MIAMI — Inter Miami head coach Guillermo Hoyos said Luis Suárez cannot be replaced as the team prepares to navigate the Leagues Cup without the forward due to his lengthy suspension.
Suárez received a six-game ban for spitting at a Seattle Sounders staff member after Inter Miami lost 3-0 in the tournament final last August, meaning he will miss the entirety of the 2026 event.
“Luis is irreplaceable,” Hoyos told reporters Tuesday. “They are players that mark the path.”
The 39-year-old’s enforced absence comes at an inopportune time for both player and club. Suárez has been in superb form of late, leading the Miami attack in the recent absence of Lionel Messi and Germán Berterame with seven goals in four games.
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The Uruguayan veteran had a goal and assist in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew, a game that saw Messi make his first appearance since the World Cup as a late substitute.
“It’s a shame because Luis’ level is very high,” Hoyos said of Suárez’s ban following the draw with Columbus. “He helps us not only with goals but with assists and the work. Like the great players of the world, he will be missed. You cannot replace him. We have to compete.”
A brawl broke out between Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders following the final whistle of last year’s final, which saw Suárez have to be held back by teammates and coaches before spitting on a member of the opposing team’s staff.
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Former Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets also threw a punch at former Seattle midfielder Obed Vargas, while then-Miami defender Tomás Avilés was sanctioned for aggressive behavior.
Though Busquets received a two-game ban and Aviles a three-match suspension, the two players are no longer with Inter Miami. Busquets has since retired, while Avilés is on loan with Chilean first division side O’Higgins FC.
Inter Miami will kick off Leagues Cup action against Atlético de San Luis on Wednesday night at Nu Stadium, before facing Monterrey and León in the group phase.
