Skip to main content
SI

Squirrel Halts Match, Joins Dogs, Babies in Growing List of MLS’s Wild Pitch Invaders

The clash between FC Cincinnati and Charlotte FC had to be halted on the account of one curious, furry creature.
Ben Steiner|
Animals and babies have taken the MLS stage in recent seasons.
Animals and babies have taken the MLS stage in recent seasons. | Brandon Vallance/Getty Images, Jeff Dean/MLS/Getty Images, Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Most MLS games feature just two teams and a referee inside the lines each week; however, a few funny characters have joined the action in recent years, and especially this season.

On Saturday night, a squirrel darted onto the pitch in FC Cincinnati’s 3–3 draw with Charlotte FC, briefly stopping play and attracting cheers from the crowd as it trotted across the field and eventually down the players’ tunnel.

The oddity commanded a bewildered head shake from Charlotte manager Dean Smith, who hails from West Bromich, England and was perhaps questioning the bizarre nature of American wildlife and its starring role in MLS.

Dubbed “Squirrelinho” online, the rodent is just latest in a long string of odd, non-soccer-related moments that have commanded the attentions of MLS and its fans during games lately.

Here, Sports Illustrated takes you down memory lane. 

Remembering “Raquinho”

The most famous wildlife sighting on an MLS pitch is often the raccoon. One of the most common urban animals in the United States and Canada, the rodent has made its way into several MLS games. 

Two years ago, one took center stage and earned the nickname “Raquinho” after a high-stakes chase around the Philadelphia Union’s pitch, eventually leading to Mark Mello and Ryan Haines, the Union’s groundskeepers, sprinting with a garbage can to trap the animal for removal. 

“We promise you that you are not watching the nature channel right now,” play-by-play Calum Williams said on the Apple TV match broadcast, while laughing through the commentary: “We’re told that pest control is on the way to remove a rather adventurous raccoon from the field.”

The Union also enjoyed another animal adventure in 2023 when Concacaf Champions Cup play had to be halted in the 68th minute on account of a dog chasing down the ball and taking a bite out of it.

D.C. United’s Raccoon, Real Salt Lake’s Cat, Vancouver’s Mouse

Ronnie Racoon, MLS SuperDraft, DC. United
Ronnie Racoon was made into a plush toy, handed out to D.C. United’s MLS SuperDraft selections in 2017. | Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Other MLS teams have had run-ins with animals too. D.C. United’s former home, RFK Stadium, was known for having frequent wildlife interactions. Raccoons actually established a more permanent home in the ceiling, only discovered after a dark-colored liquid began dripping from the roof, according to a report by The Athletic. 

DC. United eventually embraced the furry friends, naming the collective “Ronnie Raccoon,” and even released plush toys, which they gave to players at the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. To date, Ronnie Raccoon is the club’s secondary mascot. 

Real Salt Lake’s America First Park also housed a raccoon above the press box roof, which made its way out mid-game to the scare of journalists in 2022. Three years prior, a cat had made a darting run across the field before play was stopped in a Leagues Cup match against Tigres UANL.

Last season, Austin FC’s Brad Stuver removed a mouse from the pitch at BC Place in an away match against the Vancover Whitecaps, a stadium that often sees pigeons flying around inside.

What About the Babies?

While the animals bring plenty of laughter, there have undoubtedly been some concerned parents across MLS in the last few years too. 

Last season, a security guard ran onto the field after a child walked onto the pitch in D.C. United’s match against the Chicago Fire, and just a few weeks ago, a baby darted onto PayPal Park’s pitch as the San Jose Earthquakes battled Minnesota United. 

With 30 teams across the league as the world’s largest top division, there’s always excitement in MLS—sometimes not even from the players themselves.

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Published | Modified
Ben Steiner
BEN STEINER

Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.

Share on XFollow BenSteiner00
Home/Soccer