PORTLAND, Maine — Hearts of Pine coach Bobby Murphy isn’t surprised to see a surging Sarasota Paradise club come to town for the match Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Sarasota (8-12-6), which is tied with Portland (7-11-9) in the USL League One standings with 30 points, carries a six-game unbeaten streak (three wins and three draws), including its most recent match, a 6-0 thrashing of Greenville last weekend. Each team is fighting for its diminishing playoff chances as both are seven points behind eighth-place Fort Wayne FC.

“They’re one of the most improved teams in the league from where they started, when we saw them earlier in the year,” Murphy said after Thursday’s practice. “They’ve grown and really come up with an identity, and I think they deserve a lot of credit for that.”

Asked about Sarasota’s identity, Murphy replied, “They want to be good on the ball. They want to possess it, dominate possession, and really just wear you down that way. So we have to make sure that we’re pretty disciplined against the ball, not get frustrated, and when we have it, make them defend.”

Murphy pointed out that Sarasota ranks third-lowest in the USL1 in PPDA (Passes Per Defensive Action). PPDA is an advanced soccer analytics metric that measures how intensely a team presses the opponent.

“They like to sit in a block,” he said. “We’ve got to be patient at times and try to force them to come out.”

This will be the teams’ fourth match against each other in 2026. In addition to the two regular-season matches, the teams also played a pair of friendlies against each other in what was billed as “the Snowbird Derby,” which was named in homage to “the seasonal migration of fans who spend summers in Maine and winters in Florida” and a “cross-regional rivalry between two young clubs with an overlapping supporters base.”

Sarasota has won all three matches, although Murphy doesn’t put much stock in two of Portland’s losses because both teams were using trialists, which are non-contract players auditioning for a potential roster spot.

“The friendlies were different,” Murphy said. “You can take some general themes from them, but you don’t take too much from them at all. Both teams are vastly different from when we played earlier in the season.”

So what are Murphy’s concerns going into the game? Being good on the ball and waiting to see what Saturday’s weather will entail.

Meteorologists are calling for a 75 percent chance of steady rain at the 5 p.m. kickoff with winds up to 13 mph. The fast, slick surface may significantly accelerate the tempo of play, while the winds will make longer passes far less reliable.

Players must be ready to adapt to whatever the weather brings, Murphy said.

“You can give them some pointers and ideas once we know what it will be closer to the match, but really it’s just players making decisions on the field and recognizing that situations and circumstances change,” he explained. “What worked on a calm day won’t work in those conditions, so you have to modify it a little bit, be safer at times, and play for moments. If it’s going to be like that, it’ll be kind of an ugly game, and you just have to be prepared to grind through it.”

Quick hits:

• Sarasota has a winning record at home (6-4-2) but has struggled on the road (2-8-4).
  

• The match brings a return of Emiliano Terzaghi, the most decorated player in the history of USL1, who played briefly for Portland earlier this season. Terzaghi was transferred to Sarasota in June after limited playing time for the Hearts.
  

  Best known for his legendary six-season tenure with the Richmond Kickers, Terzaghi is the league’s all-time leading goalscorer with 62 regular-season goals while also winning three consecutive Most Valuable Player awards and Golden Boots from 2020 to 2022.
  
  The move Terzaghi reunited with Head Coach Mika Elovaara, who spent years working alongside the forward as an assistant coach with Richmond.

  

• Here’s a fun connection between the two clubs. When not living in Maine, the state’s most celebrated author, Stephen King, is typically at Casey Key, Florida, where he has a private winter waterfront estate. Casey Key is about 15 miles south of Sarasota. There’s no word whether King, a well known baseball fan, is also a soccer aficionado but either way, it seems unlikely he’ll scare Mainers by not being a supporter of the Hearts.

• Prior to the start of practice, Murphy gathered the players together. He informed them that a young girl who was watching was celebrating her birthday. The child was in attendance as part of a group who won an auction bid to watch a practice. The boys gave a hearty cheer to honor the child.

Please forgive this reporter’s ignorant foot.

(Editor’s note: The Hearts’ Beat normally publishes the weekly roundup on Tuesdays, but because of news involving the Hearts’ effort to change municipal zoning rules for a new stadium, the story was held until now.)

There are so many interesting stories when it comes to the Portland Hearts of Pine. But it’s important to remember that there are 16 other clubs in USL League One, each with their own narrative that helps explain how their season has gone.

Every Tuesday Today, the Hearts’ Beat will pull together a roundup of the most interesting stories from around the league. Some may have a connection to the Hearts; others will just be information readers should know.

So let’s take a look:

• Goals are being scored at an unprecedented rate this season. Collectively, teams in USL League One have scored more total goals than in any previous season. That total is boosted by having the highest number of teams (17 in 2026) in league history.
  
  But the most intriguing number is the average goals per game (gpg) in the league. Initial research showed a gpg rate of 2.98 for 2026 and 2023, but digging a little deeper revealed that the 2023 rate was rounded up from 2.979, while 2026 comes in at 2.982.

That’s the highest gpg rate in the history of the USL1. Of course, we are talking about a difference of 0.003, but hey, a record rate is a record rate. The regular season won’t end until October 24, so this rate will undoubtedly change one way or another.

Why is there so much scoring? It helps that the Charlotte Independence’s high-flying attack broke the league record for total goals (62) in a season. The Independence currently have 63 goals with five games to play.

Portland Sporting Director Ray Saari speculated that because players in higher USL leagues can sign longer, multiyear contracts, some players with a long history in the USL Championship are being pushed down a level or two. He cited Chattanooga’s Omar Hernandez (second in USL1 goals scored with 13) and Charlotte’s Jon Bakero (first in USL1 in assists with 14) as examples of longtime USL talent moving down a league.

“The composition of rosters has changed over the past two to three years in a lot of different ways,” Saari said in an interview during today’s Hearts’ practice. “So you hear those statistics and it’s never just one thing. It’s always a multitude of factors that come into play, but certainly interesting nonetheless.”

Whatever the reason, it’s been an exciting year for goal-scoring in USL1.

• Which team is giving up the most goals in the league, you ask? Right now, that’s the Richmond Kickers, who have conceded 53 goals in 26 games. But the New York Cosmos are close behind with 52 goals conceded in 26 games.
  
  Portland has conceded 46 goals in 27 games, the fourth most in USL1.
  

• We have a new leader of the USL1 table. Union Omaha took over the top spot and now has a two-point lead over the Charlotte Independence. Charlotte has a game in hand, but Omaha is playing as well as anyone in the league right now. Omaha is 4-0-1 (wins-loss-draw) in its last five while Charlotte is 3-1-1. The two teams have already played each other twice and won’t meet again, unless both go deep into the playoffs.

  

• Fifty players from USL1 and USL Championship have been called up to play for their national teams. The players will represent 29 countries competing in the September/October FIFA international window. Players will participate in matches for the Concacaf Nations League, Africa Cup of Nations qualifying and the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup.
  
  Portland’s Mo Mohamed has been called up to play for Somalia. He left the team following last weekend’s action in Chattanooga, heading straight to the Africa after the match. He will be joined by Mohamed Omar of Championship league club Indy Eleven.
  

• Other than the Hearts’ news about the Portland Planning Board discussing the club’s request for a zoning change as part of the plan to build a new stadium, that’s about all from off the pitch around the league.

PORTLAND, Maine – Good luck finding anyone who opposes the Portland Hearts of Pine’s desire to build a new stadium.

But just like how thousands of soccer fans can watch a violent tackle and each have differing opinions on whether it was a foul or not, Mainers differ sharply on where that stadium should go.

That was evident Tuesday night at the Portland Planning Board workshop at City Hall. Many of those speaking during public comment expressed their delight with the Hearts’ plan to build a $50 million stadium that could hold up to 11,000 people at Cassidy Point. Still others believe the location is a poor choice because they fear it will further reduce the city’s working waterfront, a contention that has been made for at least five decades and even led to a zoning change that the Hearts now hope to amend.

Planning Board Chairman Joseph Zamboni kicked off the meeting by explaining that there would be no votes taking place at the workshop, and that when the board eventually does, the vote will serve only as a recommendation to the City Council, which ultimately has the final decision on the zoning change request. City officials say they expect the Planning Board to be reviewing the project near the end of the year.

Zamboni appeared trepidatious about the potential for emotions from speakers during public comment and seemed to want to get in front of it.

“This is a volunteer board of people who live in the city,” Zamboni said. “We are here to talk to the city, talk to applicants, and hear feedback from folks.”

Planning department staff gave a detailed report on the Hearts’ application: the club wants the city to rezone most of the parcel from the Waterfront Port Development Zone to the B-5 Urban Commercial Zone and add “stadium” as a permitted use there. That would clear the way to buy the site from Sprague Energy and build a permanent soccer stadium, along with a pedestrian pavilion, commercial buildings, and an indoor athletic facility reusing an existing warehouse. The southern and western edges of the property, including a 600-foot pier, would remain in the marine-industrial zone and would be sold off separately to keep some working-waterfront use intact.

Sprague Energy has for years received and stockpiled coal at Cassidy Point. But the maritime footprint has been forced to rapidly change following persistent complaints from West End neighbors regarding windblown black dust. Last summer, the Portland City Council passed an ordinance requiring the coal pile to be completely covered by 2027 and banning bulk coal storage entirely by 2030.

Without giving any details, Jonathan Culley, a founding partner of the Hearts, addressed Sprague’s plans to sell.

“The intention is it’s not gonna be a bulk cargo pier anymore,” he said. “It will be used by a marine user for berthing. There should be an announcement on that in the coming days, but the intention is that this is not gonna be a bulk cargo terminal anymore.”

Culley discussed issues of transportation, the waterfront industry, and the economic benefits to the area.

“Our proposal would make this site productive again for the local economy, for the people of Portland, bringing a different type of economic vitality and new community energy to the west end of Portland,” Culley said. “The sports and recreation campus with public trails and waterfront access represents a far more progressive and optimistic and healthier future, one that allows for the environmental cleanup that the highly contaminated site desperately needs and that its neighbors deserve.”

Culley said the Hearts looked at more than a dozen locations in and around Portland. The only one that was both available for purchase that fit the club’s need was Cassidy Point, he said. Others that did not fit were around the Maine Mall, decommissioned oil tank farms in South Portland, and a farm in Westbrook.

“Keep in mind that to build a stadium in the suburbs or even off Peninsula Portland, we would need the roughly seven acres for the stadium, but also an additional 20 to 25 acres for a sea of asphalt parking,” Culley said. “That’s not what we want to do. The environmental case for an in-town stadium is extremely compelling with significant reduction in per capita carbon emissions.”

