Major League Soccer outfit Toronto FC’s training session near Orlando had an uninvited guest when a huge alligator invaded the pitch at the ChampionsGate Resort.
In a video the club posted on Twitter, several Toronto players are seen running toward the alligator to get a better view before a resort staffer in a golf cart chases the animal away.
“All I can tell you is this, there was a massive alligator,” Toronto coach Chris Armas told The Canadian Press on Monday. “My players are running towards the gator as I went the other way. Listen, we talk about (being) fearless and aggressive around here, but I thought we wouldn’t think about that at that moment.”
Toronto, who have relocated to Florida for the MLS regular season because of travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, later joked about the incident.
“Toronto FC have agreed to terms with Ale Gator on a short-term loan,” the club tweeted.
Last week, American golfer Wyndham Clark earned bragging rights after risking a possible alligator encounter to secure a shot at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans.
Playing alongside South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen in the two-man team event, the 27-year-old removed his shoes and pulled up his trousers on the par-four 16 to salvage his ball from the bank of a lake where TV pundits confirmed two alligators had been spotted during the third round.
