Major League Soccer has fined Inter Miami head coach Cristian “Kily” González and five players after a heated confrontation during the club's 2-1 road loss to Columbus Crew this past Sunday. The league determined the incident violated its Mass Confrontation Policy, though it stopped short of handing out any suspensions.
According to sports.yahoo.com, the MLS Disciplinary Committee ruled that Inter Miami violated the league's Mass Confrontation Policy in the 26th minute of the match. The league confirmed it was the first time this season Inter Miami had run afoul of the policy. MLS fined both the club and González, though it did not reveal the dollar amount of either penalty, per the same report.
Five players were also disciplined: Sergio Reguilón, Micael, Yannick Bright, Rodrigo De Paul and Daniel Pinter were each fined for their roles in “inciting and/or escalating a mass confrontation,” the outlet reported. Crucially, the league opted for fines rather than suspensions, meaning none of the five are automatically sidelined for Inter Miami's next MLS match.
How the Chaos Unfolded in Columbus
The flashpoint arrived in the 26th minute, but the match's controversy deepened two minutes later when Columbus Crew was awarded a penalty kick after video review, converted for a goal. That call, per the seed reporting from The Columbus Dispatch, prompted Lionel Messi to lead a group of Miami players in protesting the officials' decision. Josef Martínez converted the penalty for Columbus, and Messi answered five minutes later with a free-kick goal in the 33rd minute to level the score.
The game, played in front of a sellout crowd at Columbus's home stadium, stayed tense the rest of the way. Officials handed out six yellow cards to Miami and four to Columbus over the course of the match, including one shown to Casemiro. Santiago Morales was booked twice within four minutes and was ultimately sent off with a red card in the 96th minute. Columbus finished the job in stoppage time, with Jamal Thiaré scoring the game-winning goal in the 98th minute for a 2-1 final.
Where Both Clubs Stand
The loss did little to dent Inter Miami's position near the top of the Eastern Conference, where the club sits third with 46 points. Columbus, meanwhile, sits 12th in the conference with 29 points, though the win over a top rival was a notable result regardless of the standings gap.
How This Compares to Other MLS Discipline This Season
Inter Miami is far from alone in drawing this kind of league scrutiny this year. Atlanta United and Columbus Crew players and staff were fined earlier this season after a separate mass confrontation, with both clubs reportedly violating the policy for the first time, according to MLSSoccer.com. The LA Galaxy and LAFC also drew fines after a confrontation of their own, with the Galaxy reportedly cited for a third violation this season and LAFC for its first, per a separate MLSSoccer.com report.
The league has followed a similar disciplinary pattern in past seasons. In April 2024, the MLS Disciplinary Committee found the Philadelphia Union in violation of the same Mass Confrontation Policy following a match against Atlanta United, MLSSoccer.com reported at the time. Six Union players were each fined an undisclosed amount, while the club and head coach Jim Curtin received only an official warning for their first violation of that season.
