Alan Acevedo’s decisive spot kick lifted the NYPD over FDNY in penalties following a 1-1 draw to take the 2024 Local Ford Classic at Randall’s Island’s Icahn Stadium on Monday night.
“It was a great game, very intense, but it’s always like that every year,” NYPD Sergeant Ahmed Kessba said. “It’s a big rivalry and we got the win with PKs again, this year it was our turn.”
The annual charity match had gone to penalty kicks in each of the last three years, where FDNY won the 2023 edition, and NYPD got the win two years ago. The winner earned a $10,000 check for their chosen charity, and this year it went to NY’s Finest SC.
In a twist at the end, Ford president John Billard also awarded $10,000 to the FDNY’s charity — the FF Sergio Villanueva Soccer Foundation.
The NYPD started the better of the two sides, registering three shots within the first nine minutes of the first half but not testing FDNY goalkeeper and firefighter Luis Delpezo.
The police department’s goal came soon after, as Officer Khaled Abdella found himself with space and time to dink a cross to the back post where Acevedo was waiting for the easy tap-in with 13 minutes played.
“They came out pretty hot,” FDNY’s Ray Hassett said. “We expected it, and we made some adjustments.”
NYPD’s lead didn’t last long, as the FDNY equalized a minute later. Firefighter Dardan Mika scored with a first-time finish into the bottom left corner after being slipped in on-goal from the right wing.
Both teams remained committed to entertaining the 2,000 people in attendance at the Icahn Stadium through heavy rain. Both teams had chances to take the lead throughout the match, but neither could convert.
The second half wasn’t short on entertainment. Although no goals went in, two players on each side earned yellow cards that had the benches on their feet.
“We’ve been playing these guys for years, and a lot of us grew up playing together on both sides, so there’s a lot of familiarity there,” Hassett said. “Things just get passionate and chippy, but at the end of the day, we are brothers.”
This year’s sixth Local Ford Classic took place in the newly-renovated Icahn Stadium, a change from last year’s Belson Stadium at St. Joseph’s University in Queens.
“This is a field that is primarily used for pro games,” NYCFC COO Jennifer O’Sullivan said. “To be able to say to the NYPD and the FDNY, ‘Hey, you guys don’t get to play on grass fields very often. Here’s a world-class pitch for you guys to play on.’ And they were really excited about the opportunity tonight.”
The team’s reserves, NYCFC II, have played a few matches on the new turf at Icahn Stadium thanks to the team’s $3 million donation to the refurbishment of the pitch.
NYCFC has been involved since the first edition in 2018, where crowds have grown from a few hundred to more than a thousand last year and doubled in size for this year’s installment.
“It’s important for us because giving back to our community is part of this club’s DNA,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ve been investing in the city of New York for the better part of 10 years, and in my opinion, there’s no better way to give back to two city agencies that do so much good in our communities. They’re as much a part of our community as anybody.”
