Major League Soccer might need to take steps to childproof its playing fields.<\/p>\n
Saturday night\u2019s 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, Calif.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Apple TV\u2019s Kyndra de St. Aubin broke from the play-by-play to alert viewers. \u201cOh \u2026 there\u2019s a baby on the field,\u201d she said as play was paused near midfield<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udea8 | There was pitch invader in the MLS between San Jose and Minnesota except the pitch invader is a BABY!#SJMIN<\/a>#MLS<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/cZJwX3wLUD<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Just Football (@JustFootball_20) August 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The tot was quickly collected by a stadium staff member and delivered safely to a woman on the sideline.<\/p>\n The brief episode came during second-half stoppage time and may have been a welcome pause for Earthquake fans who were watching the final minutes of a 5-1 loss to Minnesota.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could hear the noise, and then you\u2019re looking to see what it is,\u201d Minnesota United coach Cameron Knowles said. \u201cOh, man, it\u2019s a little bit too early to get a lifetime ban from a stadium,\u201d he quipped in his postgame news conference.<\/p>\n The team\u2019s social media team capitalized on the child\u2019s dash to rub it in, remarking on X that the 5-1 romp was, \u201cLike taking money from a baby<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, this was far from the first time such a scenario unfolded at an MLS game.<\/p>\n During a June 7, 2025, match between D.C. United and the Chicago Fire in Washington, D.C., a toddler got very close to the action before stadium security swooped in and carried the child to safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n And in 2021, Ohio mom Morgan Tucker made headlines when she raced onto the pitch to corral her 2-year-old son, Zaydek, after he dashed onto the pitch during an FC Cincinnati match against Orlando City FC.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Afterward, she told ABC News she was cheered by the crowd as she ran off the field with Zaydek. \u201cEveryone was screaming and cheering, and I knew they were not cheering for the game. My face was as red as a tomato.\u201d<\/p>\n We hope this mother and her young pitch invader are having a great day. \ud83d\ude02 \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 9, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n
pic.twitter.com\/hKfwa6wyWI<\/a><\/p>\n