Preston Plambeck scored in his fourth career MLS appearance in the 87th minute to spoil Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut and lift short-handed Inter Miami to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Chicago Fire on Wednesday night.
Luis Suarez scored his seventh and eighth goals of the season for Miami (10-4-2, 34 points), which was playing without Lionel Messi and Rodrigo de Paul. Both were granted leave from the club after helping Argentina reach Sunday’s World Cup final.
Puso Dithejane leveled for Chicago (8-5-2, 26 points) midway through the second half, after an error from Miami goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo gifted the Fire an early lead.
Lewandowski, the former Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona star, played 62 minutes in his first MLS match for Chicago after the 37-year-old’s signing became official in late June.
But it was the 20-year-old Plambeck who made the decisive play to extend the second-place Herons’ winning streak to five matches on a night they began six points behind Eastern Conference-leading Nashville.
As he did on his second goal, Suarez combined with German Berterame to work into the penalty area.
This time Chris Brady saved the initial attempt. But Plambeck contorted his body and was able to guide the airborne rebound over the line on his first touch.
Chicago went in front when Rios Novo whiffed on a routine backpass from Ian Fray, allowing the ball to cross the goal line in the 18th minute.
Suarez’s first goal came from the penalty spot nine minutes later. Brady guessed incorrectly, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered with Suarez’s right-footed strike kissing the inside of the left post.
The Uruguayan veteran’s second arrived in the 51st minute, finishing past Brady after a give-and-go with Berterame that included Berterame’s exquisite back-heeled return ball.
Dithejane responded in the 67th minute, five minutes after his insertion during a triple substitution that also saw Lewandowski exit. Following a deflection of a rebound off Maren Haile-Selassie, Dithejane turned his body and fired a first-time finish between the diving Rios Novo and the right post.
The Fire looked more likely to break the tie for most of the next 20 minutes, but were ultimately punished for allowing Suarez into the box one more time.
–Field Level Media
