<\/p>\n
Inter Miami CF forward Luis Su\u00e1rez (9) reacts after scoring against Austin FC in the second half of their MLS match at Nu Stadium in Miami Freedom Park on Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Miami, Florida.<\/p>\n
PHOTO BY AL DIAZ<\/p>\n
adiaz@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
The World Cup is over, but Major League Soccer kicked right back into action after a seven-week hiatus with the marketing campaign slogan \u201cThanks World, We\u2019ll Take It From Here,\u201d aiming to leverage the momentum of the World Cup to the U.S. domestic league.<\/p>\n
Inter Miami makes its return Wednesday night with a home game at Nu Stadium against the Chicago Fire, which just added legendary Polish striker Robert Lewandowski to its roster (7:30 p.m., Apple TV)<\/p>\n
Lewandowski, 37, is one of the best forwards of his generation and came to the Fire after playing for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona. He has 629 career goals and 159 assists and will replace Hugo Cuypers, who leads the MLS Golden Boot race with 13 goals and is leaving for Liga MX club Monterrey.<\/p>\n
![\"Polish](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285479115.jpg\" "\\"GettyImages-2285479115.jpg\\"")
Polish forward #09 Robert Lewandowski is officially introduced during the press conference as a newest member of the Chicago Fire FC at Endeavor Health Performance Center ahead of his MLS debut in Chicago, Illinois, on July 14 2026. Poland’s all-time leading goal scorer Robert Lewandowski has signed a contract through the 2027-28 campaign with the Chicago Fire, the Major League Soccer club announced in late June 2026. The 37-year-old striker arrives from Barcelona after helping the Spanish giants capture the La Liga crown last month having starred from 2014-2022 with Bayern Munich. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI \/ AFP via Getty Images) KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n
Miami will be without captain Lionel Messi and midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who are taking a vacation after their grueling run to the World Cup final with Argentina, which ended in a 1-0 defeat to Spain on Sunday.<\/p>\n
World Cup players typically take off two to three weeks before returning to their clubs, which means Messi and De Paul might miss the next three MLS games against Chicago, Montreal and Columbus and return for the Leagues Cup opener August 5 against Mexican club Atletico de San Luis.<\/p>\n
Messi spent a day at home in South Florida and then flew with his family to Rosario, Argentina, arriving early Tuesday morning. He is expected to spend time with his father, Jorge, who was undergoing medical treatment for an unspecified illness and was unable to travel to the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Tens of thousands of Argentines gathered around Buenos Aires\u2019 Obelisk on Sunday to cheer the national team, applauding the Albiceleste\u2019s effort and chanting: \u201cGracias iguales.\u201d (Thanks just the same). Fans greeted Messi with signs and flags when his private jet arrived from Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe World Cup ended just hours ago, and what they need now more than anything is to rest, to be with their loved ones, in their homes,\u201d Inter Miami coach Guillermo Hoyos said of Messi and De Paul Tuesday before training. \u201cAnd to take advantage of the delirium of Argentine soccer because the scene at the Obelisk [Sunday] was incredible, as if they won the championship and that is marvelous. They will take whatever time they need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if they would be back for Leagues Cup, Hoyos replied: \u201cWe\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inter Miami sits in second place in the Eastern Conference with 19 games remaining in the regular season. The Chicago Fire is in third place.<\/p>\n
Miami won four consecutive MLS games before the World Cup break, but allowed nine goals during that stretch, including four in a wild 6-4 victory over the Philadelphia Union in the final game before the hiatus. The teams were tied 4-4 at halftime, which was an MLS record. Luis Suarez and De Paul scored late goals for Miami.<\/p>\n
Without Messi, who has scored 12 goals and assisted on seven, Inter Miami will likely turn to German Berterame to partner with Suarez up top. Berterame has seven goals so far this season and Suarez has six.<\/p>\n
Asked how he planned to replace Messi and De Paul, Hoyos said: \u201cReplacing extraordinary players like the ones we have\u2026 well, they\u2019re irreplaceable. We have players and this week they have to start manifesting themselves without two of our biggest players, but I think they are capable of having an excellent game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miami\u2019s back line might be missing Maxi Falcon and Gonzalo Lujan, who trained apart from the team on Tuesday with undisclosed injuries.<\/p>\n
Whoever starts will likely have a difficult task as Lewandowski is expected to make his Fire debut on Wednesday after the team\u2019s home game against Vancouver last Thursday was rescheduled due to the Canadian wildfires.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows the growth of MLS having a player like Lewandowski,\u201d Hoyos said. \u201cBringing those players who make a difference. We will try to enjoy it, but hopefully it won\u2019t be his day and it will be ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Fire\u2019s three World Cup players are back in action: goalkeeper Chris Brady (USA), defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi (South Africa) and defender Joel Waterman (Canada).<\/p>\n
The biggest questions are whether Lewandowski will start and how many minutes he will play.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to see on Wednesday night where we are,\u201d said Fire coach Gregg Berhalter. \u201cI have a lot of respect for Inter Miami. They have a great squad. They will most likely be missing a couple players in [Lionel] Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, although you never know with Messi and Rodrigo De Paul. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if they somehow played in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, we just want to keep getting better. One thing I can tell you about Robert is tremendous work rate. When you think about a guy coming into the team, who jet lagged all last week, and he\u2019s pushing the guys in training, we are doing fitness stuff, he\u2019s pushing that and doing extra work after. You can see why he\u2019s been a pro and why he\u2019s scored more goals than anyone in Europe in the last 15 years because he\u2019s an absolute pro, on the field. In the training sessions he\u2019s been high quality, scoring goals and he looks like a great player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berhalter said Inter Miami poses challenges with or without Messi and De Paul.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have a great roster, and Messi is a top player in the league. So obviously he makes any team that much better, but they have great players, and they are champions for a reason because they have a good mind-set, good mentality, they compete,\u201d Berhalter said.<\/p>\n
Notes: Without Messi in the lineup, tickets for the match were available for $48 from TicketMaster and for less than $20 on the secondary market as of Tuesday afternoon\u2026 Inter Miami facilities (Florida Blue Training Center, Nu Stadium and Inter Miami CF Stadium) were utilized by 13 national teams this summer, including 11 who played in the World Cup.<\/p>\n
Nations that trained or played at Inter Miami facilities since June 1: Argentina, Cape Verde, Colombia, England, France, Haiti, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Scotland, Turkey, Venezuela.<\/p>\n
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