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+.
Forechecking? I think you mean high press?