Raccoon on the field! Critter joins Philadelphia Union vs. NYCFC match

Folks, this is not a drill, we have a raccoon on the field

The Philadelphia Union and New York City FC were honored by the presence of a raccoon who made the bold but indisputably correct choice to join the Wednesday night MLS clash.

The racoon strolled out around the 21st minute, setting up shop in the NYCFC penalty area as play carried on at the other end of the Subaru Park pitch.

Pro Soccer Wire cannot confirm whether NYCFC is interested in signing the raccoon as a goalkeeper, defender, or at some other position.

Expertly reading that the game was going on at the other end with an NYCFC throw-in, the raccoon jogged up to join the teams and presumably try to engage in soccer.

Sadly, the staff at Subaru Park preferred for the game to remain an 11-on-11 affair, and two people emerged from the touchline carrying empty gray trash cans.

Raccoons, of course, have a hot-and-cold relationship with trash cans: when full, they contain what any procyon lotor will tell you is an array of delightful and interesting food.

When empty, however, the trash can is a trap, and raccoons everywhere will surely take note of how things went down. Multiple staffers with multiple trash cans emerged, and though the raccoon put in some great moves to avoid several attempts to slow it down, the end result was…well, the raccoon got trapped in a trash can.

NYCFC’s Mitja Ilenič could scarcely believe his good fortune as the scene played out in front of him, while Union players — one assumes out of a fear that the raccoon would be allowed to join the visitors — looked less amused.

This raccoon followed in the footsteps of other animals interrupting recent Union games. Back in March 2023, a dog graced Philadelphia and Salvadoran club Alianza with its presence during a Concacaf Champions League match.

Curiously, the Union aren’t the mid-Atlantic team associated with raccoons, an honor long held by D.C. United. However, since the club’s move from RFK Stadium — well known as a major attraction for raccoons — to Audi Field, raccoon sightings have plummeted down to zero.

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