MLS Bans Luis Suárez After Spitting Incident In Leagues Cup Final

‎Major League Soccer has suspended Inter Miami striker Luis Suárez for three league matches following his involvement in the mass brawl between Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders after the Leagues Cup final.

‎Suárez was at the forefront of the disruption, initially grabbing Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas in a headlock before being pulled away. Later, TV cameras captured Suárez shouting at and spitting on Sounders security director Gene Ramirez.

‎Seattle Sounders team psychologist Steven Lenhart, a former MLS player known for his confrontational and physical style, has had his credential revoked for the rest of the 2025 season.

‎He was among several Sounders players and staff who joined the melee involving Inter Miami players and staff. Despite the incident, Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets escaped punishment.

‎Cameras had captured him raising a hand to Vargas’ face, which escalated the clash alongside Luis Suárez’s actions.

‎The ban means Suárez will miss Miami’s upcoming games at Charlotte FC on 13 September, at home in a rematch against the Sounders three days later, and another home game against DC United on 20 September.

‎The MLS suspensions are noticeably lighter than those issued by the Leagues Cup, which operates its own disciplinary process despite being co-run by MLS.

‎In that ruling, Luis Suárez was banned for six games, while Sergio Busquets received a two-game suspension. Steven Lenhart was handed a five-game ban, and Miami defender Tomás Áviles was suspended for three games.

‎It is entirely possible that, given the ages of Suárez (38) and Busquets (37) and the fact that both players’ contracts are up at the end of this season, neither will be made to serve any of their Leagues Cup suspensions. The MLS suspensions, meanwhile, will keep Suárez out of three crucial games as Miami aims to improve its playoff seeding.

‎As of now, the Herons sit sixth in the East, four points out of a spot that would get them home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and 10 points back of the Supporters’ Shield.

‎Luis Suárez’s suspension is broadly consistent with previous MLS punishments for spitting, though past incidents typically occurred in isolation during play.

‎Last season, Héctor Herrera received a two-game ban after VAR caught him spitting at a referee in Houston Dynamo’s final match. In 2023, Real Salt Lake’s Jasper Löffelsend was handed a similar two-game suspension for spitting.

‎Suárez posted an apology on Instagram four days after the final, saying that “It was a moment of great tension and frustration, where right after the match things happened that shouldn’t have happened, but that doesn’t justify the reaction I had … I was wrong and I sincerely regret it.”

‎Inter Miami posted a statement saying the club “condemns” the scenes that erupted after the final, but stopped short of apologizing.