HomeSportsRaccoon crashes press box at Real Salt Lake-Club Leon match

Raccoon crashes press box at Real Salt Lake-Club Leon match

August 4, 2023

There was an unexpected guest Thursday at an MLS game. 

A raccoon fell through the ceiling while reporters gathered in the press box as Real Salt Lake’s League Cup Round of 32 match against Club Leon was delayed due to downpours before kickoff. 

The raccoon crashed through the ceiling tile during the heavy rains and landed right next to the popcorn machine as it frantically looked around the room. 

(Cue the “get your popcorn ready” GIFs.)

“Poor guy, he’s gotta be so cold and wet,” one person can be heard saying in the Twitter video posted by reporter Caleb Turner. 

Turner said that the reporters were told “the roof was just ‘certified’ yesterday.” 


The raccoon fell right next to the popcorn machine, from Twitter.
The raccoon fell right next to the popcorn machine, from Twitter.
Caleb Turner, Twitter

RSL podcaster Ethan Kershaw posted another video of a raccoon spotted on the concourse overpass, hanging above attendees walking below. 

Staffers used a broom to usher the raccoon up the railing and into a trash bin, but lost control of the animal as it plunged down to the groups of screaming people.

The now-viral raccoon scurried between fans’ feet as some people tried to chase it out of America First Field in Sandy, Utah.


The hole left in the ceiling from the raccoon, from Twitter.
The hole left in the ceiling from the raccoon, from Twitter.
Caleb Turner, Twitter

The raccoon hangs above the concourse, on Twitter.
The raccoon hangs above the concourse, on Twitter.
Ethan Kershaw, Twitter

It has not been not confirmed whether it is the same raccoon that fell into the press box, but Kershaw said the facilities team at the stadium believed there was more than one raccoon on the loose. 

The raccoon on the concourse reportedly was captured and released by a creek close to the stadium. 

While there was no action on the pitch, the match’s entertainment value was made up for by the raccoon fiasco. 


The raccoon falls onto the concourse, from Twitter.
The raccoon falls onto the concourse, from Twitter.
Ethan Kershaw, Twitter

The weather delay hit the two-hour mark when league officials finally decided to postpone the game until Friday. 

Real Salt Lake said that all tickets for the rescheduled match would be honored, but the straying raccoon might’ve been a one-night-only performance. 

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