Suarez gets three-match league ban for Leagues Cup spitting

NEW YORK, NY–Major League Soccer has suspended Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez three matches for spitting at Seattle Sounders head of security Gene Ramirez after the Leagues Cup Final on August 31st. This is in addition to the six-match ban for Leagues Cup play that will take effect next year.

Sounders assistant Steven Lenhart, who received a five-match Leagues Cup ban for entering the Inter Miami technical area in “an aggressive and confrontational manner”, had his credential revoked for the remainder of the 2025 season. The Sounders were fined for misappropriation of credentials as well. Lenhart had been serving as a mental coach for the Sounders.

Suarez will miss Saturday’s match at Charlotte, the September 16th rematch with the Sounders at Chase Stadium, and the September 20th match against DC United. Segio Busquets, who received a two-match Leagues Cup ban for punching Seattle’s Obed Vargas, and Tomas Aviles, who got three matches for going after anyone in Sounders colors post-match, escaped further punishment.

The Leagues Cup bans may be redundant in 2026 as both Suarez and Busquets are out of contract after this season and neither have announced their intentions for 2026 and beyond.

COMMENT:  Given Suarez’s history of ill-discipline which we won’t go into extensively, three matches seems extraordinarily lenient by the league and will not prove popular judging by the sample of comments from this article from The Athletic. Both Busquets and Aviles should also feel fortunate not to receive additional punishment which the league reserved the right to do in this situation.

It will prove more unpopular if there is further incident during the September 16th match between the two sides at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

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