Robert Lewandowski
Chicago Fire FC forward Robert Lewandowski
   



Major League Soccer Stories from July 23, 2026


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