Toddler invades the pitch, halts MLS game — again — in San Jose
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, Calif.
The incident marked at least the third time since 2021 that a league match was halted when a child invaded the pitch. 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
🚨 | There was pitch invader in the MLS between San Jose and Minnesota except the pitch invader is a BABY!#SJMIN#MLS pic.twitter.com/cZJwX3wLUD
— Just Football (@JustFootball_20) August 23, 2026
The tot was quickly collected by a stadium staff member and delivered safely to a woman in the sideline seats.
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.
“You could hear the noise, and then you’re looking to see what it is,” Minnesota United coach Cameron Knowles said. “Oh, man, it’s a little bit too early to get a lifetime ban from a stadium,” he quipped in his postgame news conference.
The team’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.”
Of course, this was far from the first time such a scenario unfolded at an MLS game.
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.
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.
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 was as red as a tomato.”
We hope this mother and her young pitch invader are having a great day. 😂
pic.twitter.com/hKfwa6wyWI— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 9, 2021