CD Faialense Players Preparing For The Biggest Game Of Their Lives

CD Faialense face Portland Hearts of Pine on Thursday in the opening round of the 2025 U.S. Open Cup.

The magic of the U.S. Open Cup will be on full display on Thursday when Clube Desportivo Faialense, an amateur team from Boston, take on Portland Hearts of Pine, a USL League One team playing its first-ever competitive game.

The match will be held at Lewiston High School in Maine, with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. A win means advancement in the country's storied soccer competition.

Felipe Guimaraes, the longest-tenured member of Faialense, called it the biggest game of his life.

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CD Faialense qualified for the U.S. Open Cup after finishing first in Division I of the Bay State Soccer League (BSSL) by ten points.

While the roster includes many talented players, Guimaraes quickly noted that their success is primarily tied to brotherhood.

Like others on the team, Guimaraes fell out of love with soccer for a period. He recalled that he stopped playing for roughly a year when he got married and bought a house.

A one-time invite led to his return. Then came a second and third game. These opportunities brought a new-found sense of joy that many of his teammates also discovered.

Several of these players, who featured at Merrimack College, the University of New Hampshire, Boston University, Harvard University, and more, reached a point of burnout when early mornings, demanding practices, and strict diets became too much.

Now, they look forward to Saturdays, in part because of pizza and beer.

“They wanted to come and enjoy the sport for what it is and not have an obligation where they had to practice or had to run for three hours after the game to be fit enough to play,” Guimaraes told The Blazing Musket. “Now it’s a matter of, ‘Hey, do you want to come, show up, play, have fun, kick the ball around? If we win, we have some drinks after, and if we lose, we'll have some drinks.”

According to Guimaraes, the post-game ritual started with two people. Now, it’s closer to 15.

After awarding the Man of Match—a cowboy hat—the players typically go to a function hall to share food and drink with past and present members of Faialense.

"We'll spend hours there, having dinner with people that saw the original Faialense team play back in the 70s and 80s," Guimaraes said. "It's about tradition, and about keeping that family together, that community together."

The original club had deep ties to the Portuguese community. Although the current iteration looks slightly different—Guiamareas says there are approximately 13 nationalities on the roster—the core beliefs are the same.

"We're able to put all these players together from a different pool, and we're all brothers," Guimaraes said. "For three years now, we've become brothers. We live and breathe soccer, and we do it because it's fun, not because it's a job.

“We've been taking this journey one step at a time, one game at a time, and we've just been enjoying the process. We've been having fun, and I think that's been our key to success.”

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All of the players on CD Faialense have full-time jobs. Felipe Guimaraes is a civil engineer, Max Krause works at a venture capital firm, and Francis Mulkern is a firefighter.

With this in mind, it's been a team-wide effort to ensure that everyone is ready to compete against Hearts on Thursday.

After taking December off, the players gathered for early morning runs and weekly scrimmages. In March, they upped their training regiment to include one practice and two scrimmages a week.

This took work. Someone had to confirm fields and opponents, secure equipment, and handle social media.

They also had to work around people's schedules, an ever-changing errand. The starting goalkeeper, Lucas Verge, had a baby at the end of January. Guimaraes lives in New Hampshire, so he sometimes has to wake up at 5 a.m. to be in the city on time. Planning around work schedules and social events is a natural obstacle.

"It's a lot, but we're doing what we need to do," Guimaraes said. "And everyone's been pitching in, from captains to coaches."

Guimaraes calls Verge "the heart of the team," saying he helps organize both on and off the field. He joked, "We can't shut him up. He's constantly talking to us, helping us, teasing us."

Krause, a midfield captain, is another player who has committed a lot to the club. Paul Correia is "one of the true believers, not only in this team but in himself." Guimaraes says that Paul and his dad are big reasons why Faialense exist.

Many others are willing to help the club in any way they can.

"No one's selfish," Guimaraes said. "No one is fighting for time. No one's saying, 'Hey, I should be playing more, or I should be starting. Everyone's just excited to be there. Everyone's happy for the team. We're bringing everyone's spirits up."

Guimaraes believes the long drives and late-night tactical meetings will be worth it when Faialense take the field on Thursday night.

"I guess I can say to my mom, 'Hey, mom, I made it,'" Guimaraes said.

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The beauty of the U.S. Open Cup is that it gives players the chance to dream. While Faialense are in no way looking past Hearts of Pine, Guimaraes and his teammates can't help but think about what could come next if they win on Thursday.

"Jacob Maddox, he played at the University of Rhode Island, he said after we qualified for this stage, 'Hey man, give me Messi. I cannot wait to guard Messi. Give me him, I will guard him till I die.'"

Of course, Hearts come first. While this is their first year of existence, the team had a full preseason, including a trip to Bermuda. They battled Rhode Island FC, who made the USL Championship Final last year, to a 0-0 draw. They also beat Hartford Athletic 4-0, though it wasn't their full first team.

The Hearts players will be ready, as will their fans.

"At the end of the day, they're professionals," Guimaraes said. "They do this for a living. They get paid to do it. We're expecting them to be fit. We're expecting them to be sharp. Their touches are going to be crisp. We are going to have to be on our game when defending."

The Faialense players have a game plan. Perhaps more importantly, they have each other and a deep love of soccer that they rediscovered while playing side by side.

"It's truly a love, and it's a desire," Guimaraes said. "That fire is back. It's burning hard, and we can't wait to get on that field."

And if all goes well, Guimaraes and his teammates could be celebrating with some post-game pizzas and beers.

"The guys are ready," Guimaraes said. "The guys are focused right on the game. We're trying to keep our feet on the ground, not get ahead of ourselves and just focus."