After breaking a nine-game winless streak last week in a 2-1 win vs Westchester SC, Hearts of Pine earned a win off a late goal from Serigne Mbacke Faye to collect six points in their last two games, putting in perhaps their most dominant performance in months.
Though the initial few minutes held some stress – a goal line clearance was demanded from Eiji Hata in the 3rd minute – Portland looked the better team. A cohesiveness and deftness on the ball that hasn't been there in previous weeks shone through as they showed dynamic buildup play on occasion.
Players continued to look up for the match through the middle of the first half, defensive commitment on opposing counters, moving to the ball in possession, and occupying generally the right spaces to limit the length of AV Alta's progressive passes.
Shortly after the halfway mark of the first half, Jay Tee Kamara began two attacks that created dangerous chances, sliding a line-breaking ball to Mateo Kidd, and later playing a nice ball down the line to Diego Gonzalez; each of whom attempted their own shots.
Portland continued to create danger. In the 34th minute, Gonzalez whipped a free kick at the goalmouth, requiring the keeper to use two hands to keep it out. Just a couple of minutes later, the team showed an extended period of fantastic ball recovery; being active in midfield and picking great spots to defend.
After the break, Portland came out of the gate with high-tempo energy: not frenetic, but meaningful and intentional. It quickly culminated in a deliciously close chance off a Kamara cross and an Abu Camara header, although AV Alta's keeper pulled off a Hunter Morse-esque save to keep Portland at zero.
The team continued to look cohesive later into the half; defenders were much closer to the ball when it turned over and immediately putting pressure on AV Alta by playing direct once its recovered. This style was efficient and effective, forcing Denzil Smith into several saves through the third quarter of the match.
Kamara continued to look inspired, creating chance after chance and nearly putting away one of his own in the 63rd minute. At no point did Portland truly let the Californian opponent back into the match, creating rapid-fire chances in the final minutes of regular time. Subs Ollie Wright and Diogo Barbosa were incisive with their passing range and movement, keying a plenty of positive, patient buildup and accelerating play when proper.
A slight knock would force Kamara out of the match in the third minute of stoppage time, though Portland would find their goal on the ensuing free-kick earned just prior. Gonzalez hit a fantastic cross that looped high and dropped slow to Mbacke Faye, who corrected his mistake earlier in the match and got all the way over the ball to head it into the net off a bounce.
Just after booming chants of Hearts of Pine's head coach Bobby Murphy's name, Fitzpatrick Stadium rang with the sound of cheers to the final whistle in the 12th minute of stoppage time.
Lineups
Portland Hearts of Pine returned 10 of 11 starters from last week's win, a rare moment of consistency for a Portland team wrecked by injuries and an attacking lull that forced heavy frontline rotation.
Konstantinos Georgallides was the lone change (not in the matchday squad) replaced by Jay Tee Kamara on the wing.
Key moments
3' POR 0-0 AV: BLOCK! A ball pings around in the box and Morse is cut out of the play after a bit of miscommunication, but Hata is there in front of net to clear the ball off the goal line!
25' POR 0-0 AV: Chance! Jay Tee Kamara slides a ball into Kidd, breaking the defense. Kidd lets the ball run across him, but faces a strong defense and can't quite make clean contact to finish.
26' POR 0-0 AV: Chance! Kamara plays a ball down the line for Gonzalez, who fires a powerful shot, but the keeper is able to stifle it with some effort.
34' POR 0-0 AV: Chance! Gonzalez takes a great free kick with strong whip. The keeper requires two hands to parry it to safety.
49' POR 0-0 AV: CHANCE! Kamara serves a cross from the left that makes it all the way across to Hata, who in turn puts in a great ball to a very crowded box that Abu Camara heads on in what looked to be a near-certain goal, but AV Alta's Smith makes an absolutely crucial save to stop Portland from going up a goal.
57' POR 0-0 AV: Chance! Jay Tee cuts inside and dances past a couple of defenders, then splits the defense with an excellent ball to Camara, who gets the ball nicked away by Ortiz just before he can get a shot off.
63' POR 0-0 AV: CHANCE! Matteo Kidd plays the ball to Gonzalez, who finds Kamara in space. He cuts the ball back with a quick touch and hits a bender that looked on frame, but bounces off a defender who didn't know much about it.
70' POR 0-0 AV: Sub. Camara out for Felipe.
