A light-hearted moment stole the spotlight during St. Louis City’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Friday, July 17, 2026, when a young fan jokingly attempted to “bribe” the referee during a crucial VAR review.
With the match finely poised, the referee headed to the pitchside monitor to review a potential late penalty for St. Louis City.
As he stood watching the replay, television cameras caught a child in the front row stretching out a dollar bill toward the official, seemingly hoping the playful “offer” would convince him to overturn the decision.
The humorous gesture quickly drew laughter from fans.
The referee, focused on the replay, ignored the playful attempt and completed the review.
After checking the footage, the official pointed to the penalty spot, awarding St. Louis City the spot-kick despite the fan’s tongue-in-cheek intervention.
German midfielder Eduard Lowen stepped up and calmly converted from 12 yards, giving St. Louis City the decisive goal in a thrilling 3-2 victory over their MLS rivals.
Watch the video below:
