Love them or hate them, Luis Suarez and Inter Miami are becoming MLS's bad guys – even with Lionel Messi’s massive popularity – and the league may quietly welcome it
Lionel Messi and his former Barcelona compatriots aren't the feel-good side that many might have expected
At least Luis Suarez had the decency to spit this time.
Before, an old version of Suarez would see a problem and, quite literally, sink his teeth into it. Over the years, he has developed quite a catalogue of chomping targets: Branislav Ivanovic, Giorgio Chiellini, and (maybe) Jordi Alba.
And after mastering that art, the Uruguayan showed off another gustatory skill, spitting at Seattle Sounders security director Gene Ramirez following Inter Miami's 3-0 defeat in the Leagues Cup final on Sunday night. It was a shocking moment, something that should not be condoned. It would, in fact, be really rather nice if players elected to be decent to each other on football pitches.
But, of course, soccer is an entertainment business. And America is still defining what, exactly, this sport means – especially at the professional club level.
MLS is always improving, and is packed with really good footballers who will go on to have excellent careers. But what this league really, truly needs, it seems, is a collection of villains – the kind of guys that the world can hate-watch, that we love to see lose. And in Inter Miami – complete with the quartet of Suarez, Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Lionel Messi – the league has that team.
Is this the character arc that MLS imagined when Barcelona's best immigrated to the U.S.? Perhaps not. But they are playing a vital role. If their villainous edge draws more eyes to MLS, the league may quietly see it as a positive.
Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowGetty ImagesA loss to Seattle (and the antics after)
Seattle delivered an absolute masterclass against Miami. This was a wonderfully orchestrated performance from an excellent coach, carried by a well-balanced squad that was, quite simply, up for it.
Those who have watched MLS for a while will gleefully, repeatedly tell you that Miami are not the best team in the league. And they would probably be right. There's no balance here, no sense of stability. Messi is Messi, and he can Messi-fy Miami to wins. But they are also a remarkably thin team that offers little defensively, overseen by a coach who hasn't ever really shown his credentials to deliver on a big stage. This was a final, and they didn't really look like they had a game plan for it.
The Sounders, meanwhile, are a well-drilled side that was set up to perfection. The first challenge, of course, was to stop Messi. And they did just that. Messi wasn't anonymous, but he looked rattled. There was always a body on him, the Sounders rotating fouls, nudges, and bumps. Can't stop him organically? Use a little of the dark arts.
The results made for fine reading. Messi completed just one of six dribbles and didn't put a shot on target. Miami, as a whole, tested goalkeeper Andrew Thomas just once in 90 minutes of work. Brian Schmetzer's side, meanwhile, was both ruthless and opportunistic. Three-nil was an entirely fair scoreline.
The madness after was just silly. Suarez was at the center of it all. He charged a Sounders player. Everyone got involved after that. Sergio Busquets threw a slap. Suarez stepped on a toe. Jordi Alba was up for a scrap. The Sounders were goaded into a skirmish. No one came out of this looking good.
But Suarez was the villain in chief, spitting in Ramirez's face. That will be the lasting image from this game that really should be remembered as the day that the Sounders became the first club to win every available major trophy in American soccer.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesSuarez, and a history of pettiness
It is worth pointing out that no one should be particularly surprised. This has always been Suarez's thing. He is an immense talent, arguably the best forward of his generation. It is entirely accurate to argue that it's these moments of vitriol are the qualities in his game that make him one of the best. Suarez is the ultimate scrapper, very often to a dangerous extent.
HHe probably shouldn't go around biting people, and he is by no means above exception for racial abuse in 2011.
More generally, though, 90 minutes of Suarez is what footballing hell looks like. He will dive, push, nudge, and shove. He will try to bait you into free kicks, red cards, and moments of madness. And when he doesn't get them his way, he will complain to no end.
Of course, this is dangerous in a sense. Suarez has made bravado and seemingly immoral behavior a brand. These things get laughed off, disregarded, or even embraced as part of his game. It is not good to be desensitized here. But we really shouldn't be surprised, either.
His former Barca teammates are by no means above it, either. Alba is an excellent all-round defender known for his cut-backs and defensive nous. He is also a scrapper who has no problem doing the dirty work. Busquets revolutionized the defensive midfield position. He is also probably the best tactical fouler the game has ever seen. Even Messi has a mean streak.
Of course, this is all brought about by their former employers. There is a sense of entitlement and prestige that comes with playing in Catalonia. Players routinely rush referees after getting calls against them. The club was caught in a still-ongoing scandal in which they may or may not have paid referees during the time all four were at the club.
It is also true that these guys, with their body of work, simply expect calls to go their way.
Getty Images SportWhat rival fans say
But it wasn't just on the pitch where tensions boiled over. After the game, Miami and Seattle fans were caught fighting on the street. It's quite the video. Someone throws a trash can. At another point, a traffic cone is hurled at someone's face. A Seattle fan is whacked with a tent pole. These scenes should not be condoned, of course, and they were certainly shaped by the actions on the field. But they aren't new, either.
Rival MLS fans haven't liked Miami for some time. NYCFC supporters threw flares at the Miami bus before a game last season, and greeted the Herons with a gallery of middle fingers and abuse. Fan TIFOs have made it clear, in no uncertain terms, just how "plastic" the club is.
Miami doesn't help themselves in this respect, either. Fair or not, there is reason for rival fans to direct their disdain. It is not simply that Miami are a good side, laden with stars. More broadly, it's the fact that they spend more money than anyone else, and have found loopholes in the transfer market that other teams are either unable or unwilling to explore.
Miami get the kind of support from the league – namely, a healthy contribution for Messi's salary – that no other team has ever come close to. It is not hard at all to see why a fan of any opposing club might harbor feelings of discontent towards the club.
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Hulton ArchiveLearning to hate watch
Of course, MLS won't necessarily like this. They probably want their star player, and his famous teammates, to be likeable guys. It would be in everyone's interest if Miami were a bunch of wonderful lads, who won everything and did so the right way. In a perfect world, this would be scintillating football, immensely watchable, with plenty of smiles, and loads of interviews gleefully done after full-time.
What we have instead is a shadowy sort of side that leans into controversy. Miami are fun, but for the wrong reasons. It's an immensely compelling sort of drama. And at times, that's what really drives sports. Organizations gain fans by having the best players and creating watchable, genuine content. But eyeballs often come from the sort of team that everyone loves to hate.
The cool kids call it a "hate watch." But it stretches back years. Man United were compelling in the way that they bent rules, fouled, and were notorious for their extended stoppage time under Sir Alex Ferguson throughout the '90s. Real Madrid may have had Cristiano Ronaldo, but they were equally watchable for the elbows that Sergio Ramos would throw. Even in American sports, the Detroit Pistons of the 1990s are still revered for being, basically, the bad guys.
Sometimes you just need something to root against. And Miami are just that.