Looks like the dust hasn’t settled after the 2025 Leagues Cup final. It has been over a week since Inter Miami suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat to the Seattle Sounders, yet the post-game incident involving Luis Suarez and his antics toward members of the rival side continues to be a hot topic of discussion. And now, the controversy has only gained more traction across the soccer world, particularly against MLS, after the league announced some eyebrow-raising suspensions for Suarez and Sounders coach Steven Lenhart.

Earlier today, Major League Soccer revealed disciplinary actions stemming from incidents that unfolded after the 2025 Leagues Cup Final. Starting with Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez, he has been handed a three-game suspension in MLS regular-season play. The veteran forward will serve the ban during Miami’s upcoming fixtures on:

• September 13 against Charlotte FC
• September 16 versus Seattle Sounders FC
• September 20 against D.C. United

This would mean that the Uruguayan striker will be eligible to return on September 24 against New York City FC. Meanwhile, Seattle Sounders staff member Steven Lenhart has received a stricter sanction. His credential access has been revoked for the remainder of the 2025 MLS campaign, including the postseason.

That would mean Lenhart will be restricted from any kind of public seating areas at Sounders’ home matches and will not be allowed on or near the pitch, locker rooms, or tunnel. That’s not all, as not only the MLS confirmed that his status will be reassessed before the start of the 2026 season, but apparently, the Seattle Sounders FC have also been fined an undisclosed amount over the improper use of credentials.

Earlier, the Leagues Cup Organizing Committee had been reviewing the entire post-match altercation, with Luis Suarez at the center of it after confronting Seattle midfielder Obed Vargas immediately following the final whistle. He was soon joined by star teammate Sergio Busquets, who, quite surprisingly, isn’t on the MLS’ punishment list even though he was also involved in further escalating the clash into a heated brawl.

Additional personnel became involved, and the incident took an even uglier turn when Suarez was seen spitting on Seattle’s security director, Gene Ramirez. Meanwhile, both Busquets and Aviles were caught throwing punches at their opponents.

No wonder, after a long-awaited review, the Leagues Cup stakeholders announced their verdict, handing Luis Suarez a six-game ban, Busquets two, Tomas Aviles three, and Sounders coach Steven Lenhart five games. In addition to the suspensions, the players were also fined for their involvement, with the brawl even spilling over outside Lumen Field.

Then again, coming back to the latest verdict from MLS, it surely doesn’t sit well with the majority of the soccer community, who couldn’t help but take a dig at the league’s stakeholders for their questionable decisions on X.

MLS slammed over Luis Suarez, Seattle Sounders’ punishment!

You would be surprised to know that the initial suspensions and fines that the Leagues Cup Organizing Committee unveiled for all the involved defaulters had also garnered a lot of criticism. Why, you ask? Well, let’s start with Luis Suarez, the man in contention. By now, it’s obvious that hardly anyone is under the impression of liking his conduct. Yet, it’s quite surprising to see the former Liverpool man is getting such a little punishment: “ONLY 3 GAMES?! SERIOUSLY MLS?!” one wrote.

Well, the reason why there are constant echoes of “The worst suspensions,“ is because of the unfairness in this decision. It was the 37-year-old striker who instigated the brawl, but here we are seeing the Seattle coach get suspended by the end of the season and Suarez returning in no time. Not only one found it “Absurd,” as another one believes the MLS must have made a mix-up while releasing the statement: “That’s crazy @MLS you got it flipped. Suarez suspended for rest of the season. Lenhart suspended for 3 games.”

Wanna know a mind-boggling fact? While MLS bans will definitely sideline the players involved, the Leagues Cup suspensions come with a loophole — and it’s one that might benefit Inter Miami stars the most. The disciplinary rulings from the Leagues Cup apply only to that tournament, meaning Suarez and Busquets would have to serve their bans in next year’s edition.

But here’s the catch: both veterans, aged 38 and 37 respectively, are in the final months of their current Inter Miami contracts, which run out after the 2024–25 season. With their futures at the club far from certain, it’s very possible those suspensions may never actually affect them. No wonder this one wrote, “You’re better than this @MLS!”

That’s not all, Tomas Aviles, at just 21 and already representing Argentina, looks set to carry the longer-term burden of his three-match ban. And with Lionel Messi’s deal also ending at the close of this season, questions loom over how many of Miami’s Argentine links — from Suárez and Busquets to Aviles — will even remain at the club, or in MLS at all.

Then again, the overall anger remains directed at MLS’ handling of the players, as this netizen seems to have made his intentions pretty clear: “Steven Lenhart did nothing even close to what Suarez, Busquets, Alverez, and Alba did, and is the only one being punished. This is just Inter Miami getting away with their nonsense again. Mind as well have Garber send Suarez and his buddies a check for $25 million as well, with an apology note.”

Be that as it may, this is just a glimpse of what you saw as hundreds came to question the MLS’ favoring suspension for Luis Suarez. Then again, we would like to know your thoughts in the comments below.