Soccer-El Salvador duo suspended for biting US players

Two El Salvador players have been handed suspensions for biting American opponents during the Gold Cup quarter-finals, soccer's regional governing body CONCACAF announced on Saturday.

Henry Romero was given a six-game ban while Darwin Ceren received three for separate incidents that occurred during the United States' 2-0 win over El Salvador on Wednesday.

Romero bit U.S. striker Jozy Altidore on the back of his shoulder while Cerin bit U.S. defender Omar Gonzalez in the second half.

CONCACAF announced the sanctions for the players' "anti-sporting behavior" just before the U.S. kicked off its semi-final match against Costa Rica which the Americans went on to win 2-0.

El Salvador has been eliminated from 2018 World Cup qualifying, so the suspensions will likely be served during the next Copa Centroamericana or qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup when they begin in 2019. (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)