Toddler runs onto pitch at PayPal Park as Minnesota United beat San Jose 5-1

A toddler ran onto the pitch at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, interrupting a Major League Soccer match between Minnesota United and the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday; Minnesota won the game 5-1. The child entered the field with a minute and a half remaining, and the referee blew his whistle to stop play.

Apple TV coverage captured the incident, with analyst Kyndra de St Aubin audible on the broadcast saying, "Oh! There's a baby on the field." The toddler appeared to be enjoying the brief freedom before a stadium official scooped the child up and handed him to a woman, presumably the toddler's mother.

Game commentators recalled earlier pitch invasions, including a raccoon that stopped play in May 2024. That animal was later dubbed "Raquinho" after mounting the pitch and being caught in a trash can; the effort to catch it involved four men during a match between New York City FC and the Philadelphia Union.

Apple TV commentator Callum Williams reacted to the raccoon at the time, saying, "We need to find him a ball because he’s moving very well in the center of midfield," and adding, "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." A commentator during Saturday’s game said, "That’s way better than the racoon" and noted the baby was "on the edge of the 18[-yard box]."

Minnesota manager Cameron Knowles 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, and 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.

Minnesota United’s X account posted that its decisive win over San Jose was "Like taking money from a baby."