Inter Miami wins, says D.C. United player used racial slur
The MLS season is in full swing. The New York Red Bulls and D.C. United meet Monday night, and the two sides are currently tied at two points apiece atop the east.
In other words, it’s the playoffs. (If you don’t believe me, take a look at your calendar this weekend. A few games are a lock, while others look iffy at best.)
But the topic this offseason is the racism that occurs all too often in the National Women’s Soccer League. And the fact that the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United players have chosen to get involved is only making things worse.
That includes the incident at Red Bull Arena Tuesday night when a New York midfielder, who was born abroad, used a racial slur toward a D.C. United player. The incident was caught on camera, and the D.C. player spoke to the media Tuesday to describe the exchange.
“The player said, ‘We’re going to get in the middle of the field and do nothing, because if we get into the middle of the field, it doesn’t matter what we do, because you’re just going to be screaming at us, like we’re animals,’” D.C. United player Kaka said.
D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen said he was “a little frustrated” with how the situation unfolded.
“There’s been such an issue with it over the course of two years, it’s hard not to get frustrated with the fact that we were not the ones who got ourselves involved,” he said. “I think this is something a lot of teams would be happy to be involved in. It’s just an unfortunate part of the game, as far as the lack of maturity that people can have when they use that type of language. I’m sure I’m not the only one in this league, who’s said something offensive on a couple occasions that could have been taken more seriously and not become part of the storyline. It just is unfortunate.
“But it’s only going to get worse and worse all season. The