Culley noted that parking issues aren’t part of the zoning review, but he added that because the issue is so impactful, it was worth discussing as part of the process. The Hearts have hired VHB, a civil engineering company, to conduct a comprehensive traffic study, which it has already started with fan surveys at home games.

“We’ve learned that at two of our recent matches, 81% of our fans arrive at Fitzpatrick Stadium by private car with an average of 2.7 passengers per car,” Culley said. “This means that 19% of our fans arrive by walking, biking, or transit. We’ll be leaning heavily into strategies to increase this percentage. And in particular, we see a significant opportunity to increase the percentage of fans that arrive by transit at Cassidy Point.”

When addressing the waterfront industry, Culley said the Hearts have commissioned Camoin Associates, an economic development consulting firm, to analyze economic activity in the port and conduct a land inventory of waterfront parcels around the port, including on the South Portland side. It was not clear when that report will be complete.

“Camoin is planning to speak with key port stakeholders, including the Maine Port Authority, Eimskip, the largest cargo operator in Portland, labor unions, and others,” Culley said.

Hearts’ co-founder Gabe Hoffman-Johnson spoke passionately about the importance that Portland’s professional soccer team has become.

“When I think about Cassidy Point, I don’t think about it as a stadium,” Hoffman-Johnson said. “I think about it as a physical manifestation of our why. Seven years ago, professional soccer in Portland was just a dream. Today, it’s a community, one that has grown faster, reached further, and meant more to people than I could have ever imagined. And through all that, our purpose remains the same: Use the power of soccer to help build a better Portland and a better Maine.”

More than a dozen people spoke from the public. For those who oppose changing the zoning, the key point was echoed time and again: the maritime economy will be negatively impacted and any locations changed to non-maritime use will be lost to the industry forever.

Brian Downey, a Falmouth resident and retired Coast Guard officer who now does consulting in the maritime industry, lauded Hoffman-Johnson’s comments while adding that he appreciates everything the Hearts have brought to Portland. But he said he still opposes building at Cassidy Point.

“It’s very clear that after reading up on the code, that Cassidy Point is clearly protected from non-marine development,” Downey said. “I understand that’s why we’re here to discuss changing that. But I … just feel that if we change our zoning, that we’re going to lose a vital piece of the waterfront community that is rapidly decreasing and that we’re never gonna get it back.”

Also opposing the stadium was Bill Needelman, a former Planning Board member who previously served as the city’s Waterfront Coordinator, which is a municipal position within the Housing & Economic Development Department that oversees and protects the city’s maritime and commercial harbor interests.

“I think it is important to correct the record to a certain extent: Cassidy Point is not a former industrial facility, it is an active industrial facility, underutilized, but active,” Needelman said before then addressing the Hearts’ presentation that included the history of the waterfront. “The presentation showed Cassidy Point has had not just one life, it has had many lives, but it has been concentrated on the movement of goods in and out of the port. And it is the movement of those goods that has given it value.”

Jeff Storey, president of the Portland Longshoremen’s Association, said he believes that a maritime industry can still be successful at Cassidy Point.

“I love what these guys are bringing to town, but I love what we do in town as well,” Storey said. “In the last 10 years we’ve changed a lot on the waterfront. We’re growing, things are good. We need the space. Changing this zone at this time is the wrong thing to do.”

Many supporters of the zone change talked about how meaningful the Hearts have been to their families and the community as a whole. Others discussed how valuable it would be to have the Hearts in an easily accessible location.

Jill Perry said she supports the stadium at Cassidy Point specifically because of accessibility reasons.

“A stadium in the city means families and kids who may not have a car or an easy way to get somewhere outside Portland still have a realistic opportunity to be a part of this thing, and that is important,” Perry said. “The stadium gives Hearts room to grow and for so many local small businesses to grow with them.”

Sean Mahoney, a Falmouth resident, environmental law attorney, and the Conservation Law Foundation’s Maine vice president, said he worked closely with West End residents on the effort to reduce the hazards from the coal contained at Cassidy Point.

“This is one of the most exciting community-oriented brownfield projects that I’ve ever seen, professionally or personally,” Mahoney said. “I’m particularly excited about how this provides public access to the waterfront at that end of Commercial Street.”

Lauren Ostis, a Munjoy Hill resident and the community coordinator at East End Community School, said every day she sees the impact the Hearts have had on the city. Her family has already ridden bikes to games and she looks forward to making the ride to Cassidy Point.

“Having a permanent home stadium for this community is important to everyone who has already supported Hearts of Pine and for future fans who have yet to feel the magic,” Ostis said. “I’ve biked to many a Hearts’ game with my son and his friends, and we look forward to continuing such adventures on our way to the new stadium in the future.”

The Planning Board expects to have at least one more workshop on the Hearts’ application. That date has not yet been set.

PORTLAND, Maine — New documents released by the City of Portland ahead of today’s Planning Board workshop show the Hearts of Pine club plans to raise its proposed stadium site at Cassidy Point from 9 feet to 15 feet for flood protection - and reveal that the property's current owner cites years of declining cargo traffic as its reason for selling.

The documents also show that the rationale of the seller, Sprague Energy, is directly challenged by Nicholas H. Walsh, a Portland-based maritime attorney who argues in a separate letter that an owner "crying poverty" over declining profits shouldn't be grounds for a zoning change.

The 4:30 p.m. workshop at City Hall is the Planning Board’s first look at the Hearts of Pine’s request to change the property's zoning from a designation reserved for shipping and marine industry to a more flexible commercial zone that permits uses such as stadiums, retail, and restaurants. The Hearts are asking to remap most of the approximately eight acres of the Cassidy Point property from the WPDZ classification to B-5 and add the term "stadium" as a permitted use, ahead of buying the site and eventually building a $50 million soccer stadium for 9,000–11,000 seats. Commercial buildings and an indoor athletic facility are also planned.

“I do not expect them to take a vote on the proposal until near the end of this year,” Jessica Grondin, the city’s director of communications and digital services, said in an email about the Planning Board. “And then it will need to go to the full City Council for approval.”

Adding six feet of fill to the property would raise the land from nine feet to 15 feet, Will Savage, an engineer with Acorn Engineering, told an audience in August during a neighborhood meeting, according to documents submitted by the applicants.

“We are proposing to raise the site to elevation 15 (feet) – plus or minus a foot – to be out of the 100-year flood zone,” Savage said to the audience. “The elevation is based on a study completed by the City of Portland during the ReCode processes two years ago that estimated where the future flood elevation will be within the next 50 years.”

Editor’s Note: The neighborhood meeting minutes contain a disclaimer that questions and answers were not recorded verbatim but aim to represent and summarize actual questions, answers, and overall discussion. This story quotes directly from the minutes.

Pete Heil, a civil engineer with Acorn, added that raising the property’s height is not required but will be undertaken “to protect the investment.”

Because the Hearts’ application is strictly for a zoning change, there are no specific details about raising the property’s height. Those would come later when the Hearts submit a major site plan application.

As part of the city’s gathering of public comments, Sprague Energy Chairman David Glendon wrote that the company supports the zoning change that would allow the Hearts to build a stadium and create a compelling community destination while boosting the region’s economy.

“The persistent decline in cargo operations and limitations of the Cassidy Point infrastructure, coupled with the recently passed ban on coal storage, have severely constrained the viability of the site for marine industrial purposes,” Glendon wrote. “With the exception of the pier, which will continue in marine industrial use following the sale to another waterfront user, the remainder of the property is best suited to be rezoned to allow for a stadium and mixed-use development.”

There are no public details on how much it would cost the Hearts to purchase the property.

Portland passed a community-backed ordinance banning waterfront coal stockpiles in August 2025. Sprague is legally required to cover the pile by 2027 and have it entirely carted off-site by 2030.

In his letter, Walsh invoked Chandler's Wharf, a 1980s residential condo conversion on the working waterfront that caused public backlash and directly led to a voter referendum that created the city’s current protective waterfront zoning. Walsh called the Hearts’ proposal a repeat of the exact mistake that zoning was built to prevent.

“The resulting zoning cannot work if a waterfront property owner whose pier is seeing less demand is allowed to cry poverty and demand a zoning change,” Walsh wrote. “Sprague knew, when it acquired Cassidy Point, of the restrictive zoning, yet it now seeks to sell at top dollar to a developer whose use would have nothing to do with water.”

Walsh also argued that the proposed retention of tug berthing “is a red herring, for without the upland component, allowing for storage of bulk cargoes and transshipment to and from trucks and rail cars, the site can never be a freight terminal.”

Altogether, 53 entries were made for public comment. A total of 32 supported the zoning change and 19 opposed. Additionally, the Waterfront Alliance asked for the project to be delayed for further study and one writer asked for adjacent property to also be rezoned from WPDZ to B-5.

One intriguing dynamic to the request is the opponents clearly don’t object to the Hearts getting a new stadium, just the location, because they worry about the loss to the city’s vital working waterfront.

Also in the report:

• Parking issues were not a significant portion of the zoning application, but club officials did discuss them during the neighborhood meeting. Jonathan Culley, co-founder of the Hearts franchise, told the audience, “We have preliminary agreements with the VA Clinic, owned by JB Brown for about 500-plus spaces, Mercy Hospital lots for another 300-plus spaces. We have talked to Tyson Barber Foods, Portland Yacht Services, Maine Medical garage and have identified a total of about 1,500 spaces that will be available for our events.”

• When asked at the neighborhood meeting about the value of the site and whether it will be taxable property, Culley said it was “too early to tell and we’re not prepared to respond to that.”

• During the neighborhood meeting, one attendee asked whether music or festivals could be an eventuality at the stadium. Culley answered there are no concerts anticipated at this time, but added "we never want to say ‘never.'" Another attendee asked about fireworks, and co-founder Gabe Hoffman-Johnson said there are no plans for them.

  

Portland Hearts of Pine’s charismatic midfielder Ollie Wright announced on social media that he has torn a knee ligament and will miss the rest of the season.

“On Saturday, 09/19, I suffered a season-ending and career-threatening ACL tear,” Wright wrote Monday on his Instagram page. “To tell you the truth, I’m absolutely devastated ... Football has been my life since I can remember, so it’s been nearly impossible to come to terms with the fact that I will be without it for so long.”

The Hearts drew 1-1 with the Chattanooga Red Wolves on the road on Saturday. Wright started the match, his first in more than a month, and was sprinting about the field with his customary energy when he crumpled to the ground untouched in the 10th minute. He grabbed at his knee, the game was stopped, and he was helped off the pitch for the final time in 2026.

