Houston coach Dominic Kinnear: “The cheaters are being rewarded”

FRISCO, Texas – Houston Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear has a big problem with something he says is going on in MLS this year – and it came to full boil after Sunday’s 3-2 loss to FC Dallas.

Kinnear is upset about what he calls an epidemic of diving and cheating, and says “the cheaters are being rewarded.”

He was most upset about the foul on Kenny Cooper – Kinnear insists it was a dive – that led to FC Dallas’ first goal Sunday.

“I thought the first few minutes looked really good,” Kinnear said of his team. “And then a big guy out in the field threw himself to the ground and gets a free kick. And they got a goal out of it.

“I’ve watched this league for three weeks now and it saddens me that we have people who have no problem diving, and looking for fouls and then looking to the heavens. It’s a sickening epidemic that’s going on in our league and hopefully it cancels itself out here pretty soon. Because some teams play hard, some guys cheat. Sometimes the cheaters win. When you have guys that don’t even get looked at, don’t get touched, falling on the ground looking for fouls, it makes me want to throw up.

“Hopefully, the players look at themselves and realize that they are cheaters, first, and putting the game into total disrespect. And hopefully that’s something that we, as coaches and players and as a league, can stop. Because it makes me not want to watch the game. And I can understand why people don’t want to watch when [players] do that stuff.”

Kinnear said he was speaking not just about Dallas and Cooper, saying he had watched other examples over the first three rounds of MLS play. And he allowed that his team needed to be better at defending set pieces – which it certainly did.

But he was clearly upset about perceptions of diving Sunday and said he hopes the league’s disciplinary committee more aggressively reviews the issue.

“It makes me sad that American soccer accepts that,” Kinnear said.

(MORE: Does Kinnear have a point with his comments?)

FC Dallas manager Schellas Hyndman took the high road when informed of Kinnear’s comments. He said he respects Kinnear too much to say something negative and said Kinnear was “a perfect gentleman” after the match.

He said the Texas Derby was an emotional series and he understands that Kinnear was upset about a close loss.

When I asked Hyndman again if he had any comment about an opposition manager accusing his players of diving and cheating, Hyndman kept the course: “I’m not going to drop to that. I’m gonna let that go.”

(MORE: Cooper and John the difference in FCD win)