South African winger Puso Dithejane made a huge impact as Chicago Fire lost 3-2 to Inter Miami in the MLS, with Robert Lewandowski making his debut.
The US league took a six-week break ahead of the FIFA World Cup, with several clubs strengthening their squads before the season resumed after the global showpiece.
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami continued their campaign with a 3-2 victory over Chicago at NU Stadium inMiami. However, the Argentine superstar was absent after recently featuring in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
Chicago took the lead through an own goal by Rocco Novo Rios before Luis Suárez scored a brace to put Miami in front as the hosts chased all three points.
Dithejane, who had come off the bench after 63 minutes, levelled the scores for Chicago in the 67th minute, raising hopes of earning his side a valuable point away from home. It was his first MLS goalsince joining Chicago in January.
However, Preston Plambeck struck a late winner tosecure all three points for Miami.
Meanwhile, Mbekezeli Mbokazi did not feature in thematch because of a lower-body injury.