Three days after Luis Suárez was penalized by the Leagues Cup for instigating a post-game brawl, MLS is adding to the Inter Miami forward’s punishment. Suárez has been suspended three games by the league, via multiple outlets, on top of his six-game suspension by the Leagues Cup organization.
The Uruguayan forward sparked a skirmish after Miami lost 3-0 to the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup final last weekend. Suárez pulled Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas into a headlock shortly after the final whistle, inciting a physical fight between the two teams, before later spitting on a Seattle staff member.
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With the suspension, Suárez will miss the next three regular-season games — including, notably, Inter Miami hosting the Sounders on Sept. 16. Suárez will be eligible to return to the team Sept. 24, as Miami faces NYCFC.
In addition, MLS has revoked the credential of Sounders assistant Steven Lenhart for the rest of the season, and fined the team for misappropriation of credentials. Lenhart, a former MLS player, joined Seattle as a mental health adviser this season.
Lenhart was suspended five games by the Leagues Cup as part of the penalties handed down by the organization.
Miami defender Tomás Avilés and midfielder Sergio Busquets, who were suspended three games and two games, respectively, by the Leagues Cup, avoided punishment from MLS.
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MLS has set a precedent in the past for penalizing MLS players and coaches at non-MLS events, including the suspension of former Real Salt Lake coach Mike Petke after an outburst at the League Cup in 2019, and the suspension of Sounders legend Clint Dempsey after a US Open Cup incident in 2015. Now, Suárez becomes the latest example for the league.
Suárez posted an apology on his Instagram last week, though he did not address any specifics in the scuffle. Additionally, Inter Miami released a vague statement last week to say that it “condemns the altercations that took place.”
With Seattle traveling to play Miami next week, it will mark just the third time the two teams have met since Inter Miami joined the league in 2020.
