Lionel Messi vs Chicago Fire | Battle with Lewandowski! 🔥 | 09/09/2026

He went up against Leo Messi, Luis Suarez, Rodrigo de Paul in training every day. Now, in a match for the first time tonight, Soccer City and the Fire are back. They're capturing this town with Robert Lewandowski. Tonight, they host Messi. What a spectacle this will be at Soldier Field. Chicago Fire into Miami when we return. He keeps doing it. Leo Messi against Atlanta. Two assists on the weekend. 30 goal contributions this year, a third straight season, the first time in MLS history a player has 30 goal contributions in three straight seasons, and he's on the verge of 100 career goals in MLA or for Inter-Miami, and what a moment this is. National Tech should put a playoff spot tonight if they win and get some results. But for Chicago, an opportunity tonight. If they win this game, they move just two points away from Miami and they have a game in hand. Big chance missed for Chicago, but the entire opening eight minutes of this game have been played, and Chicago is attacking half. Now, Leo Messi on the ball, really for the first time tonight. Comes eight minutes in. Alter telling me the next day he wanted to watch the tape for over an hour, meet with him, talk about his movement, everything else. Oh, no, he's got six goals, two assists immediately after that, so you don't score those kinds of goals in that amount of goals for that long. Levidovsky coming in. So far, so good. Segovia finds Messi. Messi shifting it, cutting it back. Leo Messi! Oh, my goodness. Just over. It is a rarity. First off, wonderful ball from Segovia. It is a rarity for him to cut against the grain. Look at three Chicago-fired defenders, all bait, get hooked on the cut, and everything was right. Even our camera guy getting caught off guard with Messi not using his left foot. The cut and everything else but the finish was there. It was less favored right foot. Leo Messi's only scored 114 goals with his right foot. He can do that as well, and that was Miami's best chance in the opening 20 minutes. They trail 1-0 thanks to a Robert Levidovsky goal ten minutes in. Messi popping it towards Suarez. Elliott intervenes. Segovia trying to find DePaul on the return, unable to. Great spot from Yannick Bright. Now this is Messi! Brady goes down, makes the save comfortably. Yeah, but that is where Miami's at their best, in my opinion, when DePaul and Bright are on the front. Playing it into Levidovsky. He just played it on the wrong angle and with the wrong pace. Now Suarez leaving for Casemiro. Davila comes back to win it for Chicago. Leo Messi did on his right foot after a comeback. The best chance they've had so far. Well, I thought Bertarame won the breakaway. Unbelievable save from Brady as well. Casemiro into Suarez. Now they start. Messi in between three. Still Messi. Over to Bertarame. Bertarame, that takes a deflection and goes over. It's a corner for Inter-Miami. No pun intended, but you're playing with fire. If you're allowing the rhythm and the quality to show, Casemiro's too good enough. He's too good to not find that ball in between the breasts. If you were forcing Miami to defend, they've got to get back to that. Brady, a punch, only as far as DePaul. Oh, it was blocked. He struck it well. Zinkernagel goes behind the wall. Messi into the wall, headed away. I think Levidovsky the one. Messi shadowed by Haile Selassie. Tried to get it to Segovia. Suarez sending it on. Dean holding off Messi. Out for a goal kick. Available for Guillermo Hoyos today. Bertarame into Messi. Dispossessed by Jack Elliott. Out to DePaul. Messi away from Saletros, and then Davila. This is Leo Messi! Oh, Brady, great save! They're vulnerable right now. The Chicago Fire are vulnerable. They're sitting in. They're not known for their defensive prowess, and now all of a sudden it allows Lionel Messi and company to then take it to them. Brady's made two wonderful saves in this first half. One down to his right, this one down to his left. And woke up Soldier Field a bit. Messi now to take this corner. Levidovsky, the defensive header, gave a goal kick, but he kept that out from Bertarame, and then here a moment ago on Messi. Now Miami, are they growing into this? Yannick Bright cutting it towards Messi, and in between Messi and Suarez, Bright gets it back. What a ball to Bertarame! Knocking it down, Messi! Big block, Jonathan Dean. It's forced Chicago to defend a little bit deeper. Just a wonderful touch from Yannick Bright, and even a decent layoff from Bertarame. Back to DePaul. Bright, Messi. Bertarame. Still, now he'll try it. Brady, another save. Not clear, though. Suarez across! Brady, an important