Portland Hearts of Pine Draw Inaugural USL League One Match
A point on the road is a quality debut for the Maine club.
The Portland Hearts of Pine played their first ever USL League One match and walked away with a point against fellow newcomers FC Naples in a 0-0 draw.
Hunter Morse started in net behind a back line of Nathan Messer, Sean Vinberg, Kemali Green, and Colby Quinones. Michel Poon-Angeron, Ollie Wright, and Patrick Langlois made up the three man midfield. The attacking trio was comprised of Walter Varela and Azaad Liadi on the wings, while Titus Washington was the man in the middle.
If Naples was going to score, Florida club would have to earn it as head coach Bobby Murphy’s press was well on display. If Naples decided to play out of the back, Hearts players were looking to pounce on any opportunity to force a turnover.
In the 28th minute, Wright was sprinting towards goal before having his jersey tugged by Naples defender Max Glasser, who was issued a yellow card. Portland was unable to convert on the ensuing free kick.
In the 33rd minute, Naples head coach was issued a yellow card. The yellow card frenzy would continue as Andres Ferrin blocked a throw-in from Quinones to enter the referee’s book. Soon after Walter Varela would be issued a yellow card in the 38th minute for running into the back of an FC Naples player.
Morse was tested for the first time in the 37th minute as Ferrin’s volley was stopped by the Portland goalkeeper. Jake Dengler nearly found the back of the net for Naples but his header off of a free kick dribbled just past the post and out for a goal kick in the 43rd minute.
Just before half, another FC Naples player was issued a yellow card as Julian Cisneros found himself in the referee’s book.
It was a pretty dominant first half for the Hearts as they controlled possession but were unable to find the back of the net. Part of the issue was that Portland neglected to shoot. While the Hearts had 65 percent of the possession, they only registered two shots on net with both not being on target.
In the second half Naples would be the ones to get off to a better start, eating up some of the possession advantage that Portland had. Wright would be the first player to be issued a yellow card in the second half, entering the referee’s book in the 61st minute.
In the 76th minute, Portland would make its first changes as Mikey Lopez and Jaden Jones-Riley came on for Quinones and Liadi. Another change came in the 78th minute as Evan Southern replaced Varela.
Portland turned up the pressure as the game neared its conclusion but was unable to find the back of the net. The match ended with the Hearts controlling 58 percent of possession.
Once again a lack of a finishing touch plagued Portland. The Hearts ended the match with eight shots and just one was on target. While the back line locked down Naples, Murphy will be hoping for an improved performance from his attack moving forward.
The Hearts return to play on Wednesday when they face Hartford Athletic in the U.S. Open Cup.