A week-old baby entered the pitch during a Major League Soccer match between Minnesota United and San Jose Earthquakes. The incident occurred on Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, where Minnesota secured a convincing 5-1 victory. The child reached the turf just one minute before the end of the match, prompting the referee to blow the whistle and halt play.
A stadium official immediately reacted, removing the child from the pitch and handing them over to a woman presumed to be the mother. Apple TV analyst Kyndra de St. Aubin commented during the incident: "There's a baby on the pitch." Commentator Callum Williams compared the event to the squirrel invasion by Raquin during the New York City vs Philadelphia Union match in May 2024. Williams also noted that the child was "on the edge of the 18-yard box".
Minnesota United head coach Cameron Knowles stated that upon seeing the child on the pitch, he thought it was too early to issue a lifetime stadium ban. Minnesota United's official X account posted after the match that the victory over San Jose was "like taking money from a baby", alluding to the ease of the win.
According to The Athletic, this is the third time since 2021 that a child has entered the pitch during a professional match. In June 2025, during a DC United vs Chicago Fire match, a baby entered the field before being removed by security. In 2021 in Ohio, a mother ran onto the pitch during an FC Cincinnati vs Orlando City match to retrieve her two-year-old son.
