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No sound, music or national anthems were released ahead of the FC Dallas-Nashville SC MLS game (broadcast live on ESPN + in the US) on Sunday after bad weather delayed kickoff by more than three hours.
FC Dallas had announced earlier on Sunday that the players would stay in their locker rooms to play the national anthem, although there was a moment of silence to promote racial equality.
“In consultation with our players and MLS, we have collectively decided to play the national anthem before the players take the field for tonight’s game against Nashville SC,” the statement said. “Before the start of the game there will be a moment of silence for the players, coaches and everyone present to promote racial equality.”
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The move comes in response to a series of incidents before, during and after Wednesday’s game between the same two teams. In response to players choosing to kneel down to support the Black Lives Matter movement for the national anthem, some fans booed the players while another threw a bottle at them. An FCD spokesperson said the assailant who threw the object was ejected.
After the game, FCD defenseman Reggie Cannon was interviewed and expressed his displeasure with some fans’ response as “absolutely disgusting”. He added: “You can’t even have the support of your own supporters in your own stadium. It’s absolutely confusing to me.”
Cannon was then subjected to death threats and racist social media posts, with MLS Commissioner Don Garber and FCD owners Dan and Clark Hunt posting statements in favor of the player.
An FCD spokesperson told ESPN there would be heightened security measures for Sunday’s game, although they declined to specify exactly what action would be taken.
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