Wright led an improbable run to the playoffs in Portland’s inaugural 2025 season, culminating in a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals. The attacking midfielder produced a team-leading 19 goal contributions (11 goals, 8 assists) while providing the Hearts with his fiery leadership from the outset.

Off the field, Wright’s been just as impactful, and fans have embraced him for being both gregarious and approachable.

This year has been more of a challenge as he has missed some time with injuries, most recently with a hamstring. In many ways, his season is emblematic of Portland’s 2026 roller coaster of a season that to this point has left the Hearts out of the playoffs. Altogether, he leads the Hearts with 13 goal contributions (6 goals, 7 assists).

Club officials had held off announcing specifics of the injury, saying on Monday that Wright had medical imaging set for today.

Wright intends to return from the injury, “stronger, better and hungrier than ever,” he wrote.

“I’m determined to meet this setback head on, and not let it break me,” Wright wrote. “Not only as an athlete, but more importantly as a human.”

Wright expressed his gratitude to those who had contacted him and offered support. And then in true Wright form, he concluded with, “We’ll be seeing the golf swing celly back at Fort Fitzy in no time.”

The Portland Hearts of Pine lost another late lead on Saturday against the Chattanooga Red Wolves but also departed the road match without its charismatic leader for what could be the rest of the season.

Portland drew with Chattanooga 1-1 after yielding the tying goal in stoppage time, squandering another lead while wasting an opportunity to make an improbable run to the USL League One playoffs.

Losing Ollie Wright to what looked like a non-contact knee injury in the 10th minute of the match was more of a symbolic loss for a Portland club that has struggled to find itself this season.

Here are three thoughts from the game:

1. Wright was pressing the Red Wolves backline. As he sprinted toward Chattanooga defender Joshua Ramos, Wright’s right foot seemed to catch slightly in the grass and he collapsed to the ground, sliding along the turf before immediately grasping at his knee. As Wright was writhing on the ground, Ramos kicked the ball out of play to stop the action and let Portland’s trainer provide some aid.
   
   Portland’s Aboubacar Camara and a team trainer helped Wright off the pitch. Wright was replaced by forward Felipe Rodriguez Gentile.

It’s been an uneven season for Wright, who has been the face of Portland’s franchise since its inception last season. The attacking midfielder leads the Hearts with 13 goal contributions (6 goals, 7 assists) and led the team last season as well (11 goals and 8 assists in 2025).

Injuries have limited his effectiveness in 2026; most recently a sore hamstring had kept him out of some games, and he had just started subbing in during the last couple of matches when coach Bobby Murphy turned to him for a change of pace.

But Wright started Saturday for the first time since August 16 and had several of his accustomed sprints about the pitch. He even took a hard knock in the seventh minute to draw a foul.

Now, his future with the club remains uncertain. Wright, who has a club option for 2027, is scheduled for imaging on Tuesday, according to Lisa Frates, Portland’s senior manager of marketing and communications.

2. In his place came Rodriguez Gentile, the 19-year-old Argentine who joined Portland in August.
   
   Rodriguez Gentile has an intriguing backstory. He is the child of Argentine parents but was born in Brazil. He has played for Argentina’s U17 team but is not cap-tied to any country.
   
   Club officials have lauded his technical skills while also highlighting the joy he brings to the team, both in games and in practice.
   
   Rodriguez Gentile made his mark in Saturday’s game, notching his first professional goal in the 39th minute. Midfielder Matteo Kidd crossed a ball from left to right into the box. Rodriguez Gentile corralled the ball perfectly with his left foot, touching it forward momentarily before scorching a shot past the helpless goalkeeper and into the upper left corner.
   
   The loss of Wright could well mean more opportunities for Rodriguez Gentile, which would allow Portland to see what it has in him.
   

3. How many games would Portland have won this season without the efforts of goalkeeper Hunter Morse?
   
   Who knows, exactly? But it’s tough to imagine the Hearts being anywhere but the absolute bottom of the table. Portland was outpossessed 57%-43%, outshot (on goal) 6-to-2, and out-cornered 10-to-4.
   
   But in many ways, it felt like Chattanooga was even more in control of the match, particularly in the second half when Portland struggled to penetrate the Red Wolves’ packed-in defense. That left Morse to make five saves, many of which were highlight-worthy.
   
   Altogether, Morse now has 101 saves for the season, far and away the most in USL1 as he has 11 more than the next closest. He was helpless to stop the game-tying goal by Chattanooga’s Omar Hernandez (who also scored against Portland in June) in the 91st minute.

The Portland Hearts of Pine head to Chattanooga on Saturday night to take on an opponent that excels at one of their biggest weaknesses: set pieces.

The sixth-place Red Wolves (13-9-3) have scored the second most goals (15) from set pieces in USL League One. Portland, sitting in 11th place, has conceded the fourth most (11 this season).

“They’re built on just defending well, and they’re really relying on set pieces,” Portland coach Bobby Murphy said after Thursday’s practice. “They’re comfortable not having the ball and defending deep.”

Portland (7-11-8) got an up close look at Chattanooga’s set-piece prowess in its June 13 match in Portland. From at least 40 yards out, Red Wolves’ midfielder Wynand Wessels lofted a perfect pass to forward Pedro Hernandez, who flicked home a header in the 90th minute (a goal that would prove an omen for how several of Portland’s late-season losses would unfold).

Of course, playing Chattanooga also means being prepared early and often to defend attacking midfielder Omar Hernandez, who has scored the third most goals in USL1 with 11 so far. The Hearts are already quite familiar with him after witnessing his vicious left-footed one-timer that essentially went through Hearts’ goalkeeper Hunter Morse in that June 13 loss, stunning the hometown fans only a minute into the match. Officially, it was considered an own goal but in reality, it was all on Omar Hernandez.

Omar Hernandez is currently on a goal-scoring streak, having hit the back of the net in four of his last six matches. During the streak, he’s had a knack for early goals as he scored in the second minute of one match and the sixth minute in another. Factoring in assists, Omar Hernandez has been responsible for a goal in seven straight games.

Portland is going to have to be extremely disciplined, particularly when defending in its own third of the field, Murphy said.

“We have got to defend the box well, set pieces and that type, not foul in silly areas, and then try and drag them out a little bit if we can,” Murphy explained.

One advantage for Portland is Chattanooga played Wednesday while the Hearts have been off since last Sunday.

Based on what he saw in that match against AV Alta, Murphy said he is optimistic about his team’s performance.

“I thought we could have created more, but I thought the pressing was good, the field tilt was in our favor,” Murphy said. “(AV Alta) likes to have 60% of the ball, and to outpossess them, primarily just through our pressing, that’s really good. Not that we were brilliant on the ball, but we just never let them settle and get into a rhythm. We always had people rushing, closing people down, keeping their heads down.”

The key for Portland may come down to making smart plays offensively.

“The big thing is when we have it, we just have got to be good on the ball,” Murphy said. “We’ve got to make them move around a little bit, be a little patient, and pick our moments to go. You know, it’s just a matter of making them make choices they don’t want to make defensively. So don’t stand next to people, get in the pocket, get overloads down the sides, and try and create some chances.”

Quick hits:

• Anytime a team plays in Tennessee, the weather has to be factored in. Early reports call for high humidity, which is expected to ease as the evening goes on. There’s also a chance of rain, although it’s more likely that will happen earlier in the day.

• Portland center back Serigne Faye was chosen for the USL1 Team of the Week.
  
  USL1 said: The Senegalese defender was Portland’s hero on Sunday night, scoring the game’s lone goal in second-half stoppage time. Faye helped Portland post a clean sheet against AV ALTA FC by leading the club with five clearances.
  

• What is a red wolf, you ask? The canid is a critically endangered animal native to the Southeastern United States. The animal’s fur is a mix of cinnamon-red, tawny, and black coloration, with a distinct reddish-buff hue concentrated heavily behind its ears, along its neck, and on its legs.
  
  Chattanooga selected the team moniker as a way to bring attention to its local wildlife preservation.

• Saturday’s game is set for 7 p.m. It can be watched on ESPN+.

Speaking to a packed room Thursday night at the Maine Immigration Forum, Portland Hearts of Pine captain Mikey Lopez recalled playing in a Texas youth soccer tournament in which his team was made up of Hispanics while the opponents were all white.

“I can remember … my best friends, brother, and I hopping out of our red 15-passenger van, a bunch of shorter Mexican kids walking in with gallon jugs of water, our gear and plastic grocery bags, and not already dressed in our game uniforms,” Lopez said. “But the opposing teams were the complete opposite. Each kid had a proper soccer bag, their own water bottle, and separate warm-up tops.”

At some point during the game, the parents of the opposing team began chanting, “USA! USA! USA!” in support of their own kids, who – as Lopez explained – happened to be playing against a team also made up of Americans. They were just brown, he said.

It was one of several racist experiences that Lopez, 33, dealt with growing up playing soccer. But then Lopez discussed how the game also surrounded him with players from countries spanning the globe. His first roommate in boarding school was Korean.

“I learned quickly that we were much more similar than we were different,” Lopez said. “Yes, we ate different foods for snacks, looked and talked differently, but we still enjoyed a lot of the same things. We also had to lean on each other because, well, we were all each other had while we lived away from our families.”

Lopez was the keynote speaker at the Maine Immigration Forum held at Halo on Thompson Point. Several hundred people attended the forum. The theme was “Persevering in Adversity, Growing the Mutual Aid Movement in Maine.” Attendees came to hear music, enjoy a variety of ethnic food, and listen to speakers, including four teens from The Telling Room who delivered tales that brought out tears and a few happy laughs.

The fact that Lopez gave his keynote address on such a controversial subject might be news enough but it comes on the heels of his employer’s multiple stances against the federal government’s ongoing immigration enforcement actions. Twice this year, the Portland Hearts of Pine have objected to immigration enforcement, including condemning the midsummer killing of an asylum applicant with an active work permit.

Lopez’s speech comes at a time when the nation remains deeply polarized on a number of issues, although sentiment regarding immigration enforcement began turning following federal officers shooting at least 14 people from September 2025 to February 2026. At least another eight people have been shot since then, including the asylum applicant with an active work permit, Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national, who was killed on July 13 by an ICE agent in Biddeford.

Guerrero, who had a pending asylum case, a valid U.S. work permit, and a Social Security number, was a bystander during the operation and was not a person of interest being sought by the officers. He, his wife, and their daughter had tried to leave the area but were stopped by ICE agents. Shortly after, he was shot and killed. The officers were not wearing body cameras.

The shooting sparked anger immediately in the area, leading to protests from residents and Maine Democrats, who condemned the escalation of federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown.

