The Hearts’ Beat is independent, daily coverage of the Portland Hearts of Pine men’s (and soon to be) women’s soccer club, and reported by someone who’s spent three decades on both sides of the notebook.

I’m George Watson. I started as a sports writer covering high school, college, and pro athletes at The Durango Herald. From there I went to Foster’s Daily Democrat, where I cut my teeth as a news reporter, then to the Hartford Courant, and eventually to the Associated Press in New York City, writing wire copy that ran globally. Later I moved into investigative and enterprise reporting, including national award-winning work at The San Bernardino Sun and embedded reporting in Afghanistan for The Press-Enterprise. I also ran a 15-person newsroom as city editor, coordinating daily coverage across multiple papers.

When not doing journalism, I played competitive amateur soccer for roughly two decades, mostly as a goalkeeper.

I live in Falmouth, in the club’s backyard. This is the beat coverage I wished existed when I started following this team — game recaps, tactical breakdowns, and the business decisions shaping the club’s future, published daily.

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