Plambeck's late goal lifts Inter Miami past Chicago 3-2
Inter Miami CF beat Chicago Fire 3-2 on July 22, 2026, when Preston Plambeck scored a late rebound goal in the 87th minute. Luis Suárez scored twice after Miami's own goal put Chicago ahead. The result spoiled Robert Lewandowski's MLS debut and extended Miami's win streak without Lionel Messi.
Key Takeaways
- Preston Plambeck's 87th-minute rebound goal sealed Inter Miami's 3-2 win over Chicago Fire at Nu Stadium.
- Luis Suárez scored twice, including a 27th-minute penalty, after Rocco Ríos Novo's own goal put Chicago ahead.
- Robert Lewandowski made his MLS debut for Chicago but did not score in 63 minutes.
- Miami played without Lionel Messi and Rodrigo de Paul after Argentina's World Cup final run.
- Puso Dithejane's first MLS goal tied the match at 2-2 before Miami's late winner.
Inter Miami returned from the FIFA World Cup break with a chaotic, high-stakes night in South Florida. The hosts erased an early deficit, surrendered a late equalizer, then found a decisive goal when Plambeck pounced on a Chris Brady save. For fans who track sports storylines as closely as money moves, more context lives in our Wealth Hacks & Passive Income hub.
What happened in Miami's 3-2 win over Chicago?
Chicago struck first in the 18th minute without needing a clean finish from open play. Miami defender Ian Fray played a slow back pass toward goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo. With Lewandowski already in the penalty area, Ríos Novo whiffed on a first-touch pass and the ball slipped through his legs for an own goal.
According to Yahoo Sports, the howler came on Ríos Novo's first playing time since March 14. Miami started him ahead of usual starter Dayne St. Clair. The Fire led 1-0 in Miami's first match since May 24.
Suárez leveled from the penalty spot in the 27th minute. Five minutes into the second half, German Berterame combined with Suárez on a give-and-go, and the Uruguayan finished point-blank past Brady for a 2-1 lead.
Chicago answered in the 67th minute. Puso Dithejane, who entered for Philip Zinckernagel in the 62nd minute, turned a Maren Haile-Selassie pass into his first career MLS goal from just inside the box. The score sat at 2-2 until stoppage approached.
In the 87th minute, Brady denied Suárez a hat trick with a strong save. Plambeck slammed home the rebound for his first MLS goal and the 3-2 winner. Chicago Fire reported attendance of 25,123 at Nu Stadium, the club's first visit to the venue.
Why did the late goal matter for both clubs?
The late goal kept Inter Miami second in the Eastern Conference at 34 points, per Yahoo Sports. Nashville remained the only team ahead. ESPN reported Miami has won five straight, a streak that began before MLS paused for the World Cup.
Chicago's three-game winning run ended. The Fire sit on 26 points after the road loss. Gregg Berhalter's side created volume—15 shots to Miami's 14—but managed only four shots on goal to Miami's seven, according to the club's match recap.
Manager Guillermo Hoyos praised the full squad after the restart. "I want to congratulate the entire squad, a group that has worked incredibly hard during this period," he said. "We've been doing things right."
The win also underlined Miami's depth without Messi and de Paul. Hoyos said rest is vital after "50 days of intense pressure and World Cup matches," with no set return date while both recover.
How did Robert Lewandowski's MLS debut go?
Lewandowski, who signed with Chicago on June 29, started and played 63 minutes before being replaced by Lod. The 37-year-old did not score and did not become the 14th Fire player to score in a first appearance, the club said.
His debut had been delayed after Chicago's Vancouver match was postponed to Oct. 6 because of air-quality issues. ESPN noted Lewandowski's pedigree as a seven-time Bundesliga Golden Boot winner who scored a league-record 41 goals for Bayern Munich in 2020-21.
He still shaped the night's first goal. Yahoo Sports reported that Fray's back pass looked ill-advised with Lewandowski pressing, and Ríos Novo appeared distracted by the approaching striker as the ball rolled in.
Dithejane made an immediate impact off the bench, finishing third on the Fire in expected goals created in under 30 minutes, Chicago said. Haile-Selassie's assist was his sixth of the season and left him tied for eighth on the club's all-time regular-season assist list.
Who else shaped the result after the World Cup break?
Suárez carried Miami's attack. ESPN noted he scored a hat trick in the club's last pre-break match, a 6-4 win over Philadelphia, and added two more here. Brady finished with four saves, including the stop that set up Plambeck's winner.
Chicago substitutions drove the equalizer: Dithejane entered in the 62nd minute, with Pineda and Lod also introduced around the hour mark. Miami's decisive change was Plambeck entering in the 69th minute for Ruíz before scoring late.
Discipline stayed mostly quiet. Elliott was cautioned for Chicago in the 64th minute, and Reguilón was booked for Miami in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
ESPN also reported that Hugo Cuypers, who leads MLS with 13 goals this season, is reportedly leaving the Fire to join CF Monterrey of Liga MX—another subplot around a Fire attack still introducing Lewandowski.
Chicago next faces New York City FC on Saturday, July 25, at Yankee Stadium (6:30 p.m. CT), with global coverage on Apple TV, the Fire said. Miami, meanwhile, banked three points without its Argentina World Cup stars and showed that one late goal can still decide a night built on chaos.