There still was hope in Orlando City’s locker room last week when the Lions’ playoff chances had a shot a revival after FC Dallas used an ineligible player.

FIFA rules call for a forfeit if a team uses an ineligible player, which would give Orlando City much-needed extra points.

After a week-long deliberation, however, Major League Soccer decided to fine Dallas instead, saying FIFA defers to leagues in these situations and MLS could hand down whatever sanction it deemed appropriate.

There was more to it, a lot of research, background detail and nuanced definitions of ineligible players — but Orlando City isn’t impressed.

“There’s no part of me that understands that decision or agrees with that decision,” Lions coach Jason Kreis said after training Monday, his first opportunity to comment. “It’s disappointing, it’s depressing and it’s embarrassing as a person who represents this league on a day-in and day-out basis.”

Kreis elaborated on his stance, saying he first reacted with anger when Dallas was fined $75,000 of general allocation money and $25,000. He then moved “pretty quickly to feeling discouraged, depressed and frankly a little embarrassed.”

He felt the decision was clear-cut and simple: FC Dallas played an ineligible player so the club should received a loss and three points should be awarded to Orlando City, per FIFA rules, he said.

The league said there is no international rule for match day roster violations and it sought the opinion of various leagues and clubs around the world that have been in similar situations before handing down what it felt was a fair ruling.

“Frankly, I’ve been a part of this league from the beginning, and in the beginning years of this league I would have said that was common-place, for a decision to be made for some other reason, some political agendas happening, some other reason dictates that type of decision,” Kreis said, referring to MLS’ history of rapid growth and change since its inception in 1996, which often included changes and gray areas in the league’s rules.

“But I would think now, 20-plus years on, that we would have moved away from those things. And we would be making decisions clearly based on the rules, and there’s no discrepancy for me. So, at the end of the day, our coaching staff, our players, our fans, our owner, our club pays the price for that decision.”

Orlando City was eliminated from playoff contention the day after the ruling. It still would be in the running for a the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference had it been awarded the extra points.

Veteran players Antonio Nocerino and Jonathan Spector each reacted similarly to the decision.

Nocerino, the 32-year-old former Milan and Italian national team player, couldn’t stop laughing as he spoke about the situation.

“I smile because FIFA has the rule, no?” Nocerino said in broken English. “For me, it’s crazy. It’s not normal because the rule is for every team. Normally, in a normal situation, FIFA has the rule and it’s three points for Orlando. Here, it’s not. I don’t know why. I smile because only here do you have this situation.”

He paused and laughed a again as he looked toward the ground and said, “I Smile.”

Spector, a former English Premier League and U.S. men’s national team defender, regurgitated the same FIFA rule as his teammate and coach and said it was “disappointing that the league side-stepped that, in my view. “

He acknowledged the extra points may not have made a difference since the New York Red Bulls still would need to lose their final matches and the Lions win theirs in order to make the playoffs.

“We don’t know what may have happened,” Spector said. We’ll never know now...But, the rules are there for me, and it might be slightly different the way MLS views it, and that’s their prerogative, but I personally don’t agree with it.”

ardelgallo@orlandosentinel.com