76' POR 0-0 AV: CHANCE! Patient buildup by Portland! Kamara fakes out his man with a no-look pass to overlapping Gonzalez, who lifts a ball into a very dangerous area. The keeper barely gets a touch to it to push it on. Hata takes it down with his chest and rifles a low shot on frame, but it's knocked out for a corner.
80' POR 0-0 AV: Subs. Diego Letayf and Kidd out for Barbosa and Wright.
83' POR 0-0 AV: Chance! Kamara dishes an excellent corner headed on by Barbosa to Hata, who drops low to head the ball on but it's just wide left. So close!
85' POR 0-0 AV: Chance! Everything Jay Tee touches has a glint of magic tonight. His free kick service goes to Mbacke Faye who rises up like a salmon to meet the ball over his defender. He can't quite get over it though and instead lofts the ball just over the crossbar.
90+3' POR 0-0 AV: Sub. Kamara forced out with a light knock. He's replaced by Walter Varela.
90+3' POR 1-0 AV: GOAL!!! Gonzalez hits a lofted cross that dips down into a crowd of heads. Mbacke Faye meets it, slamming the ball into the ground and into the net to set Fitzpatrick Stadium into hysteria!
Quick thoughts
Kamara in Fine Form
Much has been made of Jay Tee Kamara's mercurial skillset. The tricky winger had been criticized earlier in the year for being unable to turn stepovers and dribbles into meaningful attacks, often seeming like he didn't know what to do with the ball once he beat his man.
This all changed tonight. Kamara found a "flow state", as the commentators put it, making shorter movements to beat his man, having his head up, and picking out a pass or shot the instant he was goalside.
Almost every meaningful attack ran through Jay Tee. Though he didn't find a goal or an assist on the evening, his ability put heavy pressure on AV Alta, eventually enabling his teammates to topple them over just after being subbed out.
With any luck, the knock forcing him out will be minor, allowing him to return quickly and build on this performance to help his team make a late push for the playoffs and U.S. Open Cup qualification.
Hunting Like Hounds
Last week, I discussed how Portland's defensive press was ineffective - often beginning their defensive actions from positions far too distant from their opposing numbers, which gave them far too much time to pick out passes with ease.
Not so this week.
Portland began each defensive action much closer to their opponent than before, allowing them to initially win the ball. After they lost it again, their quick close-downs kept AV Alta unstable.
Each successive duel was more and more likely for Portland to win, eventually taking it back in a fantastic situation with three Hearts players in the area after swarming the play and cutting pressure-relieving passing lanes.
Check this out too.
Last time out against Westchester, Portland allowed multiple opportunities up the gut by failing to harry their opponent so they can't pick their head up. Again, not so much anymore.
Diego Letayf picks up the ball carrier, keeping tight on him so he can't focus on finding a teammate, and forcing him into a less effective and earlier ball than he likely would have preferred.
This wasn't the only example of improvement in this area: Another great example came in the 78th, when Michel Poon-Angeron and Kidd tag-teamed another similar situation to slow down the play then strip the ball from AV Alta.
Keeping this kind of play up will help make Hunter Morse's job easier, who earned his first shutout since April and was only called into action a couple of times on the night.
Dirigo Dynamos
It's undeniable that Bobby Murphy's men looked far more dynamic this match. Take a look at this 15th minute clip.
See the midfield spacing, players occupying areas in the center of the park far enough away from the defense and creating nice passing triangles that helped link the formerly disconnected attacking line to the back.
No more are Hearts stuck with three or four players all on the same horizontal line, they're making movements to get closer to the ball and make it easier to progress it forward.
It helps that Portland's technical skills were clean on the night one-touch passes were on the menu, and nice taps allowed players like Kamara and Hata to skip past their opposition. If they can use this game to further their momentum and bring more players into form, Hearts of Pine will certainly be a team no one relishes facing.
Player spotlight
Fingers crossed for an extremely mild diagnosis for Jay Tee Kamara, after being forced out (albeit under his own power) during stoppage time.
This game just may have been the turning point for the Sierra Leone international, who seemed to finally figure out how to convert fancy tricks into meaningful danger.
Even though they didn't end in box score production, keeping up that level will inevitably lead to goals and assists down the line. In the meanwhile, elevating his perceived threat level gives him more gravity, giving his teammates a few extra inches of space in other parts of the field that just may lead to goals anyway.
