Impromptu soccer match between teens and Suffolk cops in Centereach goes viral

What started as a weeknight pickup soccer game in Centereach turned into a match with a couple of Suffolk police officers that led to an Instagram video garnering nearly 18 million views.

Suffolk police officers Kevin Martinez and Daniel Sanchez were on patrol about two weeks ago when they came across six teens playing soccer at SSG James D. McNaughton Memorial Park at about 9 p.m.

When the teens saw the officers in full uniform hop the fence, they thought they were getting kicked out of the park, which usually closes at 6 p.m. But instead, the officers challenged the group to penalty kicks and a one-on-one faceoff.

"We for sure thought we were in trouble," said Jonathan Maldonado, 19. "It was just us having fun and they wanted to play a little bit."

An unknown witness captured and posted the encounter, which was then shared by Suffolk police and had been "liked" more than 1.3 million times by Friday.

The officers and the teens reunited Friday at Suffolk police headquarters in Yaphank for the first time since gaining internet fame.

"It started as practice with my friends and it turned into a viral sensation," said Loc Nguyen, 17, of Centereach. "We wanted to play soccer and it turned into an embarrassment," he joked.

The teens didn’t realize who they were up against competing with Martinez, a former Division II collegiate athlete from the New York Institute of Technology and a standout soccer player at Bay Shore High School.

The officers, looking to connect with teens in the community, also took pride in the thumping after Martinez said Sanchez dared him to challenge the teens to a match.

They first played with another group of teens, doing a round of penalty kicks, and then Martinez and Sanchez challenged Loc and his friends to a game of one-on-one, where Martinez’s quick moves led to a goal.

"It's something you know that we really should be doing a lot. It’s a great thing to see and I’m really happy we were able to have this core memory with you guys," Martinez said at the news conference, addressing the teens. "I always say this is like a domino effect. I'm assuming a lot of your friends saw the interaction, and they probably talked to them and told them, ‘Hey, these cops were super good to us,' and that's what they're going to expect from now on."

Nguyen said even before the matchup, he wanted to be a police officer. He said the interaction confirmed his instincts to take the police exam as a way to help the community.

Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina said he has encouraged officers and police graduates to be involved in the community to interact with youth by stopping at local parks to shoot hoops.

"This is what kids relate to, and not just kids, but everybody. I think that's why it got all those clicks and likes," Catalina said.