Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez suspended for crucial MLS Cup Playoffs match: How will Lionel Messi and Herons cope?

In a match where they need to win or they’ll be knocked out in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs for the second consecutive season, key Inter Miami attacker Luis Suarez has found out that he will be suspended. Suarez’s suspension was applied after Game 2 of the opening round by the MLS Disciplinary Committee following its review of footage of Miami’s match against Nashville and deemed that he committed violent conduct when he kicked Nashville defender Andy Najar in the 71st minute.

Defender Ian Fray was also fined for diving during the match, but this suspension of Suarez is a major blow to the Herons. After Lionel Messi, Suarez has been the next most effective attacker on the team with 14 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, but when it matters most, he’ll now be unavailable, and manager Javier Mascherano will need to look to other options 

“Inter Miami CF accepts and respects the decision made by the MLS Disciplinary Committee,” Inter Miami said in a statement. “At the same time, the club wishes to express its concern about the precedent set by re-refereeing a play that had already been judged by the match officials and VAR, and its confidence that the same standard will be applied in the future to all on-field situations, in any match and involving any team.”

This is the second suspension for Suarez this season after picking up a nine-game suspension for spitting on a Seattle Sounders staff member during Leagues Cup play. That suspension included six games in Leagues Cup play and three more in MLS play. The Miami forward has an extensive history of going over the line on a soccer pitch.

Suarez has received three biting bans of varying lengths during his career — four months for biting Giorgio Chiellini in 2014, 10 games for biting Branislav Ivanovic in 2013, and seven games for biting Otman Bakkal. He was also suspended after being found guilty of using a racial slur against Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

It’s a blow to Miami when this tie is a critical one. Win and they’re through to the next round, but with a loss, it’ll be a long offseason. If it’s level after 90 minutes, aggregate won’t matter as things will go right to penalties, increasing the pressure on the tie.