Terrence Lewis/Icon Sportswire/AP
A hairy pitch intruder temporarily halted play between NYCFC and the Philadelphia Union.
CNN
—
A furry pitch intruder caused a pause in a Major League Soccer game Wednesday after a rogue raccoon ran onto the field during a game between the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC.
The highly athletic creature criss-crossed the pitch at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, deftly evading capture as sprinting stadium staff tried to catch it using garbage cans.
“He moves very well in the center of midfield, so we need to find him the ball,” said the commentator. made a joke He added that during the brawl it was “its own kind of entertainment”.
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Raquinho the raccoon was eventually captured and then released.
The game was stopped for five minutes, and staff members attempted and eventually succeeded in capturing the animal, which MLS named Laquinha the Raccoon.
The Union is update He said the raccoon was “in good hands” and released safely.
“Unofficially, Raquinho the Raccoon spent 161 seconds on the field tonight, the most by a raccoon in MLS history,” League News said in a post to X.
NYCFC took a 2-1 lead with a goal from Alonso Martinez in the second minute of the first half and a free kick from Hannes Wolff in stoppage time.
