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.”