The Department of Homeland Security has said agents were conducting surveillance on someone with a final order of removal and that the vehicle Guerrero was driving fled when agents tried to stop it, leading an officer to fire out of fear for public safety.

Operations have continued across the state but they’ve been conducted more quietly. In response to the ongoing operations, the state legislature passed a law strictly limiting local police from assisting the ICE agents.

Across the country, public sentiment has begun turning against ICE operations; a poll conducted in August found eight of ten independents now believe ICE uses too much force, a sharp reversal from a year earlier. Across party lines though, Republicans and Democrats have moved less. A Fox News poll found ICE’s overall “too aggressive” rating rose 10 points to 59% since July 2025, an increase driven mainly by independents and moderates, with only a modest uptick among Trump voters.

While independents may be questioning the federal government’s immigration enforcement efforts, it has still been surprising to see Portland’s professional men’s soccer team speak out against it. Historically, pro franchises in the U.S. just don’t do controversial political issues.

As explained by Kara Peruccio, an assistant professor of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and History at the University of Maine, during a conversation with the Portland Press Herald about why pro franchises almost never speak up, “The simple and complicated answer is capitalism.”

Most pro teams rely heavily on corporate partnerships, stadium naming rights, and luxury box sales. Meanwhile, corporations prefer overly positive environments to promote their brands. Taking political stances risks triggering sponsor boycotts.

None of the other three minor league teams in Portland have addressed the issue.

For Lopez, the choice was simple. Both parents came to the U.S. as children. Lopez, who received the club’s first-ever Lead With Your Heart Community Award in 2025 for his involvement in the area, grew up 20 minutes from the border.

On his team, Lopez is known for his leadership, something he has demonstrated on and off the pitch. He has been the Hearts’ captain in both of their years of existence. He played an integral role in Portland’s surprising run to the playoffs last year in the club’s inaugural season. This season, Lopez has played less but he did score his first goal for the club.

In an interview Thursday afternoon, Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, the founder and chief community officer, and one of the principal co-owners of the Hearts of Pine, said the club supported Lopez speaking at the Immigration Forum.

“We are very proud of him,” Hoffman-Johnson said. “Anytime you can use your voice, you should. When I first saw that he was doing it, it put a big smile on my face.”

There were a lot of Mainers who felt the same way back in July when the Hearts released a lengthy statement from Hoffman-Johnson in which he stated that the club’s heart ached for “Guerrero’s family who lost a son, a brother, a husband, and a father; for Maine’s immigrant community being targeted by ICE; and for the people of Biddeford grieving the loss of a neighbor.”

The statement went on to say, “We stand with our neighbors in demanding ICE be held accountable for their actions. Every Mainer deserves the right to safety and security in their own community.”

Asked Thursday about the news release, Hoffman-Johnson said he just felt compelled to speak out because he believes the club has a role “in building a better Maine.” Members of the Hearts’ organization have been connecting with the community since before the club had played a single game, he added, citing work in hosting soccer tourneys at Kennedy Park and the efforts with the Greater Portland Welcome Center and Soccer Saturdays.

“When things like that happen so close to home, it’s hard not to have a reaction,” Hoffman-Johnson said. “You have to be measured in terms of what you say, but I think standing with neighbors and community, that means so much to us.”

At the same time, Hoffman-Johnson acknowledged that there is a razor-thin line when it comes to speaking about politically-charged issues.

“We certainly don’t want to become ‘Statement FC’ and have that be a distraction,” Hoffman-Johnson said. “I think there’s so much of what this club contributes that is an escape from the chaos and polarization in this world that we live in, and to have a place to exhale and breathe and be focused on joy and good and all of that, is really our North Star.

“But from time to time, to use our voice, I just think is appropriate, and that was one of those times.”

Lopez told the forum’s audience that he sees the strength of Maine’s community while he praised “bravery in the face of hate, the grit to keep showing up for one another no matter what.” He explained that he carries those values onto the pitch every time he plays.

“I strive to represent the heart and work ethic of this great city,” Lopez said. “So thank you all for embracing us, for continuing to show me that we are stronger as a collective, because we all have more in common now, regardless of what we look like, where we’re from, or how we pray.”

PORTLAND, Maine – So you’re saying there’s a chance…

This ridiculously oft-used phrase from the film “Dumb and Dumber” has probably been shared online a few million times when comically discussing something that has a chance to happen, but is not very likely.

Fresh off a two-match winning streak, the Portland Hearts of Pine sound ready to thrust themselves into the playoff discussion as the USL League 1 season races toward the regular season’s finish line.

“Mathematically it’s definitely possible, I’ve looked at all the scenarios,” said Brecc Evans, Portland’s center back, after Sunday night’s victory over AV Alta. “The belief is very high in the group. I don’t think it was ever super low, but now it’s even higher than it was before.”

Midfielder Diego Letayf Escutia added: “Once the snowball gets going… We still really believe and want to give it everything for the fans and this community.”

Let’s take a look at the chances. First, we should examine the race to take the final spot in the USL1 playoffs. Eight teams make the playoffs.

Now, let’s acknowledge some things. The Hearts are in 11th place, seven points behind eighth-place Fort Wayne FC. With six games in hand, if Portland were to win out, the maximum total for points would be 18. Winning all six games seems more than improbable. That means Chattanooga and Spokane are likely too far in front to be caught. Both have 39 points. Portland has 29 points. Chattanooga and Spokane have also played fewer games: Chattanooga has two fewer and Spokane has somehow played four games fewer.

With the premise that at best, Portland can reach eighth place, the only teams that need to be considered here are Fort Wayne, Alta, Corpus Christi FC, and the Hearts.

Let’s then take a look at the average per game points total each of the teams has garnered this season.

📊 2026 Season: Points Per Game (PPG) Average

(Calculated by total league points divided by total games played)

• Fort Wayne FC: 1.50 ppg (36 pts / 24 games)

• Corpus Christi FC: 1.20 ppg (30 pts / 25 games)

• AV Alta FC: 1.19 ppg (32 pts / 27 games)

• Portland Hearts of Pine: 1.12 ppg (29 pts / 26 games)

Fort Wayne has been operating at a higher rate than others in USL League One’s history among teams snagging a final playoff spot. Over the past four years, the last team to win a playoff spot has averaged 1.26 ppg. This lower floor occurred because the league was smaller and allowed a higher percentage of its teams into the postseason. However, with league expansion squeezing the playoff bracket in 2026, the point requirement has skyrocketed well past that historical baseline.

With eight games left, Fort Wayne’s current average 1.5 ppg would give it 12 points and bring its total points for the season to 48 points. If Portland won all six games, the 18 points would bring its season total to 47, which means Fort Wayne has to stumble from its current rate for the Hearts to even have a chance.

If Portland and Fort Wayne ended up with the same point total for the season, the tiebreaking system has six categories. The first is total wins (Portland has seven while Fort Wayne has 10). The second category is goal differential (Portland is at -7 while Fort Wayne is +8. Next is total goals (Portland has 38 while Fort Wayne has 37). It seems unnecessary to dig deeper on additional categories because it’s likely either of the two teams would win one of those three categories by that point.

Now, let’s look at the schedule:

The USL League One Playoff Bubble Gauntlet

(Note: Bolded/italics teams indicate home matches for the listed club)

• Fort Wayne FC (8th Place, 36 pts)

  • Games Remaining: 8

  • Remaining Path: One Knoxville SC, FC Naples, Charlotte Independence, Forward Madison FC, Corpus Christi FC, Union Omaha, Sarasota Paradise, Athletic Club Boise

  • Playoff Teams Remaining: 5

• AV Alta FC (9th Place, 32 pts)

  • Games Remaining: 5

  • Remaining Path: Forward Madison FC, Westchester SC, Greenville Triumph SC, Athletic Club Boise, Corpus Christi FC

  • Playoff Teams Remaining: 2

• Corpus Christi FC (10th Place, 30 pts)

  • Games Remaining: 7

  • Remaining Path: Greenville Triumph SC, Athletic Club Boise, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Fort Wayne FC, FC Naples, Richmond Kickers, AV Alta FC

  • Playoff Teams Remaining: 3

• Portland Hearts of Pine (11th Place, 29 pts)

  • Games Remaining: 6

  • Remaining Path: Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Sarasota Paradise, Spokane Velocity FC, Athletic Club Boise, Forward Madison FC, Charlotte Independence

  • Playoff Teams Remaining: 5

Portland and Fort Wayne have tougher routes as both have the most games remaining (five) against teams currently in the playoffs. But with eight total games left, Fort Wayne also has three matches against non-playoff teams while Portland only has one.

Fort Wayne has the most home games (five) remaining, where overall it is 5-3-3 this season. Both Alta and Corpus Christi have more road games than home matches, while Portland has three home and three away.

Now let’s look at how the teams are playing.

Fort Wayne slumped in the midseason with four straight losses but broke its streak with a 4-1 win against Portland on August 29 at Fitzpatrick Stadium and overall has won three matches and lost two in its last five games.

Alta has lost five straight matches while Corpus Christi has gone 1-3-1.

Portland has won two straight, which should be three but the Hearts collapsed on the road against Charlotte and gave up the game-tying and game-winning goals in the final three minutes of stoppage time. Overall, Portland is 2-2-1 during its recent five-game stretch.

What does this say about the four teams’ forms? Portland may well be playing the best at the moment while Alta is definitely playing the worst. Fort Wayne has been up and down but did win last weekend on the road.

Where does that leave Portland? Honestly, in a lot of trouble, if only based on the math. If Portland hadn’t fallen apart in that game at Charlotte, the opportunity to make a run when only being four points back might have been reasonable.

On a lark, we asked two artificial intelligence platforms to quantify Portland’s playoff chances.

Claude, Anthropic’s AI model, estimated Portland’s chances between 3% and 5%, while stating: “Portland needs to both close a real points gap and leapfrog at least two-three teams (Fort Wayne, AV Alta, Corpus Christi) while playing the hardest remaining slate of anyone in the bottom half of the table.”

Google’s Gemini put the chances at less than 5% before adding, “To make the postseason, the Hearts of Pine must essentially play flawless, championship-caliber soccer for the next month, while simultaneously rooting for a total collapse from the teams directly above them in the standings.”

While we here at The Hearts’ Beat are absolutely not math experts, we do know that 3% or 4% are far better odds than one in a million. Most importantly, sports aren’t played in mathematical computations; they are played on the field. Otherwise, no one would remember the 1980 U.S. Hockey team, the 1985 Villanova Wildcats, Buster Douglas, and definitely not 2015 Leicester City.

