Raccoon Hits the Field at Professional Soccer Game and Hilariously Outruns Everybody

Natalie Hoage
·3 min read
6

Sometimes animals wind up where they aren't supposed to be, like in the middle of the field during a Major League soccer game. NBC News shared a video on Saturday, May 18th of a raccoon who somehow found his way onto the soccer field at Subaru Park in Chester, PA as Philadelphia Union and New York City FC battled it out.

The game came to a halt when the raccoon made its appearance, and it took two minutes for staff members to catch it. Watch on to see as staff chased him around before finally catching him by trapping him underneath a trashcan. I had no idea raccoons were so fast!

Get that raccoon a jersey and let him play! He's pretty quick and agile and could be the next soccer MVP! @NBC News commenters also got a kick out of the raccoon's antics. @Crysta Barrera asked what we were all thinking, "Is it wrong of me to be rooting for the raccoon?" and another commenter added, "This is the best!!!!!! I’m Team Raccoon!!!!" @jpnodiddy admitted, "Now this is sports I can get behind."

Related: Alaskan Moose Joins Soccer Team on Practice Field in Wild Video

When Animals Take Over the Field

UPI News had more about the story, "The pitch invader, dubbed Raquinho the Raccoon by MLS on social media, earned cheers from the crowd as it evaded capture." One announcer said, “We need to find him a ball because he’s moving very well in the center of midfield," before adding that it was “entertainment of its own kind.” Announcer and former MLS player Calen Carr asked, "At what point are we just rooting for him?"

MLS tweeted that the raccoon set a new record for the sport, "Raquinho the Raccoon spent 161 seconds on the field tonight, which was the most by a raccoon in @MLS history!"

One NBC News commenter worried about the raccoon's fate, "Hopefully they brought it somewhere to be released back into the wild or rehabbed then released." A team spokesperson told USA Today the raccoon was safely removed from the stadium, "Rest assured, our new friend was released unharmed."

Raquinho isn't the first animal that turned up where it wasn't supposed to be and wanted to get in on a game. This Alaskan moose is a soccer fan and showed up to practice with the team. In Lake Tahoe, this bear showed off his impressive soccer skills, too.

This cat showed up at a baseball game and gave staff members a run for their money, and this baseball fan was denied entrance to the game when he tried to bring his 5-foot-long emotional support alligator in with him. The NFL knows how much fans love dogs and had a Dachshund race before one of their games.

I hope one day I'm lucky enough to be at a game and see something like this happen. It would make the game a memorable one...even if my team lost!

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