MLS ‘desperate for Miami to succeed,’ analysts say after Luis Suárez suspension | OneFootball

MLS’s treatment of Luis Suárez has brought up the old debate about fairness and favoritism in the league. Analysts on ESPN FC say MLS is “desperate for Miami to be successful.”

The Argentine forward got a 6-game ban from future Leagues Cup matches and a 3-game MLS suspension after getting involved in a post-match altercation at the 2025 Leagues Cup Final against the Seattle Sounders.

At the end of the game, broadcast footage showed Suárez putting his hand around Seattle’s Obed Vargas’ neck and spitting towards a Sounders staff member during the post-game scuffle.

The Leagues Cup Disciplinary Committee handed out a 6-match ban that only applies to future Leagues Cup matches. MLS also gave him a 3-game league suspension for games against Charlotte FC, Seattle and D.C. United.

Luis Suárez suspension highlights MLS’s inconsistency

On a recent ESPN FC episode, analysts Kasey Keller and Craig Burley discussed the league’s decision. Keller said:

“MLS has decided they are so desperate for Miami to be successful, and what they don’t want is a long ban leading up into the playoffs. They want to give Miami every chance possible to lift a trophy.”

Burley agreed and added:

“If they’d have handed out a 6-game ban or more, I don’t think Luis Suarez would have been swinging from the rooftop shouting this is a disgrace, because he knows he was a disgrace.

"But this is once again Major League Soccer’s hierarchy being what they usually are with superstars, wishy-washy. One rule for one, one rule for others, and that’s what this is saying here. They had an opportunity to come out and slam the mallet down, and they failed miserably. "

Luis Suarez will only miss 3 MLS games, and the 6-game Leagues Cup ban may be partially served depending on future Leagues Cup participation.

For a player caught spitting, which is totally unacceptable and rarely seen at this level, these are stunningly light repercussions. One way to interpret this is that MLS clearly bent the rules to protect a superstar, giving Suárez a get out of jail free card and keeping Inter Miami as a contender.