There are so many interesting stories when it comes to the Portland Hearts of Pine. But it’s important to remember that there are 16 other clubs in USL League One, each with their own narrative that helps explain how their season has gone.

Every Tuesday, The Hearts’ Beat will pull together a roundup of the most interesting stories from around the league. Some may have a connection to the Hearts; others will just be information readers should know.

So let’s take a look:

• Big news in the league! The USL announced that its men’s professional clubs have officially approved a centralized revenue-sharing model, which is backed by institutional capital investments. It’s a structural shift designed to distribute national league revenues more equitably among all teams.
  
  The news marks a foundational step toward stabilizing club finances as the league builds out its interconnected, three-tier ecosystem ahead of the launch of the 2028 promotion and relegation system (known as pro-rel in league circles).
  
  “The league’s new revenue alignment model does involve the club sharing in some national revenue streams, and it does involve some other new standardized rules across clubs, but it doesn’t involve Hearts directly sharing anything with other clubs,” said Lisa Frates, Portland’s senior manager, marketing & communications, via text on Tuesday. “Ultimately it’s just a sign of the league strengthening and stabilizing in order to make sure the entire ecosystem is ready to be successful with pro-rel.”
  
  There are a lot of moving parts with this, and perhaps even more unknowns. But with the news about the revenue-sharing, coupled with previous announcements of plans to overhaul the entire USL system into three leagues, Premier, Championship, and USL1, there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes by league officials.
  
  Eventually, promotion of the most successful clubs and relegation of the least (similar to the European system some fans will be familiar with), will be implemented across all three leagues. But those details remain unclear for now.

• Athletic Club Boise announced it is moving up a division after this season, moving to the USL Championship league. Currently, Boise sits in fourth place in USL1.
  
  It’s intriguing beyond the promotion news, given that, much like Portland, Boise is in its second season in the league.
  
  From the story: In its inaugural year, Athletic Club Boise set a USL League One record with more than 6,000 season ticket sales before its first match and has gone on to sell out every home game. The club set a regular-season attendance record on June 20, 2026, welcoming 7,247 fans to Athletic Club Boise Stadium.

Also from the story: “From the beginning, Boise has shown us that our community is ready to support something ambitious,” said Brad Stith, Co-Founder and CEO of Athletic Club Boise. “Our community has shown up big time. They’ve wrapped their arms around our players and our club, and that support is the driving force behind USL’s invitation to join Championship. Boise made this happen.”

Sound familiar? You could take that quote, change it to Portland and make it come from Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, and the words would hold up here. The big difference is Boise’s owners plan to pay an eight-figure upgrade fee, reported at $20 million to $25 million in USL’s own franchise disclosure documents, to jump leagues while Portland’s leadership has made it clear they plan to go the promotion route.

Frates said Hearts’ ownership is supportive of Boise’s efforts.

“For us, we look forward to the chance to compete in the pro-rel system as soon as it begins, and we want to build a roster that will enable us to win our way up when that system is in place,” Frates said.

The big differences between USL and the higher Championship league are the length and pay for contracts, requirements in stadium facilities, and the primary owner’s net worth.

• On the pitch, in one of the wildest games in USL1 history, the first-place Charlotte Independence (16-5-4) fell behind Westchester SC 2-0, stormed back with four goals in a blistering 14 minutes of the first half, gave up the lead in the second, and then scored another game-winner in stoppage time to eke out a 5-4 victory.
  
  From the story: The nine-goal affair is the second-most goals ever scored in USL League One and the action did not disappoint as both teams mounted two-goal comebacks.
  
  The win ensured the Independence would remain in first place, and they clinched entry into the playoffs. Charlotte holds the top spot thanks to a better goal differential.

• Union Omaha (16-6-4) kept pace with Charlotte, beating Corpus Christi FC 2-1. The win also clinched a spot in the playoffs and provided Omaha with an opportunity to host at least two playoff games at Morrison Stadium in Nebraska, where it has not lost a game all season.
  
  From the story: For the 7th time in 7 seasons of our existence, Union Omaha has clinched a spot in the USL League One playoffs! It came in dramatic fashion on Saturday, with a 2-1 win over Corpus Christi FC despite playing with ten men since the 4th minute!
  
  The race to the Players’ Shield should be a high-pressure affair as the league’s two best teams fight to the finish for home field advantage. Omaha is 9-0-4 at home, and while Charlotte (which also has played one fewer game) has lost one match on its home pitch, it has won all 13 other home matches.

• But don’t sleep on Forward Madison FC, which drew 1-1 with Sarasota and is now four points back of the league leaders.
  
  From the story: With the team looking to build on its recent performances and continue its push for more points, midfielder Roman Torres emphasized the importance of maintaining that momentum. “We need to keep pushing at home, building on our momentum and picking up points,” Torres said.
  
  The Flamingos, who are also undefeated at home (7-0-5), haven’t lost a game in more than a month and have been slowly closing on the top of the table. While Madison (14-5-6) doesn’t play Charlotte again, it does end the regular season hosting Omaha, setting up what could be a huge game for both clubs.

PORTLAND, Maine – Let’s start with the good news first, because the good news was great.

The Portland Hearts of Pine defeated AV Alta FC 1-0 Sunday night at Fitzpatrick Stadium. The match, which was won in the 93rd minute on a brilliant header by center back Serigne Faye off of a corner kick, may have been the most complete effort by Portland this season.

The Hearts played stifling defense, limiting Alta’s ability to control the ball by holding the opponent from California to 49 percent possession, when normally Alta controls nearly 60 percent of the ball. Portland also contained Alta to a single (albeit very dangerous) shot early in the first half.

Portland (7-11-8) emerged from the game with the full three points, brimming with a confidence that has wavered off and on throughout the Hearts’ second season of existence. The win was Portland’s second straight, matching the club’s longest streak of the 2026 campaign.

“I am so happy for the team, and for the fans too,” Faye said after the game. “This win is for us, this win is for the city.”

Now for the less good news. Fort Wayne FC (10-8-6) won its match Saturday, retaining its seven-point lead over Portland as it strives to hold off the Hearts for USL League One’s final playoff position. Fort Wayne has also played two fewer games, meaning it has two additional opportunities to increase its season points total than Portland (which has a total of six league games remaining).

Portland hosted Fort Wayne on Aug. 29 and fell 4-1 in what was a match much closer than the score as the teams played evenly between each other’s 18-yard boxes, but Fort Wayne dominated in both. The teams don’t play again in the regular season.

But if Portland comes up just short of chasing down Fort Wayne, it’s the opponent that the Hearts played during the following week of that loss that might keep players, management, and fans wondering what could have been. That result, a 3-2 road loss to first-place Charlotte in which the Independence scored twice in the final three minutes of extra time to steal the win, may well end up being the dagger in Portland’s season.

For now though, Portland can take heart in knowing it has strung strong efforts together in a critical part of the schedule.

What we saw:

1. A return of the press! For weeks, if not longer, the Hearts have struggled to press the opponent’s back line and even midfield in the ways that Portland sometimes had done early in the season but particularly last year when making a deep run in the playoffs.
   Coach Bobby Murphy talked after the game about how he has been urging his goal scorers to do more. Watching the game, Murphy said “it felt like us from the start,” because the team was smothering Alta’s defenders, making life tough for them to move the ball out of their own end.
   
   “I was hard on him a few weeks ago but Diego Gonzalez, for all he can do with the ball, he’s got to help us against the ball,” Murphy said. “His willingness to sprint, get after people, get in people’s faces, put center backs under pressure causes pressure.”
   
   Murphy went on to also praise forward Aboubacar Camara for his pressing, while also citing midfielders Diego Letayf Escutia and Michel Poon-Angeron for repeatedly closing down Alta’s attack.
   
   “We kept pushing the game and had a few chances,” Murphy said. “Probably didn’t create enough, but a goal off a set piece? We will take it.”
   
   Letayf Escutia seems to have helped solidify the middle since his arrival in mid-August from Vermont Green FC after a successful college career at Georgetown University, where the Hoyas won two Big East titles and appeared in the college playoffs all four of his years.
   
   Murphy has been emphasizing the press, Letayf Escutia said, highlighting the importance of stepping forward, enveloping the defense and keeping the ball in the opponents’ half. Working with Poon-Angeron over the past several matches has been a smooth experience, he added.

“He’s such a calming presence in there,” Murphy said of his midfield mate. “Definitely leads by example. It’s been really easy to play alongside him.”

2. Backtracking is back in! Throughout the game, Hearts’ midfielders who have more of an offensive focus, such as Jay Tee Kamara and Matteo Kidd, have tracked back as the Hearts shift from offense to defense, and taken the ball away from opponents.
   
   That’s been more normal this season for a player like Kidd, but for someone like Kamara, that’s something newer.
   
   “It will go under the radar but how many balls (Kamara) dug out in the first half sprinting back and getting a foot in, which is not his thing,” Murphy said. “After the game, he said, ‘I cramped because I ran so much.’ I’m like, ‘You’re supposed to run that much. That’s part of what we do.’”
   
   Kamara laughed, Murphy said, and while acknowledging that people will focus on goals and assists for a player like Kamara, watching him play such urgent defense “was fantastic.”

Even still, Kamara served as Portland’s most dangerous offensive player, repeatedly leaving Alta’s defenders kicking at air as the diminutive midfielder broke ankles and hearts time and again. Oftentimes, it seemed like the offense excelled best when the ball was moved from left to Kamara’s right side, enabling him to attack well enough that Murphy said he was “unlucky” not to score himself.

3. Faye’s goal deserves its own section, but first the scene must be set. In the first half, Portland and Alta took turns having moments of success. Alta nearly scored early on when Christian Ortiz fancily cut through Portland’s defense and went one-on-one with Hearts’ goalkeeper Hunter Morse until Morse stood tall and made a kick save. The Hearts performed well too for stretches but struggled to get much direct pressure on the goal.
   
   In the 41st minute, Alta’s most dangerous offensive player, forward Jerry Desdunes, ended up tangled with players, prompting him to be issued a yellow card. He also ended up injured and had to be subbed off. Without their leading scorer (Desdunes had 8 goals and 7 assists coming into the game), Alta struggled to string together many passes for the rest of the match.
   
   Still, despite pushing again and again, it appeared Portland was heading toward a draw. For a team that was as hungry for points in the standings as the Hearts seemed to feel, that apparently proved too much to take.
   
   Gonzalez lined up the corner kick and launched it into the heart of the box. A mass of players leaped, but Faye rose above them all.
   
   With a decisive flick of his head, Faye pounded the ball violently into the turf toward the right of Alta’s goalkeeper and with one bounce, it was in the net.
   
