LA Galaxy II announced Saturday it has “mutually agreed to part ways” with defender Omar Ontiveros, one day after he was suspended by USL Championship for six games because of a racial slur directed at a Black San Diego Loyal SC player.
Ontiveros used the slur in the 71st minute of Wednesday's 1-1 tie at Dignity Health Sports Park, according to the Division II men's soccer league.
Multiple officials, Galaxy II coaching staff and players were in the area, several of whom later acknowledged hearing the exchange, according to SD Loyal.
Ontiveros was not disciplined by Galaxy II coaching staff or referees. SD Loyal coaching staff did not hear about the incident until the game was over.
None of the facts in the investigation of the incident were disputed by any of the involved parties, according to the league.
The 25-year-old Ontiveros was in his second season with Galaxy II, the reserves team of the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. He started 12 of its 13 games this season and appeared as a substitute in the 13th. He did not score but had three assists. The Pharr, Texas native also played with the league's Rio Grande Valley FC Toros. He began his professional career in 2014 with the U-20 squad of the Liga MX club Santos Laguna. He joined Luxembourg's CS Grevenmacher the following season, appearing in 21 games and scoring twice in two seasons.
SD Loyal announced Friday that it wished to forfeit the point it received from the tie.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
“We don't even want to recognize being a part of a match where these types of actions take place,” SD Loyal Chairman Andrew Vassiliadis said. “The Loyal in our name is symbolic of the diversity in our community and as a club we will not stand for this.”
SD Loyal players believe they should have walked off the field to protest the lack of discipline, according to the team.
SD Loyal's statement did not include the name of the player to whom the slur was directed, but did say the Galaxy scored the tying goal after he was sent off for a second yellow card.
Midfielder Elijah Martin was the only SD Loyal player to receive two yellow cards Wednesday.
With SD Loyal shorthanded because of Martin's ejection -- a team may not replace an ejected player -- Alejandro Alvarado Jr. scored the tying goal one minute into stoppage time.
Forfeiting the point from the tie could jeopardize SD Loyal's chances of reaching the playoffs.
The top two teams in each of the league's eight groups qualify for the playoffs.
The tie gave SD Loyal 23 points on a 6-4-5 record, one more than Galaxy II (7-5-1) and two ahead of Orange County SC (6-4-3) in the race for second place in Group B.
SD Loyal has one game remaining in the regular season, Galaxy II and Orange County SC three each.
