Suárez, Miami spoil Lewandowski's Chicago debut

MIAMI -- Preston Plambeck scored his first career goal in MLS in the 87th minute, Luis Suárez scored twice, and Inter Miami CF beat Chicago 3-2 on Wednesday night to spoil Robert Lewandowski's debut for the Fire.

>Miami (10-2-4) has won five straight, with the streak starting before MLS took a six-week hiatus during the FIFA World Cup. Miami was playing without Lionel Messi and Rodrigo de Paul, who are both taking time off after a run to the World Cup final with Argentina.

>"I want to congratulate the entire squad, a group that has worked incredibly hard during this period," Miami manager Guillermo Hoyos said after the game. "We've been doing things right. I also want to congratulate the whole club. There are so many people working behind the scenes who make this great happiness possible. It's truly moving, because that's what football is all about: emotions, achievements, and feelings."

>Suárez scored three goals, his first hat trick in MLS since 2024, in Miami's last game before the break, a 6-4 win over Philadelphia.

>Suárez had his shot from the center of the area parried by goalkeeper Chris Brady but Plambeck slammed home the rebound to give Miami the win late in the game.

>The Fire took a 1-0 lead on an own goal by goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo in the 18th minute. Miami defender Ian Fray played slow, rolling ball to Ríos Novo, but the ball slipped through the goalkeeper's legs as he whiffed on an attempted first-touch pass.

>Suárez converted from the spot in the 27th to make it 1-1.

>Puso Dithejane subbed on for Philip Zinckernagel in the 62nd minute and scored his first career goal in MLS on a first-touch shot from just inside the penalty area to tie it at 2-2 in the 67th, before Plambeck scored in second-half stoppage time to give Miami the win.

>Hoyos addressed the absence of Messi and De Paul after the match.

>"I believe, and I've said this several times, that rest is vital. It's part of an individual's growth and development," Hoyos said. "They need this time, and we are completely open to giving them whatever time they require. There is no set return date. We trust and care for them so much, and we want them back only when they are truly ready, fully recovered in every aspect. It has been an incredibly grueling stretch, 50 days of intense pressure and World Cup matches.

>"It's immense, and the physical and mental toll is real. They truly deserve this time off, and we'll be waiting for them to return whenever they are able and in the right condition to do so."

>The 37-year-old Lewandowski signed with the Fire on June 29 and his first MLS appearance was delayed. The Fire had their game against Vancouver, which had originally been scheduled for Thursday, postponed until Oct. 6 due to air quality conditions in the Chicago area.

>Lewandowski, a seven-time Bundesliga Golden Boot winner, scored a league-record 41 goals in the 2020-21 campaign with Bayern Munich.

>Chicago (8-5-2) had its three-game win streak snapped.

>Hugo Cuypers, who currently leads MLS with 13 goals this season, will reportedly be leaving the Fire to join CF Monterrey of Liga MX.

>Information from The Associated Press was used in this recap.