   “I want to do it every game,” Faye said while – with a smile – lamenting other chances he has missed in previous games.
   
   It was the second headed goal off a corner kick for the Hearts in 2026, which doubled how many times Portland scored using that method in 2025.
   

4. This last note has nothing to do with the game, but it’s an important one nonetheless. During the press conference afterward, the regular members of the media were joined by Cole Rubins, 9, of East Deering. Rubins was chosen through a competition held by The Telling Room. As the winner, Rubins got to ask questions of the players, too.
   
   Clearly, Murphy was a fan of the youth, praising him for his questions and then fist bumping/shaking hands at the end. Rubins said he was unsure if he would be a reporter one day, and while writing wasn’t his favorite, reading books certainly was.
   
   Keep reading, Cole. You’ll find writing becomes easier and more enjoyable. The world needs all the reporters we can get these days, so just keep it in mind. Your questions were great, just as Coach Murphy told you.

   

   
   

PORTLAND, Maine – With the playoffs looming, two clubs hungry for points come together Sunday night when the Portland Hearts of Pine host AV Alta FC at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

The Hearts have 26 points, seven behind eighth-place Fort Wayne FC, which currently holds the final playoff spot. A win Sunday, combined with a little luck from the teams above them in the standings, would keep an interesting race to the playoffs alive for Portland, which broke its nine-game winless streak last weekend.

Alta sits in ninth place, one point outside the playoff table. It’s a familiar spot for Alta as it finished ninth during the 2025 campaign, two places behind Portland. Both teams were playing in their inaugural seasons in USL League One, and while the Hearts were able to make a deep playoff run a year ago, this season has been a struggle for Portland.

“Just gotta keep putting points on the board,” said Portland Coach Bobby Murphy following Friday’s practice. “Can’t worry about anything else because we don’t have anything else to worry about if we don’t.”

Portland played to a scoreless draw against Alta back in March while on the road in California. The Hearts had to play the final 32 minutes-plus down a man when midfielder Mikey Lopez received a second yellow card for the match. With Portland forced to focus on defending, Alta took 21 shots but only put three of them on goal. Still, Alta outpossessed Portland (57%-43%) and took nine corner kicks to Portland two.

Alta employs a fluid attack with much of its offense provided by wingers Jerry Desdunes (8 goals, 7 assists) and Adam Aoumaich (7 goals, 4 assists).

Altogether, Alta has scored 34 goals in 26 games (1.31 goals per game) and conceded 36 (1.38 gpg). The Hearts have scored 37 goals in 25 games (1.48 gpg) and conceded 45 (1.8 gpg), the third highest rate in USL1.

“Their starting positions are just starting positions – they’re not restricted to one area,” Lopez said after practice. “They can play all across the field however they want and it makes it difficult for defending them because you’re not defending the same person every single minute of the game, so you have to look at the different profiles of players and be aware of where guys are because they can overload different sections of the field.”

Murphy said a real key to the game could be his team’s discipline.

“They have some good athletes, like Jerry (Desdunes) out wide,” Murphy said. “We just have to not let their movement distract us from our shape. We have to keep our principles the same.”

Portland’s defense was stronger last weekend in the 2-1 victory over Westchester SC, which was a significant improvement over the previous two games, both losses, in which the Hearts gave up a total of seven goals.

“Our box defending was better, that’s the big thing, locking people up in the box, making it difficult for people,” Murphy said. “Our pressing is getting better. We are staying more compact so we aren’t giving up moments in transition. Field tilt was in our favor last game. We played in their half more than our half.”

As the captain of the team, Lopez was asked what message he has for the locker room, particularly after he helped lead the late season run to the playoffs in 2025.

“The only thing we can do is try and get wins,” Lopez said. “We have to be able to play our game and put on a show for our fans. Just stick to what we know how to do.”

Quick Hits:

• Portland’s goalkeeper Hunter Morse received the most fan votes for the Save of the Week for Week 27. Morse made a spectacular kick save late in last Sunday’s victory against Westchester. It’s the sixth time this season that he was nominated for the award for league play (Morse also won the award for the second round of the USL Cup this season).

  

• The “AV” in the name AV Alta is a common nickname in the Antelope Valley, which is where the team plays. The name Alta means “elevated” or “high” in Latin, and references the geographical elevation of the area known as the High Desert while serving as a metaphorical nod to the region’s roots in aerospace technology. The area is well known for its strong youth soccer.

• Speaking of youth soccer, AV Alta is one of at least 11 teams in USL1 that have a youth academy. That’s mostly notable because the Hearts do not have an academy. But earlier this month, Portland hired Ray Saari as its new sporting director. Saari has said he has spoken to club ownership and forming a youth academy is something that was discussed.

PORTLAND, Maine — Hunter Morse ambled through the crowd Thursday night at Thompson’s Point. The Portland Hearts of Pine’s beloved goalkeeper waved at a few fans before taking a knee to talk to two children.

Midfielder Ollie Wright came next, his signature golden curls immediately identifying him as his girlfriend held his hand tightly. Ray Saari, the club’s brand new sporting director, walked with his fiancée and stopped to take a few questions. Before long, coach Bobby Murphy was taking in the crowd as a growing number of his players gathered together, laughing, talking, and really, just hanging out.

And then of course, there was soccer icon and legend, Michelle Akers, chatting warmly with people, sometimes for several minutes, but never being overwhelmed by a crush of the crowd. She gave out hugs, signed autographs, and took some selfies.

Welcome to Heartsapalooza, the Hearts of Pine’s third annual fanfest celebrating the team, its supporters, and the news that Akers, who won two World Cups and an Olympic gold medal, and was named FIFA Female Player of the Century in 2000, has signed on as a founding advisor to the club’s new women’s team.

In reality, it might have been the most perfect Maine public event imaginable.

“Oh no, this is not normal,” said Saari as he surveyed the scene of fans sometimes approaching players but generally just giving them space. “You don’t get this with other clubs. Not even at the (USL) Championship league level.”

Darcie Smith and her twin sons, Miles and Eli, both 10, had been standing there when Morse walked through the crowd.

“That’s Mr. Morse!” said Smith, who lives in North Yarmouth.

“What?” replied one of the boys excitedly.

“Yes, it really is,” she said as Morse smiled and waved at the family.

Later, Smith praised the Hearts club for creating such a friendly, inclusive culture. Hearts’ games have created so many different bonding opportunities for her family and friends. She and the boys hadn’t come to the two previous Heartsapalooza events because they always had soccer practice, but this time, they skipped it.

Smith had been wanting to attend since her son, Eli, had been recovering from a bad concussion. Mikey Lopez, the Hearts’ captain, had heard about the injury and sent Eli a personal message, which Smith said brought a smile like she hadn’t seen from her son in a long time.

Sarah Davenport had been looking forward to the event for some time. She is excited about the women’s team, and is part of the Lightkeepers Supporters Group, a collection of fans of the women’s team that will have its inaugural season next summer.

The women’s team doesn’t have a name quite yet, but Tom Caron, a co-owner and investor of the Hearts, told the crowd to expect to learn the name in the near future.

“We really want to support all women’s soccer,” Davenport said.

Davenport was particularly excited about Akers’ attendance.

“She’s one of one,” Davenport said. “The experience she brings to the soccer world is really going to be valuable, especially when looking at the wisdom she has learned over the last 30 years.”

Akers recalled how in her time, she and other women athletes had to build opportunities to grow professional soccer, which at the time, just hadn’t been there.

“It is empowering to me but more so empowering to these people, not just the girls coming up who can have a dream of playing professional soccer or playing for their country, but for the fans, the women my age, for everyone to connect together with something that represents them, that’s what attracted me to come here and drew me here,” Akers said. “It’s fun and rewarding to be a part of that.”

Portland announced Tuesday that Akers had agreed to be a founding advisor to the Maine women’s team. Akers will help the club shape the team’s foundation, its sporting identity, culture, and long-term vision, the club has said.

Hannah Sirois, the Hearts’ vice president of fan experience, said it still feels like “an unreal statement” to say that Akers is part of the Hearts.

“It’s so exciting because we can make her and her generation proud to continue to move things forward,” Sirois said.

Sirois then addressed the importance of girls seeing female role models in sports, saying, “Statistics say that if females stay in their sport, they will be helping lead some of our major businesses and they will be leaders throughout the country and world. So stay in your sport!”

Club officials believe Akers will have a number of positive impacts on the club but they are quite enthused about the impact she can have on girls throughout Maine because she was not only a star player but also now can be seen on a more executive level.

That’s a claim borne out by a 2024 study in England that showed that girls ages 10 to 17 reported that 66 percent believed seeing successful female athletes boosted their own confidence, while more than half said watching women compete made them believe they could do anything.

For Davenport, the idea that a women’s team can have that sort of impact has made her work hard for Lightkeepers.

“We have members all throughout the state of Maine,” Davenport said. “How cool is that?”

PORTLAND, Maine – The importance that soccer legend Michelle Akers will bring to Maine soccer goes beyond simply advising the new women’s team starting next year.

That’s because girls across the state will see women playing competitive sports while the team itself is being advised by one of the greatest players in the history of soccer (and yes, that includes men, Akers was indeed that good).

Portland announced on Tuesday that Akers was joining the club as a founding advisor for the Maine women’s team. Akers will help shape “the team’s foundation, its sporting identity, culture, and long-term vision,” the club said in a news release. Fans will get their first chance to see Akers as a member of the club during Thursday’s Heartsapalooza, which is a community-focused soccer fan festival held at Thompson’s Point.

“I believe we have an opportunity to set a new precedent for women’s soccer,” Akers said in the news release.

Experts in sports sociology, psychology, and public health agree that visibility and representation are critical to keeping young girls active. Research from the Women’s Sports Foundation shows that during middle childhood, typically ages 6 to 10, boys and girls show comparable levels of interest in sports. But by age 14, girls drop out at twice the rate of boys, largely because of social expectations, a lack of investment in girls’ programs, and a shortage of visible role models.

A 2024 survey of girls ages 10 to 17 in England found that two-thirds credited seeing successful female athletes with boosting their own confidence, and 55% said watching women compete made them feel like they could do anything. The same survey found 66% of girls linked their own interest in sports directly to the influence of female athletes they’d seen play.

Heidi Parker, an associate professor of Sport Management and Associate Dean of the School of Business at the University of Southern Maine who researches gender issues in women’s sports and consumer behavior, said that when she was growing up, girls who played sports had few options but to look up to male athletes.

