Soccer field

A massive alligator runs across the Orlando soccer field during team practice

Toronto FC players got a real taste of the Sunshine State during a training session in Orlando on Monday when a giant alligator interrupted them.

The team joked that they signed the reptile, nicknamed Ale Gator, tweeting, “The deal was done using our newly acquired GAM (Gator Acquisition Money).”

RELATED: Massive alligator shows up on Florida family’s lanai and dips in pool

The alligator is seen crawling across the field and then begins to run, sending players screaming in panic.

Gator was not included in the team’s starting lineup against Mexico’s Cruz Azul, they joked.

The Canadian squad has moved to Orlando for the Major League Soccer season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

TRENDING: VIDEO: Florida woman says she spotted ‘baby dinosaur’ running through yard

Alligators’ mating season usually begins in May or June, but their courtship begins in early April. And that means more alligator sightings as the reptiles venture out in search of their mates.

In late June or early July, female alligators will lay between 32 and 46 eggs. Incubation periods for alligators take about 60 to 65 days, and baby alligators are born in late August or early September, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Watch FOX 35 News for the latest stories from Florida.