Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut ended in defeat as Luis Suárez inspired Inter Miami to a 3-2 victory over Chicago Fire.
With plenty of eyeballs on the domestic product as U.S. Soccer looks to build on a hugely successful World Cup, the game didn’t get off to the best start.
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Miami defender Ian Fray rolled the ball to goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo in the 18th minute and he somehow managed to take a wild swing with his right boot, miss completely and see the ball trickle into his own goal.
Thankfully for Fray, the effort went down as an own-goal for the goalkeeper to protect his stat sheet.
Fans quickly took to social media to share the clip and question the quality on display in MLS.
“I decided to give the MLS a shot after watching the entire World Cup. Then this happened,” wrote one.
He later added: “I’m sure this is an outlier but man the quality is so far down from the World Cup it’s crazy.”
“MLS delivering peak comedy as usual. That keeper looked traumatised,” added another.
“Messi wasn’t crying because he lost the World Cup he was crying because he knew he had to go back to this,” read one brutal joke.
“You must have forgot what the US goalie did against Belgium then,” another chimed in reference to Matt Freese’s whiff in the World Cup loss.
Luis Suarez steps up in Lionel Messi absence
Fortunately for MLS chiefs, the rest of the game was a great advert for the product.
Miami — playing without Argentina stars Lionel Messi and Rodrigo de Paul, as well as new signing Casemiro — levelled from the spot through Suárez, who made it 2-0 after half-time.
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Substitute Puso Dithejane brought Chicago level with his first MLS goal, but Preston Plambeck matched his milestone with an 87th minute winner to get off the mark for his hometown club.
Miami has won five straight in a streak that began before the six-week hiatus.
The MLS regular season runs from February 21 to November 7, but took a mid-season break to accommodate players who were called up to represent their respective nations in the World Cup, mainly the US men’s national team.
The league returned to action on July 16.
“I want to congratulate the entire squad, a group that has worked incredibly hard during this period,” Herons 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.”
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Hoyos is going to give Messi and De Paul plenty to time to recover after their run to the final.
“I believe, and I’ve said this several times, that rest is vital,” he said. “It’s part of an individual’s growth and development.
“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.”
Lewandowski signed for the Fire on June 29 but saw his potential debut postponed over hazardous weather.
He brings plenty of pedigree from his time with Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
The seven-time Bundesliga Golden Boot winner’s arrival is expected to see the MLS’ leading scorer Hugo Cuypers join CF Monterrey of Liga MX.