“As women’s sports has become more visible on TV, talking about it on Sports Center, girls can now look at this and see there’s an avenue to be an athlete professionally, there’s an avenue to work in sports, and there’s an avenue to be a fan of sports,” Parker said. “Having a women’s team is hugely important as girls can see women in these roles.”

Parker said bringing in Akers brings even more credibility to the Portland Hearts of Pine club, calling her an “iconic founder of soccer” in the United States.

“It shows a commitment to not only put a good team on the field, but it’s building a good culture,” Parker said. “And it says something about Portland too, that (Akers) wants to invest her time in it.”

The new soccer team, whose name has not yet been revealed, will play in the USL W League, which is a pre-professional sports league, meaning it is designed to prepare athletes for a professional career while maintaining their amateur status. It functions as a bridge between the youth and college levels and the fully paid professional ranks.

Maine’s new women’s team has been a hot ticket since the team was announced June 4. Season ticket deposits went on sale a week later and all 5,000 sold out in an hour.

During a 2019 interview with PBS, Akers said, “Winning that World Cup allowed us to put a foot in the door in the world of soccer... It just cemented in the value of women’s sports, women’s athletics in the corporate world, in media, and the desire to be connected to women’s athletes and female sports.”

Jesse McDonough, the head coach of the Waynflete varsity girls soccer team, recalled seeing Akers at a Hearts event a year ago while watching Club Founder and Chief Community Officer Gabe Hoffman-Johnson climb into a dunk tank.

“I look over and have a double take – she is literally there watching and laughing, and I was like, wait a second, I know this person!” McDonough said. “I remember at this moment thinking, ‘I wish some of my girls were here to see her.’”

McDonough, who has led the Waynflete girls for three years and has eight years of coaching experience total, including stints at Deering and Yarmouth, knows well how important it is for girls to see women represented in sports. He has been getting some members of the team to attend the Maine Footy (a pre-professional women’s soccer club based in Portland) with the goal of helping girls see role models on the pitch.

“One of my players didn’t see herself as a Division III college player, and now she does,” McDonough said. “If there could be the same level of excitement around the women’s team, as there seems to be, it could change things entirely. It would also be great to see it start more at the elementary age and then slowly translate up to the high school age group.”

Akers initially learned about the club through social media and built a connection with Hoffman-Johnson, the Hearts said.

Akers was a precedent setter of her own as she won two World Cup titles, an Olympic gold medal, a place in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame, and in 2000 was named as FIFA’s Player of the Century. Her 1991 season is considered one of the greatest years in soccer history when she scored 39 international goals in only 26 games while scoring both goals in the 2-1 final victory over Norway.

“Michelle has never been someone who simply participated in the growth of the women’s game. She helped define what was possible,” Hoffman-Johnson said in the news release. “That kind of vision, courage and competitiveness is exactly what we want around this club as we build something new. To have her helping shape the foundation of our women’s team is a huge moment for Hearts and for soccer in Maine.”

McDonough said that Akers brings such a level of excellence that it can only help girls see the possibility of what they can do in the sport. Additionally, McDonough is pleased that his two young sons get to witness women succeeding in sports.

“I am excited for them to see that women’s sports are just as important,” McDonough said. “It’s one of the reasons I take pride in coaching a girls team. It’s great for the boys to see that too.”

Heartsapalooza starts at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday. Tickets are free. Mini soccer pitches will be set up for kids and adults to kick a ball around. Contemporary folk and Americana singer Connor Garvey will perform, while Maine Needs will be collecting donated items. Maine Needs collects everyday basic essentials to help individuals and families across the state who are facing financial hardship, domestic violence, or homelessness.

For those who have never seen Akers play, or just want to see her play again, take a look:

BREAKING NEWS: Michelle Akers, the soccer legend and World Cup superstar, will be a Founding Advisor to Maine’s new USL W team that kicks off next year.

Akers will attend the third annual Heartsapalooza celebration Thursday at Thompson’s Point where she will be formally introduced to fans.

“I’ve been drawn to Maine because of the way Mainers show up for their teams and their community,” Akers said in a press release. “There’s so much heart here. When I saw what Hearts of Pine was building and the unprecedented way the community embraced this club, I knew I wanted to be part of what comes next.”

The women’s team has not yet been named.

Heartsapalooza is free and open to the public. Doors open at 4:45 p.m.

Editor’s Note: This story will be covered in full on Wednesday here at The Hearts Beat. Apologies for reposting due to technical problems.

There are so many interesting stories when it comes to the Portland Hearts of Pine. But it’s important to remember that there are 16 other teams in the league, each with their own narrative that helps explain how their season has gone.

Every Tuesday, The Hearts’ Beat will pull together a roundup of the most interesting stories from around the league. Some may have a connection to the Hearts; others will just be information readers should know.

So let’s take a look:

• The biggest news from around the league last week was U.S. Soccer’s announcement of changes to the 2027 U.S. Open Cup format. For the first time since 2023, all 27 U.S.-based Major League Soccer clubs will participate, entering the tournament in the Round of 64.
  
  In terms of what it means for Portland, the change means there’s a chance the Hearts don’t qualify for the 2027 tournament. The exact number of qualifying spots for USL League One has not been publicly specified yet by U.S. Soccer. Currently, there are 17 teams in USL1.
  
  The Blazing Musket explains: There are 45 teams from the second and third divisions that are eligible for the tournament. This includes 25 clubs from the USL Championship, 17 from USL League One, and three independent clubs from MLS NEXT Pro.

With only 37 slots available, standings in the USL Championship and USL League One will determine first-round entry criteria, according to U.S. Soccer.

Last March, Portland lost 1-0 in the 2026 Cup at the Vermont Green.

• Union Omaha took down the Charlotte Independence on Saturday, shutting out the first-place leaders by a 2-0 score. Omaha and Charlotte now have the same number of points, although Charlotte has a better goal differential and has played one less game
  
  The key play was when Charlotte striker Souaibou Marou drew a red card in the 22nd minute, leaving the Independence a man down and missing the league’s leading goal scorer. From OurSports Central: For that first quarter of the match, it was properly end-to-end football from both sides, just what was expected from a pair of high-flying, attacking squads. It did all change with that foul, however. Marou, the Golden Boot leader with 12 goals, bore down on goalkeeper Cole Jensen in a one-on-one situation. His lunge for the ball became a kick delivered to Jensen’s gut, and after an initial ruling of a yellow card, the referees deliberated and decided to send Marou off.
  

• The race for the Players’ Shield looks like a race among three (or possibly four) teams with Charlotte and Omaha leading with 49 points and Forward Madison FC chasing closely behind with 47 points. One Knoxville SC trails in fourth with 43 points.
  
  Looking at the schedule for the rest of the way, Charlotte does not have any games against the other three top teams. Madison hosts Omaha in its final game of the season while Knoxville has a tough road because among the three teams above them, only Madison remains on the schedule.
  
  Portland may have a chance to play spoilers (and get a little revenge) as the Hearts host Charlotte on Oct. 24 in both teams’ final regular season match.

  

• That final position in the playoffs will also be a sprint to the finish. Currently, Fort Madison FC holds the eighth and final playoff position with 33 points but has AV Alta FC (32 points) and Corpus Christi FC (30 points) nipping close behind.
  
  Portland (26 points) still has a chance to overtake the eighth spot but a lot would have to go right, starting with stringing a bunch of wins together. But for some perspective, the Hearts are also seven points from the bottom of the table.

  

• The Hearts climbed four spots in the USL1 Power Rankings for the week: Hearts of Pine is finally back in the win column for the first time in more than two months. It’s probably not enough to start a late-season revival, but it’s something.

PORTLAND, Maine – Ray Saari, Portland Hearts of Pine’s new sporting director, sounded like someone keeping his options open while also making it clear he is excited about the prospects of bringing back incumbent coach Bobby Murphy.

“I think Bobby is a good coach – I mean, look at what he did last year,” Saari said. “Expansion years are one of the hardest things to manage, and taking this team to the playoffs in an expansion year is very, very impressive.”

During a recent wide-ranging interview with The Hearts’ Beat, Saari discussed Murphy and touched on the importance of youth soccer while detailing what he looks for in a young player. Last Monday, Portland announced the hiring of Ray Saari from the El Paso Locomotive. Saari is known as an innovative thinker with a real eye for talent.

Murphy’s contract is up after this season. He was hired for the Hearts’ inaugural season last year because he was known for being a strong coach who excelled at player development. He has been in the coaching business for three decades, including a stint as an interim Major League Soccer coach. Murphy is also from New England, having played there in college.

“Part of the reason that drew me here was the chance to work with Bobby,” Saari said. “It’s certainly something that we as a club have had a lot of conversations about, and I’m definitely excited about having the chance to work with him.”

Saari noted how seasoned Murphy is, saying, “I really do like experienced coaches, coaches that have been in different environments, that have been around. I’m excited about the opportunity to work with Bobby, and I do think that’s a strong possibility for sure.”

For Murphy’s part, he has repeatedly spoken positively about working with Saari, particularly given his ability to identify and recruit talent.

While saying he needs more time to assess Maine’s soccer pipeline, Saari made it clear that he is eager to explore having a youth academy here.

Club officials have not talked publicly about whether their new sporting director’s hiring will lead to a new youth academy. But Saari was credited for building an effective youth system by specifically integrating individual tracking and bridging youth academies to first-team squads.

“It’s something that the ownership and I have talked about,” Saari said. “It’s something that you know we all will continue to build on because you’ve seen the connection and the pride that the club takes in connecting with the community.”

Saari pointed to the club’s first youth soccer camp that the Hearts held last month. Players participated in a five-day camp held at the Waynflete Athletic Complex run by the Hearts’ coaching staff.

Asked if this area had enough soccer players to create a successful youth program, Saari pointed to a player that might have gotten away from Portland recently.

“You see success stories like Taig Healy, right?” Saari said, mentioning the player from South Hampton, New Hampshire, who torched the Hearts for a pair of goals late last month. “(He’s from) around in this area. Yeah, there’s good players in the USL that come from everywhere.”

Saari proved to be good at identifying talented young players during his time in El Paso.

After initially being hired as the club’s first Individual Development Plan coach in 2023, Saari became El Paso’s technical director a year later, where he has turned a last place team into its current leader of the USL Championship League’s Western Conference. The Locomotive’s position of technical director fills the same role as the Hearts’ sporting director post.

“I think first and foremost in evaluating a player for me is point blank: is this player effective in that position?” Saari said. “Does this attacking player score goals and offer us some sort of attacking threat. Maybe he’s a guy that gets a lot of assists, and threatens the back line. Does your defender point blank defend? Does he win the ball back for us? Does he keep the ball out of the net? Goalkeepers the same way. Is he a good shot stopper?”

