A Suffolk County police officer's pickup soccer game at a Centereach park has turned him into an unlikely internet star, after video showed him nutmegging a goalie and dropping a teenager with an ankle-breaker move while weighed down by his full duty uniform. Officer Kevin Martinez challenged two teens to a game of 1v1 at SSG James D. McNaughton Memorial Park on October 1, and the resulting clip has since collected more than a million likes on Instagram.
The encounter started as a dare. Martinez was on patrol with his partner, Officer Sanchez, when Sanchez goaded him into taking on the teens playing soccer at the park, according to video posted by the Suffolk County Police Department. As reported by New York Post, Martinez said the teens initially thought they were about to be kicked off the field, and only got excited once he asked who wanted to play him one-on-one.
What followed was not a gentle kickabout. Martinez displayed elite dribbling skills, scored a goal by nutmegging the goalie, and sent one teen stumbling with an ankle-breaker move, all per the same New York Post account. One of the teens did manage to score against him before the match wrapped up. Martinez told the outlet the teens were visibly impressed by his footwork — a reaction that is easy to understand given what he was wearing while he pulled it off.
Thirty Pounds of Gear, Zero Excuses
Full police patrol uniforms and equipment add between 25 and 30 pounds of weight once body armor, a duty belt, a radio, and a sidearm are factored in, a detail the department's own footage underscores. That kind of load typically restricts footwork and lateral movement compared to regular athletic clothing, which is part of why the video resonated with viewers well beyond Centereach. International soccer media outlet Men in Blazers picked up the clip and shared it with global soccer audiences, with commentators specifically highlighting Martinez's ability to execute technical moves in full gear.
Martinez's touch did not come out of nowhere. He is a former Division II soccer standout who played four years at New York Institute of Technology, and as a senior at Bay Shore High School he led Suffolk County in goals scored, according to the New York Post. He also followed a family path onto the pitch: his older brother Carlos Martinez played for NYIT from 2011 to 2014, a few years before Kevin arrived on campus, per The Islip Bulletin.
A Park Named for a Fallen Centereach Officer
The setting carries its own weight. SSG James D. McNaughton Memorial Park was re-dedicated by Town of Brookhaven officials in 2010 to honor Staff Sgt. James D. McNaughton, a Centereach native and NYPD officer killed in action in Iraq in August 2005, according to the Town of Brookhaven. He was the first NYPD officer killed in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom while serving with the Army Reserve. The pickup game unfolding on that same field adds a layer of local history to what otherwise might have been just another viral clip.
Centereach is an unincorporated Brookhaven hamlet served by the Suffolk County Police Department's Sixth Precinct, which also covers Coram, Selden, and Port Jefferson Station, as Hoodline has previously reported. The precinct regularly turns to informal outreach like this, including hosting the annual National Night Out at the Centereach Pool Complex, which features swimming, music, and first-responder activities, according to Newsday.
Soccer as a Community Policing Tool
Martinez is far from the only Suffolk County officer using soccer to build rapport with young people. In the Fifth Precinct's summer PAL program in Patchogue, officers coach more than 160 children ages 6 to 15 twice a week, according to the Suffolk County Police Department. The county's Police Athletic League has run youth sports programs since 1973 and now engages more than 20,000 children annually across Long Island, with the stated goal of preventing juvenile crime through structured activity.
Martinez framed the viral moment as part of that larger mission. He said the interaction highlighted positive police-community engagement and that he hopes to change perceptions of police officers through moments like it. He said he seeks out interactions that show officers are approachable and care about the community, adding that positive encounters like this one can strengthen the relationships and trust needed to prevent and solve crimes.
