FC Dallas' Guarda Punished Over Bad Behavior

Midfielder suspended for one game, fined $750

FC Dallas midfielder Bruno Guarda was suspended for one game Thursday after he kicked a ball into the crowd and made an offensive gesture toward fans in Philadelphia.

Guarda was suspended by his team and fined $750 by Major League Soccer. FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman opted to hold Guarda out of Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

"There were things that happened in Philadelphia and he reacted poorly to it," Hyndman said. "That's not what we want our team, FC Dallas, to portray, and it's not what the MLS wants its players to portray. I think the message is that we don't want our players to cross that line."

Guarda, a reserve midfielder who has only appeared in one game this season, didn't play against the Union on Saturday, but at halftime he got into it with fans. Referees did not see the kick or the gesture, but the MLS disciplinary committee reviewed video.

Hyndman said Guarda's behavior was atypical, and the 24-year-old Brazilian was remorseful.

"The one question I did ask was, 'If you had to do it all over again, would you do it differently?' And his response was, 'Yes,"' Hyndman said. "And I think that speaks volumes for him, because he's a good human being, a good person. This is very out of character for him."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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