Lewandowski vs. Messi: Chicago Fire host Inter Miami in marquee match

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Major League Soccer

·8 September 2026

Lewandowski vs. Messi: Chicago Fire host Inter Miami in marquee match

By Jaime Uribarri

Global legends clash Wednesday night when Robert Lewandowski and Chicago Fire FC welcome Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in a marquee match between Eastern Conference elite.

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How to watch & stream

Apple TV

When

Wednesday, Sept. 9 | 8:30 pm ET/5:30 pm PT

Where

Soldier Field | Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Fire FC

Standings

3rd in Eastern Conference
38 points (11W-6L-5D)

Last game

Chicago made it six straight unbeaten and three draws in a row after playing to a wild 4-4 goalfest at Toronto FC.

Maren Haile-Selassie scored a brace, and Lewandowski contributed 1g/1a, but Toronto winger Derrick Etienne Jr.'s 92nd-minute golazo denied Chicago all three points.

Players to watch

Robert Lewandowski: Chicago's blockbuster summer signing and Poland's all-time leading scorer has 5g/2a in his first eight MLS appearances since arriving from FC Barcelona.
Maren Haile-Selassie: The Swiss attacker has scored in three straight league games and has a team-best 15 goal contributions (7g/8a).
Philip Zinckernagel: The two-time MLS All-Star and 2025 Newcomer of the Year finalist recently signed a contract extension, which made him a Designated Player.
Chris Brady: The homegrown goalkeeper has six clean sheets this season and made the USMNT's 2026 FIFA World Cup squad over the summer.

Need to know

Lewandowski highlights an active summer transfer window for Chicago, who also brought in defender Noah Allen on loan from Miami and acquired additional European-based reinforcements (Anzor Mekvabishvili, Johan Gómez and Andreas Hanche-Olsen).

They're the newest pieces of an ambitious project under director of football and head coach Gregg Berhalter, who took over ahead of 2025 and guided the club back to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Inter Miami CF

Standings

2nd in Eastern Conference
43 points (12W-4L-7D)

Last game

Messi broke another MLS record in his first game since retiring from the Argentina national team.

The legendary No. 10 tallied two assists during Inter Miami's 2-2 home draw against Atlanta United to reach 18g/12a on the season, becoming the first player in league history with at least 30 goal contributions in three separate campaigns.

Fellow superstars Casemiro and Luis Suárez scored for the Herons, but they settled for a point after Breel Embolo tallied a late penalty-kick goal for Atlanta on his MLS debut.

Players to watch

Lionel Messi: Now fully committed to club duty, Messi is eyeing a third straight Landon Donovan MLS MVP award and narrowly leads FC Dallas striker Petar Musa in the Golden Boot presented by Audi race.
Luis Suárez: The legendary Uruguayan striker is up to 12g/8a, making it three straight seasons with double-digit goals for Miami.
Casemiro: The former Real Madrid and Manchester United midfielder has scored in his last two games, both as a makeshift center back.
Rodrigo De Paul: Messi's now-former Argentina teammate remains his unofficial "bodyguard" on the Herons, all while producing 4g/10a in his first full MLS season.

Need to know

Inter Miami are looking to find another gear in their quest to become the first back-to-back MLS Cup champions since the 2011-12 LA Galaxy.

With Messi, Suárez & Co. firing on all cylinders and new head coach Kily González set to take the reins in the coming days, the defending champions hope to find their form as the stretch run approaches.