The Portland Hearts of Pine will unveil their 2027 home kit Nov. 19 at The State Theatre, the same stage where the club introduced its iconic first jersey two years ago.
The event, Woods & Water, a Celebration of Maine, runs from 6-8 p.m. and will also include a roster update from team officials.
Also planned are live music (Griffin William Sherry and the Oshima Brothers) and a short film premiere from the Hearts, titled “The USM Promise Scholars.” The University of Southern Maine is the exclusive education partner of the Hearts.
“This is a celebration of what we have started, the support we have received from the community over the past two years, and the next new chapter for the Hearts,” said Lisa Frates, senior manager, marketing and communications for the Hearts of Pine and Maine Wildness. “We are celebrating this new kit but also the things that made the original kit so special.”
Sporting Director Ray Saari will talk about roster changes and additions. Heavy turnover is likely for the Hearts, both because players typically receive only two-year deals and because the team underperformed. Forward Madison FC is a recent example of how much a USL League One roster can change. After a ninth-place finish left Madison out of the playoffs last season, the club replaced roughly 90% of its roster. It finished fourth this season and has already advanced to the playoff semifinals.
Two years ago (nearly to the day — Nov. 21, 2024), the club hosted its first kit launch event at The State Theatre. That night brought together 1,500 people and special guests, including Gov. Janet Mills, to give the public its first look at the franchise's inaugural home uniform.
Attendees at the upcoming event, which is free, are asked to RSVP here.
The new kit (which includes the team's signature jersey, shorts and matching socks) will keep many of the elements of the Woods & Water style, but with its own new touches that will make it unique, Frates said.
The original Woods & Water jersey featured prominent horizontal stripes of alternating deep forest green and navy blue, symbolizing the massive Maine wilderness and its sprawling coastlines and rivers. Designed with a classic collar and cuffs, it incorporated subtle red accents. These pops of red were pulled directly from the Dirigo Heart in the club’s crest, a nod to Maine’s state motto, Dirigo (“I lead”).
The inaugural shirt featured prominent Maine-centric branding, reflecting the club’s partnerships with L.L.Bean and Visit Maine.
Many USL1 clubs, like their MLS counterparts, keep each kit for two years and alternate between a new primary and a new secondary each season. Staggering the releases lets clubs launch a new product every year without asking fans to replace their whole wardrobe at once. The tradeoff is that there’s something new to buy every season.
The Hearts have two current alternate kits. The Blaze Kit (released in 2025) honors Maine's wilderness and hunting culture with a vibrant camo-orange pattern. In contrast, the Lighthouse Kit (released in 2026) draws from maritime history, using bold red and white horizontal hoops that directly mimic the famous candy-striped pattern of the West Quoddy Head Light.
Portland’s first away kit, the Bandit Kit, came out the week of Valentine’s Day 2025. A white jersey covered in small red hearts, it paid tribute to the city’s anonymous Valentine’s Day Bandit. The Lighthouse Kit replaced it after one season.
The Hearts forged a relationship with USM (which is a few blocks away from their home field at Fitzpatrick Stadium) early on, and the connection includes having several graduates work for the team.
USM launched the Promise Scholarship in 2018 to help Maine students from lower-income families, many of them the first in their families to go to college, earn a degree in four years with little or no student debt. Along with the money, scholars get advising, mentoring and other support meant to keep them in school and prepare them for jobs in Maine after graduation.
The program supports up to 100 students across the university at any given time, amounting to roughly 25 scholars per class year.