- Officials call halt to game after chants heard in first-half
- MLS team win on penalty shootout after lively game
New England goalkeeper Matt Turner made two penalty shootout saves, and Ricardo Pepi converted the final kick to lift the MLS team past a collection of stars from Liga MX in the MLS All-Star Game. The MLS team won the shootout 3-2 after finishing regulation tied 1-1
However, an entertaining and lively match in front of a sell-out crowd was marred by homophobic chanting that led to the action being halted. The chant has plagued Mexican soccer for years and the country’s international team is already playing a game behind closed doors after the chant was used by fans during Olympic qualifiers in March. Under Fifa rules, matches are stopped and a verbal warning is issued if the chant is heard; if the slurs continue the match is suspended before a final step in which officials end the contest entirely. On Wednesday, fans largely stopped the chant after the warning, but many did it again during extra time in the second half.
Related: ‘Homophobic and not very clever’: why puto chants haunt Mexican football
The MLS All-Star Game was just stopped because of a discriminatory chant. pic.twitter.com/k8WnohN65U
