Portland Hearts of Pine Depth Featured in Cupset Over Detroit City
“It's a Cup game. It's a nice time for other players to get opportunities to show what we can do."
Waiting on the sidelines for your chance to make an impact can be a test of any players patience but Portland Hearts of Pine showed that it has players up and down the roster that can perform at a high level.
Kash Oladipo is just one example. Oladipo has largely spent the season on the sidelines. Prior to Saturday’s match against Detroit City, his only appearance was featuring in a rotated side against South Georgia Tormenta.
The Portland Timbers academy product didn’t show any rust. He made seven saves that included some impressive point-blank stops that kept Hearts in the match.
"Kash kept us in it,” the head coach said after the match.
But Oladipo wasn’t the only player to step up against the USL Championship side. Jay Tee Kamara and Nathanial James both had superb performances against Detroit. James and Kamara both had two assists, playing key roles in all of Portland’s goals.
“They're amazing. The pace they bring the outlet on the counters, it does so much to relieve the pressure off guys in the back,” the goalkeeper said. “You saw us springing off the counter attack, being able to just dig in, defend a fair bit, and know that they're gonna produce something on the other end, it's amazing.”
James’ passing vision is a sight to behold. He sees plays develop before they happen and is able to play attackers in on goal.
The Trinidad & Tobago native has only featured off the bench so far in 2025 due to a foot injury, but showed that he is capable of being a starter now that he is healthy.
“It's a Cup game. It's a nice time for other players to get opportunities to show what we can do,” James said after the match. “You know, the squad is competitive now, and we have a lot of players competing for every position. So the competitiveness in the team, it can only do us good and just push everyone to play better and do better.”
Murphy credited James for his play, highlighting his ability to score and create goals. Still, the head coach hopes to help James become a more well-rounded player by improving his defensive skills.
Beyond the result, the win and performances were impressive considering that they came against an opponent that plays higher up in the USL than Portland. Oladipo believes that Hearts performance shows that they can compete against any club.
“I'll tell you that today was a big day for us,” the goalkeeper said. “We really focus on us. We realized that they're good team, and we thought that if we stick to our principles and do what we can do, that no matter who it is in the country, that we can put up a good performance.”