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MLS target Rodolfo Zelaya among the 22 Salvadoran national team players suspended for match fixing

Did the match fixing scandal in El Salvador cause MLS to back away from signing Rodolfo Zelaya?

Patrick McDermott

Rumored MLS target Rodolfo Zelaya was one of the 22 Salvadoran national team players suspended for participation in match fixing in 2010, including one game that the Salvadoran National Team played against D.C. United. United won that game 1-0 off of a goal by Adam Cristman. These 22 players will not be able to play for their club teams for at least thirty days, which will see them suspended for the beginning of Salvadoran Apertura; the federation has left the door open to lengthening the suspensions if they see fit.

This news comes out about Zelaya only a month or so after he was the subject of rumors linking him with a move to Major League Soccer, with D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo among the top contenders for his services. One of the first thoughts that came to my head was whether or not MLS nixed any possible deal for Zelaya because of this scandal. As far as anyone knows, no MLS team has ever been involved on the bad side of a match fixing scandal, and the league would likely take any steps necessary to prevent even a whiff of association.

We will never know for certain, of course, if Zelaya would have come to MLS had this scandal not existed. But my question for all of you is this: now knowing that he was involved in match fixing, would you still want to D.C. United to sign him?