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The Chicago Fire saw their season end in ugly fashion on Saturday night - as they lost 3-0 to the Philadelphia Union and saw their first-round playoff match halted due to what the team described as 'unacceptable chanting.'
With the hosts trailing by three goals, the game was stopped in the 78th minute due to the use of the 'puto' chant from some fans.
The Spanish word means male prostitute, though the Mexican-Spanish usage is widely understood to be homophobic, with soccer anti-discrimination group Fare saying the phrase describes 'gay men in a derogatory way.'
Thus, the Fire-Union match was stopped by the referee, before coach Gregg Berhalter personally pleaded with fans to cut it out.
'We're trying to get back into the game. Help us out,' he could be heard saying in a video posted to social media.
However, the chanting wasn't finished and could be heard again just before the final whistle.
Gregg Berhalter asked the Chicago Fire fans to stop saying the 'puto' chant on Saturday
Chicago Fire’s radio broadcast: “Jakob Glesnes pumping up the Chicago crowd, and for no reason. That’s the classless stuff I’m talking about, unnecessary stuff”
Seconds, and I mean SECONDS later: slur from Chicago fans
The Chicago Fire and Philadelphia Union gather near their benches after the game was stopped
And the Fire later sharply criticized the fans partaking in the chanting.
'We're disappointed in the unacceptable chanting that came from a group of our fans at this evening's match,' the team wrote. 'That behavior does not reflect who we are as a club or the values we stand for.
'The use of derogatory language at our matches is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Chicago Fire FC is committed to fostering an environment where all fans, players and staff feel safe and welcome.'
It's not the first time an MLS match was impacted by the chant this year, as San Diego FC's inaugural match in March was also marred by the slur.
The club posted a message to their big screen at Snapdragon Stadium, saying 'discrimination has no place in our sport' and urging fans to stop using the word.
The phrase has also frequently been chanted by fans of the Mexican National Team, who caused the Nations League Final against the USA to be halted last year.
The Union beat the Fire 3-0 as they moved into the Eastern Conference Semifinal
And while Mexico have not had to play qualifiers for the forthcoming USA, Canada and Mexico-hosted World Cup, they were previously forced to play in empty stadiums as a punishment for the chants during the last qualifying cycle.
A Mexico-Brazil friendly before last year's Copa America was also suspended due to the chants.
Berhalter, formerly the head coach of the US men's national team, took charge of the Chicago Fire for the first time this season.
He led Chicago to eighth place in the Eastern Conference and a 15-8-11 record in the league, while his squad also scored 68 goals - the second-best mark in MLS.
Saturday's loss in the first round best-of-three series followed a 2-2 draw (and 4-2 loss on penalties) against the Union on Sunday last week.
