Inter Miamis heavy loss to the Seattle Sounders could have been the story, but a chaotic postgame marked by Luis Suarez spitting at a member of the Sounders ensured the night would be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
The South Florida side suffered an ugly 3-0 defeat in the Leagues Cup final at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday that was compounded by a postgame brawl that immediately went viral. Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and several other Miami players were involved in the scuffle, raising questions once again about the teams leadership and overall discipline.
Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano and Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer conveniently tried to plead the fifth in their ensuing press conferences, but any attempt at damage control had little effect in preventing the growing perception of the Herons having poor sportsmanship.
Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano: 'I don't know what happened with Luis Suarez'
"I do not have anything to say because truthfully I was far from the actions and I do not know what happened," said Mascherano in Spanish during a four-question presser. "Obviously nobody likes those types of actions to happen after the game, but when there is a reaction sometimes there is also provocation.
"I won't comment because I don't know what happened."
The skirmish began immediately after the humbling loss that saw the Sounders largely outplay, outwork, and outthink a poor Inter Miami. Suarez went over to Seattle midfielder Obed Vargas after the final whistle to forcefully grab the 20-year-old player by his neck.
Full on pandemonium ensued.
Busquets threw a jab at Vargas, sparking a massive confrontation as tempers flared and players grew more physical. Miami substitutes Marcelo 'Chelo' Weigandt and Tomas 'Toto' Aviles were heavily involved in what followed, with Weigandt putting Sounders defender Jackson Ragen in a headlock before an incensed Aviles tried to hit Ragen with multiple blows moments later.
The player in the eye of the storm, perhaps unsurprisingly, ended up being Suarez. No stranger to controversial moments, the Uruguayan striker displayed one of the more reprehensible acts away from the fracas when confronting Sounders director of security Gene Ramirez.
Have a feeling Luis Surez will be getting a sizable ban soon pic.twitter.com/Zf5yuLi2sCSeptember 1, 2025
Suarez berated a retreating Ramirez, stepping on the Seattle staff member's foot to block him from leaving. The 38-year-old forward then angrily launched a showery wad of spit at Ramirez, who stumbled backwards as Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari tried to de-escalate the situation.
"I was there with Luis because there was a person who was standing there and did not want to leave and was almost instigating for things to continue," said Ustari in Spanish. "I focused on that because that was closest to me. I would be lying to you if I said anything else and I do not want to comment further with regards to (the overall fight) because I did not see anything.
"You can see from every angle that I was with Luis, and that is all I can say."
Suarez now faces another heavy punishment for misconduct
Suspensions and fines seem a foregone conclusion, and the temperamental Suarez is likely to bear the brunt of MLS's wrath. He has mostly tiptoed the line during his Inter Miami tenure, but the veteran crossed it by a marathon mile on Sunday to add the latest blemish to his brilliant but volatile career.
Suarezs outburst is far from an isolated incident, however both for himself and Inter Miami. The team that is partially owned by David Beckham has increasingly found itself in headlines for questionable behavior in 2025, with the Leagues Cup possibly cementing Inter Miami's status as the villains of Major League Soccer.
SUAREZ'S SELECTED CONTROVERSIES
2010 Handballs a chance against Ghana on the line
2010 Bites Otman Bakkal for Ajax
2011 Accused of racially abusing Patrice Evra
2013 Criticised by his own manager for diving
2013 Bites Branislav Ivanovic for Liverpool
2013 Goes on strike to force move to Arsenal
2014 Bites Giorgio Chiellini for Uruguay
Early in the tournament, security guard Yassine Cheuko was suspended for improper conduct after he stepped onto the field without permission to shove Atlas players during a postgame confrontation in a Phase One match.
Mascherano was then red-carded for dissent before the start of the second half of the quarterfinals bout with Mexican club Tigres UANL, only to continue coaching from the first row in the stands directly behind the bench. He also used a cell phone to communicate with his technical staff while suspended, prompting plenty of scrutiny and criticism despite not being against competition rules.
These moments have come in addition to others from earlier in the year involving superstar Lionel Messi.
While Messi stood frozen like a statue as Sunday's brawl took place, he had previously been the protagonist in other ugly moments. Messi grabbed New York City FC assistant coach Mehdi Ballouchy by the neck in a heated postgame exchange earlier in the year, and also had a run-in with referee Joe Dickerson in the aftermath of a match against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Add to that the recent images circulating online of Inter Miami's traveling fans fighting Sounders supporters outside of Lumen Field after Sunday's final, and a clear picture emerges of a star-studded team grappling with behavioral issues amid mounting frustration over unmet expectations.
Despite the stature and talent on the roster, Inter Miami has failed to win a trophy thus far this season. The MLS Cup is the only title that the team can still win this year, and not lifting it will intensify outside noise regarding the teams decision-making, leadership, discipline, and ability to manage the high-profile stars.
Sundays chaotic actions made clear yet again that talent alone wont win trophies and that without composure, direction and a sense of sportsmanship, even the most high-profile teams risk defining a season by controversy rather than glory.
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