Why isn’t Luis Suárez playing for Inter Miami?

Inter Miami need to beat Nashville SC on Saturday night to keep their MLS Cup dreams alive. The best-of-three series is tied at 1-1 going into Game 3, but Miami will be without a key player.

Luis Suárez will miss the game after being hit with a one-game MLS ban earlier this week. The Uruguayan has been suspended for violent conduct, relating to an incident in Miami’s Game 2 loss that was missed by the referee.

The Miami striker aimed a sneaky kick out at Nashville’s Andy Najar, flicking his heel into the defender’s thigh. Suárez was not punished in the game but a subsequent investigation from the MLS Disciplinary Committee found that officials had missed a ‘clear and obvious’ red card.

Inter Miami appealed the decision but their attempt to overturn the ban were dismissed. The club released a pointed statement in response to the news and head coach Javier Mascherano questioned the league’s decision to retroactively issue the ban.

“In my personal opinion, it seemed very strange, very strange because it’s a play that was reviewed by VAR at the time in real time, and it didn’t suggest any sanction from either the referee or the VAR official,” Mascherano argued.

“But well, the MLS rules are this way. We accept it, as the club stated. We don’t agree, but we accept and respect the decision. We just hope the regulations are applied to everything in this same way.”

Inter Miami take on Nashville at Chase Stadium on Saturday, November 8. Kick-off is set for 8:00pm ET.

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