Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez could be in for a lengthy suspension after spitting on a Seattle Sounders staff member during the Leagues Cup final on Sunday, which the Herons lost 3-0 in Seattle. The match was marred by a melee, and Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets appeared to punch Seattle midfielder Obed Vargas. Due to the incident happening in the Leagues Cup, the disciplinary committee for that tournament will look at the incident in order to hand down disciplinary actions, but that doesn’t mean that things won’t spill over to MLS.
Suarez has his own long history of incidents, being charged with racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in 2011, biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in 2013, and biting Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup. That World Cup incident ended with Suarez receiving serious discipline as he was banned from soccer for four months. This may not be as long, but could it end his season in MLS play?
Clint Dempsey is one of the highest-profile suspects after confronting a referee during the U.S. Open Cup in 2015, ripping up their notebook. Dempsey was suspended in the tournament for six games, but MLS added a three-game suspension within the league as well. Former Real Salt Lake coach Mike Petke was once given a three-game Leagues Cup suspension for actions toward the referees. MLS added a three-match league suspension to that.
In the league, former Houston Dynamo midfielder Hector Herrera spat in the direction of a referee in 2024 during the playoffs. He was red-carded and sent off, and that action played a part in Houston not picking up his team option, according to general manager Pat Onstad. Due to the timing of that incident, he didn’t receive an additional suspension, but that doesn’t mean that Suarez won’t.
So what is allowed in terms of punishments?
What does the CBA allow?
While the incident took place in the Leagues Cup, looking at the Collective Bargaining Agreement, this incident would still fall under discipline for on-field misconduct, as that covers “misconduct that occurs in any stadium or playing facility and which occurs at, during, or in connection with any game or tournament in which the player competes.”
Since Suarez was at Lumen Field, this allows discipline to be imposed by MLS after it is reviewed by the Leagues Cup Disciplinary Committee. That committee must be composed of five members, and four of those are appointed by the commissioner. Two members must be former MLS players, and the committee can hand down their suspension. If it is greater than two games, then the MLS Players Association is allowed to appeal in writing to the commissioner, at which point, a time and place for the appeal will be set.
It gets murky in how many games that the league can hand down, but considering the severity of the situation, if Suarez doesn’t appear in any of Miami’s remaining 10 games of the MLS regular season, it would not come as a surprise. With the Herons not playing again until Sep. 13, there is time for this to be worked out, and the league may need all the time that they can get to work through all the ramifications of a potential suspension.
