Luis Suarez Controversy Post-Inter Miami Match Followed by Washington Brawl Involving MLS Fans

The occasion was significant, the result was even more so. And sweeter for the Seattle Sounders. “It’s against one of the best teams in our league, in the world with (Lionel) Messi, the best player in the world, (Luis) Suarez, so many good players, (Jordi) Alba, (Sergio) Busquets,” Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer told MLS Season Pass after they had blanked Inter Miami 3-0 to lift the 2025 Leagues Cup. Unfortunately, their victory wasn’t exactly the biggest highlight of the day.

We don’t know how it happened. However, the possible trigger could have been Luis Suarez, the Inter Miami forward who seemingly couldn’t take the drubbing too well. His on-field instigations soon turned into a brawl between the teams, with the Uruguayan at the center of it all. And he seemed to have crossed a line that will, in all probability, land him in hot water with the MLS. But the lack of decency that the veteran star found parallels in fans who gathered outside Lumen Field after the game.

What do we mean? X outlet Tactical Manager dropped the concerning scenes from the streets just outside the stadium. In the post shared on September 1, the X outlet wrote:

““MLS Ultras” from Miami and Seattle clashing outside of the stadium. Hey, I am glad soccer fans in the

care but these are complete imbeciles.” As two sets of fans stood across from each other, a Sounders fan hurled a trash can towards his Miami counterpart. And while the latter managed to block the projectile, a flying traffic cone hit a Seattle fan in the face in a matter of moments. From there, it was a full-scale brawl, involving sticks, punches, and more projectiles. As far as fans are concerned, it was an unwelcome development to say the least. After all, they had already shown that they care.

Per Sounders FC, over 60,000 tickets had been sold for their Leagues Cup final match against Inter Miami. That’s 10,000 more than what stood as the competition’s single-match attendance record. And what made the brawl even more startling was that, just before kickoff, many fans who had Lionel Messi jerseys had answered the Seattle side’s call to exchange them for free Paul Rothrock shirts. Paul Rothrock came back from injury to seal the victory for Sounders FC with the third goal of the match. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi, despite being on the losing side, kept himself out of the ugliness that ensued after the match. Yet, it’s unfortunate that some fans seemingly chose to follow Luis Suarez’s example.

Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets lose it; Sounders boss attempts to correct the narrative

The scenes that unfolded after the final whistle were lowly and have been making the headlines ever since. Although the real headline is that with the Leagues Cup win, Seattle Sounders became the first MLS team to bag every North American trophy on offer. And they did that with a squad worth $16.7 million, which, compared to Inter Miami’s payroll of $46.8 million, is not a lot.

In short, it was a glorious achievement for Brian Schmetzer and his men. But for Luis Suarez, it was a frustrating embarrassment. The 2-time European Golden Boot winner could only muster one shot in the match as Seattle stifled the 38-year-old. But, as soon as the final whistle was blown, the veteran was unhinged and off to his usual antics, which also saw him spit at the Seattle Sounders security director, Gene Ramirez.

The forward started it all by going after Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas. Clips posted on social media showed Suarez grabbing Vargas around the neck. One skirmish led to another as more players got involved. Even Busquets was seen punching Vargas. It got way out of hand.

But the Seattle coach wants the headlines to be about the right thing. “Unfortunately, that is going to take some of the attention away from a great performance by the Seattle Sounders,” Brian Schmetzer said after the game. “I’m going to shut that down, because that shouldn’t be the story. The story of the game is not what happened after the game. I had a quiet moment with Lionel Messi on the field [after the game] and we talked and we tried to push it aside. That’s the story.”

The winning coach acknowledged that frustration had led some players to behave in a way they shouldn’t have. And it was a poor example Luis Suarez set for the soccer fans in the US.