Saturday’s Major League Soccer matchup between Minnesota United and the San Jose Earthquakes featured an unexpected visitor on the pitch in the closing minutes of United’s 5-1 victory.
Apple TV analyst Kyndra de St. Aubin explained the situation with a sentence not typically heard on a sports broadcast.
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“Oh … there’s a baby on the field,” de St. Aubin said as play stopped at midfield at San Jose’s PayPal Park.
The field view of the Apple TV broadcast didn’t initially reveal what de St. Aubin was referring to, but a quick cut to a camera along the sideline showed a referee handing a toddler to a stadium staffer. Judging from the smile, the child was having a great time, smiling broadly as they were handed off and led off the pitch.
The toddler was promptly taken to the sideline and passed to a woman on the sideline, but whose child walked onto the field wasn’t reported. Was it a player’s kid? A coach’s child? Maybe someone with team staff or stadium personnel?
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If not for the danger of a child being injured, the entire circumstance was adorable.
The official MLS website shared a photo of the toddler on the field, possibly near the back line, and seemingly curious as to what was happening on the pitch in front of him. The kid wanted to join in!
Minnesota United’s social media team had some fun with the incident, showing a graphic of the final score with the caption “Like taking money from a baby.“
This was the second time in just over a year that a baby has wandered onto the field during MLS competition. During a June 2025 match between DC United and the Chicago Fire, a child ran onto the pitch toward the penalty box, nearly entering the middle of the action.
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Following the game, Minnesota head coach Cameron Knowles was happy that his team broke a nine-match losing streak. United improved to 7-7-7 for the season, putting them 10th in the 15-team Conference West. San Jose dropped to 10-8-3, holding fourth place.
However, he was asked about the unexpected visitor on the field in the closing minutes of stoppage time and joked about the situation. (What else could he do?)
“You could hear the noise and then you’re looking to see what it is.” Knowles said, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Andy Greder. “Oh, man, it’s a little bit too early to get a lifetime ban from a stadium.”
