'Don't think it means anything' - USMNT icon Alexi Lalas deems Luis Suarez's MLS suspension adequate but laughs off Leagues Cup suspension

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The former MLS defender has offered his assessment of the forward's punishment following his spitting incident, suggesting the ban was appropriate

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WHAT HAPPENED

Alexi Lalas addressed the recent disciplinary action against Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez after the forward spat on a member of the Seattle Sounders staff during their Leagues Cup final. The former USMNT defender stated that while he believed the punishment was "adequate," the inclusion of six Leagues Cup matches in the suspension means nothing to Suarez. 

“Yeah, I think it was adequate, although I'm only looking at it as three matches,” Lalas said on his State of the Union podcast. “The six matches for Leagues Cup means nothing to me. And I certainly don't think it means anything to Luis Suarez. And it's not that they don't enjoy winning or want to win everything. And but yeah, I just look at it as how is it going to impact him and his team from an MLS perspective?"

Lalas was also critical of the amount of time MLS took to come to a final decision on the suspensions. 

 “And they're going down the stretch here. And so for, yeah, I think it's, I think it's fair for the three-game suspension within MLS. That it took this long? OK, yeah, I can appreciate the fact that you want to make sure that you get it right and that you talk to the people involved and you have all of your facts in order before you make a decision.

“That is a serious repercussion here and has an impact not just on the player and on the team, but on the race to the playoffs. But it just took a long time for this to happen. But I think ultimately they got it right."

Suárez received a six-game Leagues Cup ban and a separate three-match MLS suspension for spitting on a Seattle Sounders staffer during the final’s brawl. Inter Miami teammates Sergio Busquets (two games) and Tomás Avilés (three games) were also suspended from Leagues Cup play, while Sounders staffer Steven Lenhart was hit with a five-game Leagues Cup ban and had his credentials pulled for the rest of the MLS season. In addition, Seattle was fined an undisclosed amount.

WHAT ALEXI LALAS SAID

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Suarez will miss three critical matches in Inter Miami's run to the playoffs, against Charlotte, Seattle and D.C. United. 

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WHAT’S NEXT?

The Herons face Charlotte FC next on Sept. 13 before hosting back-to-back home games against Seattle Sounders and D.C. United on Sept. 16 and Sept. 20, respectively.