A toddler interrupted a Major League Soccer match between Minnesota United and San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday by invading the pitch, prompting an on-air analyst to exclaim, "There's a baby on the field."
Baby on the field stops play
With a minute and a half to play in the game that Minnesota won 5-1 at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, the small child took to the field, and the referee blew his whistle to stop play.
The toddler appeared to be enjoying the freedom before being scooped up by a stadium official and handed over to a woman, presumably the toddler's mother.
"Oh! There's a baby on the field," Apple TV analyst Kyndra de St Aubin could be heard saying in astonishment on the broadcast.
Commentators recall previous pitch invasions
Game commentators recalled previous pitch invasions, including when a raccoon stopped play in May 2024. Later dubbed "Raquinho", the creature mounted a pitch invasion before being caught in a trash can.
The effort to catch the raccoon took four men during a game between New York City FC and the Philadelphia Union.
"We need to find him a ball because he's moving very well in the center of midfield," Apple TV commentator Callum Williams said at the time. "I don't think I've ever seen anything quite as bizarre as this, particularly given the amount of time he's remained on the field."
Third child pitch invasion since 2021
A commentator at Saturday's game at PayPal Park said, "That's way better than the racoon" and noted that the baby was "on the edge of the 18[-yard box]."
Minnesota manager Cameron Knowles later said: "You could hear the noise and then you're looking to see what it is. I thought, 'Man, it's a little too early to get a lifetime ban from a stadium.'"
According to the New York Times' The Athletic, Saturday was the third time since 2021 that a child has invaded the pitch during a match. In June 2025, during a match between DC United and the Chicago Fire, a baby made it on the pitch before being scooped up by security. A mom in Ohio in 2021 raced on to the pitch to collect her 2-year-old son from the pitch of a game between FC Cincinnati and Orlando City FC.
After Saturday's pitch invasion, Minnesota United's X account posted that its decisive win over San Jose was "Like taking money from a baby."
