SEATTLE (BN24) — Inter Miami stars Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets were at the center of a chaotic postgame scuffle after their team’s 3-0 defeat to the Seattle Sounders in the Leagues Cup final on Sunday night, an incident overshadowing Seattle’s dominant title win.
Television footage and eyewitness accounts showed Suárez, 38, appearing to grab 20-year-old Seattle midfielder Obed Vargas around the neck after the final whistle at Lumen Field. Moments later, Busquets, 37, struck Vargas on the chin, sending the young Mexico international tumbling to the turf as Sounders teammates rushed in.
The melee escalated when Suárez clashed with a member of Seattle’s coaching staff. He was restrained by goalkeeper Óscar Ustari but appeared to spit in the direction of the Sounders official. Defender Yeimar Gómez Andrade intervened to separate Vargas and Suárez, while Cody Baker engaged in a heated exchange with Busquets. Inter Miami’s Maxi Falcon then grabbed Baker in a headlock, further intensifying the confrontation.
Several other players, including Miami defenders Marcelo Weigandt and Tomás Avilés, were also seen shoving Seattle’s Jackson Ragen during the brief but heated exchange. The incident ended only after coaches and teammates restored order, allowing the Sounders to continue their postgame trophy celebration.
Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer expressed disappointment that the scuffle distracted from his team’s victory. “Unfortunately, that is going to take some of the attention away from a great performance by the Seattle Sounders,” Schmetzer said. “Their players were frustrated, and frustrations led to things that shouldn’t happen on the field. But the story should be about our team’s performance.”
Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano distanced himself from the altercation, saying he did not witness the clash. “Clearly, nobody likes to see this type of behavior,” Mascherano said. “Maybe there was provocation, but I don’t know what happened.”
The Sounders secured the trophy with goals from Osaze De Rosario in the 26th minute, Alex Roldan in the 84th, and Seattle native Paul Rothrock in the 89th. The victory denied Lionel Messi and Inter Miami their shot at the Leagues Cup title.
Despite the ugly postgame scenes, Schmetzer praised Messi, Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham, and Mascherano for showing sportsmanship after the match. “Those are people who have been at the highest levels of the game,” he said. “That’s the story.”
The Leagues Cup win marks another milestone for Seattle, while Inter Miami will have little time to regroup before hosting the Sounders again in an MLS regular-season clash on Sept. 16.
Suárez, who has faced multiple bans during his career — including for racial abuse in 2011 and biting incidents at Ajax, Liverpool, and Uruguay — now faces scrutiny over his role in the postgame incident.
