The Hearts’ Beat Roundup: Week 31
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 its own narrative that helps explain how the season has gone.
Every Tuesday, The Hearts’ Beat will pull together a roundup of the most intriguing 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 top two teams in USL1, Union Omaha (1st) and the Charlotte Independence (2nd), collectively have lost one match since Aug. 26, enabling both to pull away from third-place Forward Madison FC in the race for the Players’ Shield. Union Omaha leads by one point.
Both teams have three matches remaining, two of which are on the road. Charlotte appears to have the easier slate as it hosts the New York Cosmos (15th) and then plays at Greenville Triumph SC (16th) before closing out the regular season at Portland (14th). Union Omaha hosts Fort Wayne FC (8th), then takes to the road against Westchester SC (11th) and Forward Madison (3rd).
Athletic Club Boise clinched a playoff berth with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Greenville Triumph in front of a raucous, sold-out home crowd. It’s been a good last month for Boise, which announced in early September that it is moving up to the USL Championship.
USL1 released its Power Rankings, and Portland remained at 14th, just as the Hearts are in the standings: “Tremendous rally by Hearts of Pine to get a point in Spokane. Closing with three games against top four teams is going to be a bit of a gauntlet.”
Union Omaha and Charlotte remain in the top two spots.
Corpus Christi FC, which has won two matches and lost three over its last five, made the biggest move, plunging five spots to 11th overall: “The Sharks have their biggest week of the season ahead. Win at home to Fort Wayne on Wednesday night and the playoff race is on. Lose, and that might be it for this season.”
No one wants to finish last, so the battle for the bottom of the table could come down to the wire.
The Cosmos (25 points), along with Greenville and the Richmond Kickers (both with 23 points), each have four matches remaining. Of the three, only Greenville and Richmond play each other, and it happens to be in each club’s final match, which could set up a riveting “Toilet Bowl” for the worst USL1 club of 2026. If the clubs finish level on points, the first tiebreaker is most wins, followed by goal differential. Greenville’s goal differential is -22 while Richmond is -28.
Fort Lauderdale will be joining the USL1 family. The new club, Fort Lauderdale United FC, is slated to start playing in 2027.
According to the news release, “The expansion builds on Fort Lauderdale United FC’s established foundation of women’s professional soccer, youth academy and development programs. It creates new opportunities for local players while inviting longtime supporters and a new generation of fans to help build lasting matchday traditions.”