Diving FC Dallas player fined for cheating ways

Reto Ziegler managed to draw Kelvin Leerdam into a yellow card, though.

With his team leading 3-0 relatively late in the match, Reto Ziegler went down in a heap after seemingly inconsequential contact from Kelvin Leerdam. Clearly already frustrated with the result, Leerdam immediately started yelling at Ziegler. Given little choice, the referee showed Leerdam a yellow card.

All in all, it was a seemingly apt illustration of how the afternoon was going for the Sounders, who fell to 0-2 for the season.

Well, they got some small measure of justice on Friday when the MLS Disciplinary Committee finally got around to issue a fine to Ziegler for diving. Of course, Leerdam’s card won’t be stricken from the record and the Sounders are still looking for their first point and goal of the season. But maybe, just maybe, this is the first sign that their campaign is turning around. A boy can hope, anyway.