Wednesday's match between the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC had an unexpected visitor. During the 21st minute of action at Subaru Park in Philadelphia, a raccoon entered the field and play had to be stopped.
Members of the Union grounds crew were forced to try to catch the furry animal with rubbish bins. The raccoon evaded capture for a few minutes before finally being picked up under a garbage can.
The announcers and crowd seemed to have a bit of fun with the furry creature making its way onto the field. The Apple TV broadcast crew, as well as the audience, cheered on the raccoon as it evaded grounds crews for an extended period of time.
The Union later announced that a local company called Hoffman's Exterminating had safely released the raccoon back into the nearby wild.
When the Raccoon made his premature appearance, NYCFC were leading 1-0 and were able to extend that lead thanks to Hannes Wolf's injury-time goal late in the first half. Perhaps the raccoon could have earned an assist, as without his stoppage there wouldn't have been as much stoppage time
Philadelphia's Julian Carranza did score in the 47th minute, but the Union ultimately fell short in a 2-1 loss. The loss brings the Union's record to 3-5-4 heading into the 2024 season.