touch. Five shots for Messi, just one for Levidovsky, but it is the goal in Chicago. Every single season that that stat has been around. Tells you the quality that they have. It just tells you the ability to score this spectacular goal. Tonight, no different. Levidovsky with a great finish. Messi and Miami were getting closer. I mean, I was in this building for the Messi and friends... You were? ...spectacle that it was. Who scored the bicycle kick? The Northwestern players. Yeah, his first name was Matt. I'm going to look it up, because he deserved... Well, no, he was Messi and friends. One of the greatest goals you'll ever see. You know what might get Miami to come out earlier is every time they don't, we turn this into story time, and then the fans... Oh, no, we'll lose viewers. Exactly. Absolutely. Ellison. Matt Ellison. Or Eliason, however you say it. Sorry, Matt. July 18, 2013. Miami forced the giveaway. Messi's onside. Messi cutting it. Bertarame trying to leave it for Messi. He has it. Messi! Another save from Brady. Oh, what a block. Noah Allen there to deny his former teammate, Herman Bertarame, on the doorstep. Brilliant. Brilliant save from Brady. An even better reaction from the former Inter-Miami Academy player, Noah Allen. Noah Allen just right before the shot is taken. Oh, he's got it. His third straight markable. What a weapon he's become. Eight headed goals in the Premier League last year, more than any player in the Prem. And now a third straight game, scoring directly off a corner. Miami have leveled it. When it comes off, and Noah Allen blocking the rebound attempt from Bertarame. And now another dangerous set piece for Miami and Messi. Chris Brady about 30 yards away. What will Messi do? Will he try it, or will he look for a teammate? Messi is going to try it, and Brady read that well, sends it out for another corner. You could almost tell with the run-up and the angle that Messi was taking that... The win probability now very even, of course, with the match leveled, 1-1, by Casemiro. Allen took it away, Miami win it right back. Messi turning, Davila poked it away. Bright slides in. I think so. But then again, Chris Brady deserves one of the best saves of the season, and they gave it as a goal kick, so... So Davila joins Jonathan Dean in the book for Chicago, Maxi Falcone, Telasco Segovia on yellows for Miami. Header only as far as Haile Selassie. His shot was blocked. Messi settling, Miami have numbers. Four on two if they go fast enough. Berhalter desperately need from Zincronago. He's had very little influence on the game in the attacking third. That first ball from Segovia maybe wasn't as clean, but Chicago Fire did a good job. From Nashville, currently sit in first in the entire league atop the supporters' shield standings. But for that to really matter... The way the Eastern Conference is set up, the way the season's gone for both teams... Oh, what a ball from DePaul. Messi across off of Elliott. Good defending from Elliott. The opportunity is in front of both Chicago and Inter-Miami. He's an under-22 initiative player. This game still developing. Now Messi drops deep to collect the ball at midfield into the feet of Bertarame. Yeah, this is not what you want if you're Chicago Fire. This is not what you want when this guy can find the game, find the spaces, Moura's in. Tried to cut it to Suarez, broken up by Davila. Messi's on it, though. Messi, I'll cut it to Shaw, who wasn't expecting it. They have some reinforcements coming. Matias Galarza, the Paraguayan international. Riquelme Felipe, an under-22 initiative player, a Brazilian. DePaul, Messi. Over to Moura. Barroso defends. Messi tried to get it in to Bertarame. It was broken up. Casemiro to DePaul. DePaul again, Bertarame went over his head. Shaw leaving. Messi's shot was blocked. Brady will come catch. With Nico Estevez, Chicago's assistant right now, but again, the play continues. Suarez trying to clip it in. Ends up with Messi around Saletros, who gets his hands up, and it's a set piece for Inter-Miami in added time. Minimum six will go beyond that, most likely. Leo Messi stands. Once again, about 30 yards from Chris Brady. There was a spot in this in the 2016 Copa America against former Illinois native Brad Guzon. Yes. For the U.S. national team where he would go to the far corner and float it up over the goalkeeper. I just... The way Chris Brady has played tonight, can he come up with another save? Messi, he's just trying to drive it with Chase That distance is too difficult, I think. Chicago can't clear. From that distance, just difficult to really test Brady, I think. Inter-Miami and the Chicago Fire play to a 1-1 draw.