Fans boo players after kneeling for anthem

FC Dallas and Nashville SC players were booed by fans in Frisco, Texas, after they kneeled for the national anthem Wednesday night.

At least one fan tossed a water bottle onto the field after the anthem, a reaction viewed as even more dangerous than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic. The fan was then escorted out of the venue, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Nashville earned a 1-0 win, the first at the MLS level in franchise history, in front of an announced crowd of 2,912. It was the first MLS match played outside the ESPN Wide World of Sports bubble during the pandemic.

“You’ve got fans booing you for people taking a stand in what they believe in when millions of other people support this cause,” FC Dallas player Reggie Cannon said. “We’ve got fans booing us in our own stadium. How disgraceful is that.

“For lack of a better word, it pissed me off.”

The anthem was not played during the MLS is Back Tournament and players kneeled during moments of silence before each kickoff while wearing Black Lives Matter shirts.

FC Dallas and Nashville players never got a chance to participate in the unified demonstration against racism, social injustice and police brutality because multiple players tested positive for coronavirus when they reported to the Swan and Dolphin Resort and were removed from the tournament before it kicked off.

Cannon told reporters Thursday night Nashville and Dallas asked not to have the anthem played, but the request was not honored.

“We don’t feel it’s right for the anthem to be played at this moment, [but] they ignored our wishes,” Cannon said.

The teams are scheduled to play again Sunday in Frisco as they catch up on the group-stage matches they missed during the tournament that count toward MLS regular-season standings.

Teams that were knocked out of the tournament early also will resume play this week.