Scrapple sculpture contest winner prevailed in Eagles country by putting the pig into pigskin

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the contest for best scrapple sculpture in Philadelphia on Friday it was the “Mush Push” fashioned from the regionally popular pork breakfast meat that got Patrick Moser's entry over the goal line.

The Norristown tattoo artist's tribute to the Philadelphia Eagles' trademark short yardage play, known as the “tush push,” took the top honor at a lighthearted art competition to kick off the Scrapple & Apple Festival.

The celebration of all things scrapple at Reading Terminal Market began with the contest to fashion art from 5 pounds (2.25 kilograms) of scrapple.

Moser and 11 other volunteer contestants were given sculpting tools and 90 minutes to come up with their best scrapple creations. The “expert judge” was Sasha Suda, chief executive of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Moser described his work as “Caravaggio meets Siriani" — Nick Siriani is the Eagles' head coach, and Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was a Baroque painter in Italy during the 14th and 15th centuries. The tush push, also sometimes called the “brotherly shove,” is a play by the reigning NFL champions that other teams have been unable to counter.

As for scrapple? Although it’s sometimes the butt of jokes, it’s a food that’s popular among the German families who settled in eastern Pennsylvania in the colonial period. When made properly it’s a porcine delicacy and commonly available at diners and on farmhouse tables across the state.

It takes hours to properly cook, according to Marlin Dietrich, owner of Dietrich’s Meats & Country Store in Krumsville, Pennsylvania. He sells about 300 pounds (135 kilograms) of it per week.

Dietrich boils down beef and pork bones and seasons it all with salt, pepper and coriander. His scrapple is thickened with buckwheat flour and roasted cornmeal. Dietrich fries it to a crisp exterior and enjoys it with another Pennsylvania Dutch staple, apple butter.

“I like it once or twice a week for breakfast,” Dietrich said. “Making a sculpture? That’s a shame.”

Moser's lumps of indistinguishable football players won him a trophy and a $100 gift card. The public is also getting a chance to weigh in on Saturday, when the artworks were to be on display at the market. Last year’s scrapple sculpting contest winner was a cookie jar decorated with a rooster and an egg inside.

If a football themed sculpture isn't enough scrapple, the festival also features such culinary offerings such as scrapple fries, an andouille scrapple breakfast sandwich, scrapple apple cookies and scrapple quiche. There's even a scrapple cheesesteak.

Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Contestants work on their entries in Scrapple Sculpting Contest at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Toni Lee works on her entry to Scrapple Sculpting Contest at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Shown is Patrick Moser's entry "Mush Push" during the Scrapple Sculpting Contest at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The chief executive of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Sasha Suda, center top, walks amongst competitors in the Scrapple Sculpting Contest at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Victoria Roath works on her creation in the Scrapple Sculpting Contest at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that she has “no issue” with her country hosting Iran's World Cup team after its training base was moved from the United States to Mexico for the summer soccer competition.

The team will still play its matches in the U.S. but its base has been moved to Tijuana, Mexico, just south of San Diego, California, according to Iran's soccer federation. The development comes against the backdrop of the war in Iran, which the U.S. and Israel launched on Feb. 28.

Sheinbaum said at a news conference Monday that she was told by a FIFA representative the U.S. was reluctant to have the Iranian soccer team spend time outside the games on U.S. territory.

“The United States doesn’t want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States,” Sheinbaum told reporters. She said a FIFA representative had then asked, “Can they stay overnight in Mexico?”

“And we said, ‘Yes, no problem. We have no issue with that',” she said.

Iran's soccer team is slated to play matches in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and against Belgium six days later, before facing Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

Before the war broke out, the team was originally planned to set up its base in Tucson, Arizona. But with tensions simmering, Iran's team moved its base to Tijuana in Mexico, Sheinbaum said, confirming an announcement by the Iranian federation over the weekend. The federation said the Iranians had received approval from FIFA, though it has not confirmed the move.

Teams use base camps to train before and after matches. This year’s World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 and will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The possibility of a move had simmered for months in the uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East and security concerns. U.S. sanctions on Iran were likely to only make the team’s stay in the U.S. more complex.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement on Monday that President Donald Trump had made it clear the Iranian team was welcome to participate in the tournament.

The department’s statement did not address where the team might stay, or Sheinbaum's comments.

Sheinbaum said that her government was working with FIFA to hash out all the details before the competition.

Iran's national soccer team players stand onstage as they are greeted by a crowd during a pro-government gathering before their departure for training and friendly matches in Turkey ahead of the World Cup at Islamic Revolution Square in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)