MLS fans boo players for kneeling during national anthem

Soccer players from FC Dallas and Nashville SC were booed by fans for kneeling ahead of Wednesday night’s game — a reaction one defender called “absolutely disgusting.”

Photos show the athletes and referees taking a knee during the national anthem at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, in front of a sparse crowd.

“I think it was absolutely disgusting,” Dallas defender Reggie Cannon said after the match, Sky Sports reported. “You’ve got fans booing you for people taking a stand for what they believe in.”

Cannon, 22, said players had discussed protesting during the national anthem with other teams and Major League Soccer ahead of time.

“We got fans booing us in our own stadium. How disgraceful is that?” he said. “We asked for no anthem because we don’t feel it was right for the anthem to be played at this moment. They ignored our wishes, so we were going to kneel regardless if the anthem was played or not.”

After the fans booed, teammate Ryan Hollingshead apologized to Cannon.

“He said, ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry for our fans,’” Cannon recalled. “Because we had someone chanting ‘USA’ when they don’t understand what kneeling means.”

Dallas and Nashville were forced to withdraw from the league’s “MLS is Back” tournament after players tested positive for COVID-19. The teams played Wednesday night in front of a crowd of 2,912 as their regular seasons resumed in local markets, according to CBS.

“You can’t even have support from your own fans in your own stadium. It’s baffling to me,” Cannon said. “As a team, we try to give the best possible product on the field and these last six months have been absolute hell for us. Absolute hell.”

Nashville won, 1-0. The two face off again Sunday.