MLS match pauses as tiny pitch invader takes the field

Major League Soccer might need to take steps to childproof its playing fields. Saturday night's contest between Minnesota United and the San Jose Earthquakes was briefly interrupted when a toddler escaped the sideline seats and wandered onto the pitch at PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

The incident marked at least the third time since 2021 that a child has invaded the pitch during an MLS match — and this one might be the most adorable yet.

Apple TV's Kyndra de St. Aubin broke from the play-by-play to alert viewers. “Oh … there's a baby on the field,” she said as play was paused near midfield.

The tot was quickly collected by a stadium staff member and delivered safely to a woman on the sideline. The brief episode unfolded during second-half stoppage time and may have been a welcome pause for Earthquakes fans who were watching the final minutes of a 5-1 loss to Minnesota.

Coach takes the interruption in stride

“You could hear the noise, and then you're looking to see what it is,” Minnesota United coach Cameron Knowles said in his postgame news conference. “Oh, man, it's a little bit too early to get a lifetime ban from a stadium,” he quipped.

The club's social media team capitalized on the child's dash to rub it in, remarking on X that the 5-1 romp was, “Like taking money from a baby.”

A tradition of tiny pitch invaders

Of course, this was far from the first time such a scenario has unfolded at an MLS game. During a June 2025 match between D.C. United and the Chicago Fire in Washington, D.C., a toddler got close to the action before stadium security swooped in and carried the child to safety.

And in 2021, Ohio mother Morgan Tucker made headlines when she raced onto the pitch to corral her 2-year-old son, Zaydek, after he dashed onto the turf during an FC Cincinnati match against Orlando City SC. Tucker was captured on camera dashing onto the field and making a sliding tackle on her son before taking him off the pitch while play continued.

Afterward, she told ABC News she was cheered by the crowd as she ran off the field with Zaydek. “Everyone was screaming and cheering, and I knew they were not cheering for the game. My face is as red as a tomato.”