Major League Soccer He returned from the six-week World Cup break on Wednesday evening with a statement of intent from the competition’s biggest names, and it was the 39-year-old Uruguayan, rather than the high-profile European debutants, who stole the show.
Miami is going without Messi
Inter Miami took over at the Nou Stadium, beating Chicago Fire 3-2 in a thrilling return to action.
With Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul on an extended break after Argentina reached the World Cup final, Luis Suarez had to keep Miami’s momentum going.
The veteran Uruguayan gave an outstanding performance, scoring two goals to lead the Herons to their fifth consecutive victory and raise his tally this season to eight goals.
Chicago opened the scoring with an own goal in the 18th minute, before Suarez scored from a penalty kick in the 28th minute to calmly equalize after David Ruiz was fouled inside the penalty area by Jack Elliott.
German Berteram put Miami in front before the end of the first half, but Bossu Dethijan came on as a substitute to equalize in the 67th minute with his first touch from inside the penalty area.
It looked as if the points might be shared until local midfielder Preston Plumbeck arrived in the 87th minute to score his first ever MLS goal and send the Nou Stadium into jubilation.
Miami is now five points behind Nashville in the Supporters’ Shield race, with a Round 18 trip to Montreal on Saturday.
Lewandowski’s debut fails
It was an eventful night for Chicago despite the defeat, as legendary Polish striker Robert Lewandowski made his long-awaited MLS debut at the Nou Stadium.
Having arrived in the United States just over a week ago, the 37-year-old came on as a substitute at half-time and provided glimpses of his quality without being able to change the result.
Coach Gregg Berhalter was measured in his assessment of what to expect from Lewandowski in the coming weeks, tempering expectations while making clear the impact will come.
“It was a priority for us to be on the field today,” Berhalter said. “He has only trained for seven or eight days, so we expect him to have a big impact as he continues to build his fitness.
“Like any player, you have to build, get strong, get your strength, and then get in good shape. The timing varies from person to person. We’re not in pre-season now, we’re in the middle of the season, so that’s something to take into account.”
Griezmann goes straight out of the goal
It’s hard to imagine Antoine Griezmann’s debut in Orlando City being any better than it was on Wednesday night in California.
The 35-year-old Frenchman, who joined from Atletico Madrid last March and is the club’s all-time top scorer with 211 goals in 488 games during his two spells in the Spanish capital, announced himself to the Orlando fans as the Lions thrashed the San Jose Earthquakes 4-0 at PayPal Park.
Eduard Atuesta was the creative force behind the performance with three assists, but it was Griezmann who provided the moment the fans had been waiting for.
David Brekalo opened the scoring in the seventh minute with an unmarked header after a perfect free kick from Atuesta. Ivan Angulo made it 2-0 in the 29th minute with a low shot past Angus Gunn without any significant pressure. Then, in the 48th minute, Griezmann had his chance.
Justin Ellis collected a pass in the attacking third and passed the Frenchman, who dribbled past three defenders before firing a low shot inside the near post.
Griezmann led the game in chances created with five, and led Orlando in touches and passes, lasting the full 90 minutes.
The result raised Orlando to tenth place in the Eastern Conference, just two points behind DC United in last place.
