Toronto FC players Luis Silva, Miguel Aceval and Nick Soolsma were arrested early Monday morning. They were involved in a brawl outside of a Houston nightclub, and later clashed with police officers, according to the Globe and Mail.
The players "were all taken to jail and charged," the Globe and Mail reports. "Teammate Julian de Guzman posted bail for the trio.
"Officers arrived at Houston’s Club Escobar around 2:45 a.m. local time, where they tried to disperse a fight. Aceval was told to clear the scene but refused, and became 'belligerent,' according to Victor Senties [of the Houston Police]. Silva, then got involved, but despite being told to back away he refused, cursing at the officers and running off when police tried to arrest him."
Silva was apprehended after a short chase. He, Aceval and Soolsma were arrested and charged with public intoxication. They will return to the area and appear in court at a later date.
Silva, 23, has played in nine of Toronto's 11 league games in 2012. Soolsma, 24, is a Dutch forward who has made little impact in the six games in which he has appeared. Aceval, a 29-year-old defender, would have been expected to add some veteran savvy to the situation but he failed to do so.
In its first game under new head coach Paul Mariner, Toronto FC lost 2-0 against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday. The team traveled directly from K.C. to Houston where it meets the Dynamo on Wednesday. Mariner faces a difficult task in turning around the struggling club. Players behaving badly will only make things more difficult, but this could have been avoided if TFC hadn't lost ten of its first 11 games in 2012.
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