Midfield is a more complex position, Saari explained, because there are multiple duties within that role. He added that the most important answers he seeks are: “Why is this player effective at what he does? Can he also do this? Can he play in this formation?”

Saari will also be assessing the current roster, where as many as 18 players will have their contracts expire at the end of the season.

“We’re already starting to make calls about what the team looks like next year, in terms of players that are available, players that fit Bobby’s system in the way that he wants to play,” Saari said. “The next four months is a critical time of roster building, roster decisions, and working towards next year – planning, preparation, and execution on the roster side.”

At this point, Saari (now an undefeated 1-0-0 in his Hearts’ career after Portland’s thrilling win Sunday night) is getting acclimated to Maine. His fiancée is a veterinarian and they have a dog and a cat, although he said “if it was up to her, we’d probably have a farm in our apartment.”

While El Paso doesn’t experience the seasonal variation Maine does, he has seen ample winters as a native of Kansas City. But he is ready to learn about Maine’s unique environment.

“From the outside looking in, you just see the beauty of the peninsula,” he said. “You see the water. You see all of the greenery. It’s something very different from where I was. I thought the move would be exciting but also refreshing.”

With Saari being someone who likes to dig deep for talent, it’s quite possible fans will see him exploring all parts of Maine. So keep your eyes open on the sidelines, folks. You never know who might be there.

PORTLAND, Maine — The Portland Hearts of Pine hadn’t won a game in two months. They gave away a road match against the USL League One’s first place team last week in an unimaginable way. And the Hearts had just let Sunday night’s opponent back into the match by losing another 1-0 lead.

From a writer’s perspective, this game was writing itself, again. Portland had given up seven leads this season and won none of them. The term “beleaguered” would have fit perfectly for describing the players, or Coach Bobby Murphy, or the front office, or the fans.

But then some unexpected things happened. They were the sort of moments that Portland had enjoyed time and again last year in its exhilarating run to the playoff semifinals, but which had eluded the Hearts since the 2026 home opener, when the team's star midfielder Masashi Wada wrecked his knee and was lost for the season.

Before anyone could really believe it, Portland had won the game 2-1 over Westchester SC, registering its first victory since early July.

Here’s what we saw:

1. Portland had just surrendered the game-tying goal to Westchester in the 66th minute. The Hearts’ opponent had been pressing hard throughout the second half after a fairly even first 45 minutes.

Suddenly, a brouhaha erupted near midfield after a hard Westchester foul. It wasn’t a brawl. But there was definitely some roughness to it as shoves were exchanged and the ball was knocked out of someone’s hands. The officials eventually got everyone under control and one yellow card apiece was issued to a player from both sides.

That’s when it all changed. Portland became focused. Westchester stayed mad.

Over the ensuing four minutes, Westchester players committed a pair of fouls that earned them yellow cards while the Hearts’ offense came to life. Jay Tee Kamara, the diminutive playmaker who had entered the game around the same time as the scrum, sliced through Westchester’s defense and made a bold pass to teammate Aboubacar Camara.

Camara took one touch to receive the ball. The defender was giving him too much space and time so he nudged it slightly forward and then ripped it off the goalkeeper who had dived to his right and got his gloves on the ball but failed to make the save.

“Every time he cuts in, I know (Kamara) is looking for me,” Camara said. “Jay Tee, man. What a player. One-v-one, no one can stop him.”

The goal gave Camara seven on the season, tying him for the team lead with Diego Gonzalez, who notched his score in the 11th minute off a penalty kick (thanks to a timely run and crossing pass from Matteo Kidd that led to a hand ball in the box).

Portland had the lead. Its offense had done the job. Now it was up to …

2. … the defense, which just happened to play its best game in a while.

Players marked their man tighter. Opponents didn’t get to carry the ball deep into Portland’s defensive shape without being challenged. More balls than usual were won in the air inside the Hearts’ own 18.

While Westchester took 21 shots in the game, only seven made it on target, often because Portland’s defense forced longer-range shots. When the shots were closer, the Hearts’ players typically blocked them.

None were bigger than when Serigne Faye placed himself directly in the way of a shot on an open goal after goalkeeper Hunter Morse had just made a save. The Westchester player had an open net until Faye got in the way and took the rocketed ball directly off his chest.

“They are always there for me,” Morse said of his defenders before mentioning Faye’s play. “I just love the heart to take one off the chest and not be afraid of getting hurt.”

3. Morse was also there for his teammates late in the match, and in doing so, made a save for the ages.
   
   Early in the six minutes of extra time (the groan from the fans at the announced time may still be echoing through Casco Bay), Westchester’s Koen Blommestijn found himself alone in front of the goal and one-timed a blast seemingly sure to be knotting up the match.

Morse moved from his left to his right and, as the shot was about to be struck, dove and made his body as big as possible. At the last possible moment, hanging in the air, Morse shot out his left foot and miraculously blocked a ball that was behind him.

In the moments after the game’s conclusion, USL League One had already posted a photo on Instagram and asked, “Best Save in USL League One history?”

Morse chuckled and said he’d leave that to others to decide.

“The ball got played across and I had to kind of go desperation (mode) because I’m sprinting across my goal,” Morse said. “I threw my leg out and somehow I got it.”

It was the sort of athletic feat that fan bases in other sports might give it a name like “The Save” if the Hearts were threatening to at least make the playoffs. And while the Hearts are seven points back of eighth place after the victory with seven games to play, that takes nothing away from what was an extraordinary effort by Morse.

His teammates were in awe at what they saw.

“That’s probably the best save I have seen since I started playing,” Camara said. “I don’t even know how he stopped that … (but) he has been saving us all year.”

PORTLAND, Maine – Westchester SC comes to town Sunday night with the hope of remaining undefeated against the Portland Hearts of Pine in 2026.

Portland (5-11-8) first drew with Westchester in late April during a tightly fought USL Cup match, which was eventually settled with Westchester winning in penalty kicks. The Hearts then got blasted 5-1 on the road in mid-June in a score that looked bad but felt closer.

Hearts coach Bobby Murphy said on Thursday that his team knows what to expect.

“They’ll come in and I would imagine they’ll drop off and sit in, and make it hard for us on the ball,” Murphy said. “So we’ve got to be really good with the ball, not lose it in spots that lead to immediate trouble.”

Both teams have taken turns winning the possession battle in the two games. Westchester has just done a better job of capitalizing on its opportunities, which has been a problem for the Hearts for much of 2026.

Murphy said it’s important to keep Westchester (6-12-5) on its side of the field as often as possible with a vigilant forechecking game, particularly when Portland’s offense loses the ball. The goal from forechecking is to force a turnover and create a brief window of chaos that catches an opponent at a point when they are disorganized as they transition back from defense to offense.

“The big thing for us is just our energy and ability to counter-press and keep them pinned in and grind them down and not let them get out and transition because they’ve got a couple athletes,” Murphy explained.

Westchester midfielder Conor McGlynn is probably at the forefront of that list. McGlynn has scored a combined three goals in the two games, two of which came from penalty kicks.

McGlynn, whose brother Jack plays for the Houston Dynamo and the US Men’s National Team, is a tall, defensive-minded midfielder who has in the past described himself as not the most talented player on the field, but the one who is most obsessed with studying film. Currently, he is tied with two others (including Taig Healy, who netted two last weekend against Portland) for second in the USL League One with ten goals.

Jonathan Jiménez, a forward for Westchester, also scored twice in a game this season against Portland. But he only has four goals for the season.

For their part, the Hearts players sounded professional yet positive during Thursday’s training session following the devastating loss to first-place Charlotte on Wednesday. Portland held a 2-1 lead late but gave up two goals in the final three minutes of stoppage time in what would have been the Independence’s first home loss in the league this year.

“They’ve been fantastic,” Murphy said of the players. “Nobody’s dropped their heads. I think they’re frustrated, I think they’re hurt, I think they’re embarrassed.”

Portland (15th place in the USL1) is also hoping to end its franchise-worst nine-game winless streak. Westchester (13th place) is 1-1-3 in its last five matches.

Overall, Portland is 1-1-2 against Westchester in the Hearts’ first two seasons.

Sunday’s game is at 6 p.m. at Fitzpatrick Stadium. It can also be watched on ESPN+.

So that’s what it feels like to have your heart ripped out.

The Portland Hearts of Pine on Wednesday night took the first-place Charlotte Independence to the brink. On the road. And after an eight-game winless streak.

Yet there the Hearts were, 95 minutes through, holding a 2-1 lead. Three minutes later, the referee blew the whistle, and Portland had lost 3-2.

Here are three instant observations:

1. The Hearts had the best team in the USL League One down and almost out. But Charlotte, the league’s top goal scoring club, kept pushing Portland deeper. A header was missed. Hearts goalkeeper Hunter Morse made some wild saves. A shot whizzed by the post.
   
   And then in a moment that represents the entire Hearts’ season to date, Charlotte scored twice. Stefano Pinho, a 35-year-old whose fascinating career has led him to be both a star and a journeyman and whose stat line coming into the game looked like binary code, scored on a pair of stunners in the 96th and 98th minute.
   
   The first was a left-footed scissor kick that beat a leaping Morse while the Brazilian’s second was a reactive right-footer that slid the ball into the back of the net. And once again, the Hearts had failed to hold a lead.
   
   Following a year of such excitement, the 2026 campaign has been filled with calamitous failure.

The biggest problem Wednesday night? Poor marking repeatedly. Too many people left open and not enough pressure on passers outside of the box. Trouble began with 15 minutes left in the second half when Charlotte seemed to turn on its jets.

2. But what a second 30 minutes for Portland. After a tepid first half where Portland came out lucky to only be down 1-0, the Hearts attacked relentlessly. The hard work paid off in the 59th minute when Matteo Kidd was first to a loose ball, touched it past a defender to himself where he then beat the goalkeeper between the legs.
   
   Shortly after, Ollie Wright went down in the box from a lunging Charlotte goalkeeper. The referee called for the penalty, much to the Independence’s dismay. They cheered moments later when Wright’s penalty kick was saved but Michel Poon-Angeron pounced on the rebound and scored a rare goal.

Wright nearly scored late in regular time but his left-footed shot just missed the upper post.

3. This one is going to hurt the Hearts’ players for a while. Instead of a chance to knock off the first-place Independence, Portland has now gone winless for nine consecutive matches.

Afterward, team captain Mikey Lopez posted this apology on Portland’s Instagram page. It comes as no surprise, given his stewardship as captain over the past two years. But it’s an example of the pain the players have got to be enduring.