Monterey Bay Football Club celebrated First Responders Night at Cardinale Stadium this past weekend during the club’s match against New Mexico United. To kick off the night, the first 1,000 fans who entered Cardinale Stadium received a commemorative First Responders Night bracelet, while the first 500 fans received a First Responders Night t-shirt.
As players from both sides performed the official walk-out ceremony just minutes ahead of kick off, a local color guard made up of representatives from the Salinas Police Department, Salinas Fire Department and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office posted the colors prior to the National Anthem. At the same time, representatives from the Monterey Fire Department held up an American flag, outstretched across the center of the pitch.
At halftime, the Monterey Fire Department competed in Cardinale Automotive Group’s Soccer Kick Challenge, a fun competition between two teams that requires dribbling the ball between cones, scoring a goal, and then weaving back through the cones before giving the ball to the next teammate in line. Following the competition, Cardinale Automotive Group awarded $1,500 to the Monterey Fire Department. In addition, an old-fashioned fire engine from Red Engine Rides, a local firefighter-owned-and-operated business, sat on display in the Union Plaza throughout the match.
“It was a great night; the energy was fantastic. It was wonderful to see all of the first responders show up and be a part of the match,” said Monterey Bay F.C. President Mike DiGiulio. “It was a real honor for us as a new club to recognize these incredible people in our community. The atmosphere was really energetic and enthusiastic. I enjoyed it and I can’t wait to build off that in future years.”
