Three Toronto FC players were arrested and charged with public intoxication in Houston early Monday morning ahead of the club’s midweek matchup against the Dynamo.
Midfielders Nick Soolsma and Luis Silva were arrested along with defender Miguel Aceval after police were called to Club Escobar in Houston's Midtown neighborhood because of a disturbance outside the club.
"Our officers tried to disperse the fight, at which time they refused to leave and then began to have verbal altercations with the officers,” a Houston Police spokesperson told the Toronto Sun.
Police told the Sun that the three TFC players were given an opportunity to walk away from the situation multiple times before officers attempted to handcuff one of the Reds.
"One of them ran and so the officer ran and the officer took him into custody," the spokesperson told the paper.
Toronto FC released the following statement on Monday afternoon:
"We are aware of the charges filed against Miguel Aceval, Luis Silva and Nick Soolsma in Houston earlier today. The players are presently with the team and we continue to investigate this matter. As such, the team will not provide any further comment at this time.”
Silva (above) has appeared in nine games for Toronto as one of the most promising rookies of the 2012 draft class. He was selected out of UC-Santa Barbara with the fourth overall pick in the SuperDraft in January.
Soolsma is in his second year with the club and has appeared in six games this season, while the Chilean defender Aceval has appeared in five games during his first season in Toronto.
Toronto FC lost at Sporting Kansas City 2-0 on Saturday before eventually heading to Houston, where they’ll take on the Dynamo on Wednesday (9 pm ET, watch live online).
