Portland Hearts of Pine Helping Put Maine On The Map

“It’s a little paradise here. People don’t know about it.”

Photo Courtesy of Portland Hearts of Pine

While many didn’t know much about Maine before their arrival, they fell in love with the state during the inaugural season for Portland Hearts of Pine.

Ollie Wright, who grew up in England before coming to the United States to play for Huntsville City FC, San Antonio FC, and others, admitted that he checked the weather before relocating to the Northeast.

“That was the first thing I noticed, that it was going to be, like, negative a million degrees,” Wright said with a laugh. “Now I think [it’s] such an amazing place off the field. So many beautiful sights, so many great people here.

“I really felt like I’ve been welcomed since the first minute I landed. This place feels like home now. It’s a place that I can see myself living in for many years to come. I love it.”

Nathan Messer, who spent his early years in Europe before moving to Washington, D.C., was familiar with New England sports after playing for Providence College, Vermont Green, and Rhode Island FC.

But even those experiences didn’t fully prepare him for Hearts’ first year.

“I did think [Hearts] would be well supported, but I never expected it would be like this,” Messer said. “It’s blown any expectation out of the park, to be honest. It’s truly unbelievable.”

He remembers joking with his family that he was heading even further North to play in Portland. It’s a move he’s glad he made.

“It’s a little paradise here,” Messer said. “People don’t know about it.”

Bobby Murphy had a brief stay in Maine, previously serving as the men’s soccer coach at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham.

Coming back as the head coach and sporting director for Maine’s professional soccer team allowed him to see the state in a new light.

He sees a community that cares for each other and their soccer team. The pre-match tifo, player-specific chants, and homemade signs given to the athletes after the final whistle are proof of that.

“When I took the job and closed my eyes and imagined what it would be like, it wouldn’t have been anywhere near this,” Murphy said. “This is way better than I would have imagined.”

The supporters also stand out to Wright. Saturday’s 2-2 draw against AV Alta wasn’t easy as Hearts conceded early and later went down to 10 men.

But all 6,000 fans supported them through it all, even organizing a stadium-wide chant during stoppage time, hoping to will the team to victory.

“I found out that the people support you through thick and thin,” Wright said.
"There’s always going to be hurdles on and off the field, but the support’s been non-stop—social media, in the community, here in Fitzpatrick stadium—it’s just been amazing.

“Especially having tied the game, that’s disappointing for fans, but they didn’t stop shouting, they didn’t stop singing our names and, yeah, just goosebumps every single time we come out into play.”

Hearts’ season isn’t over, as they have a quarterfinal playoff trip to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC on Saturday. The team, however, is unlikely to play another game at Fitzpatrick Stadium this year.

This brought a level of sorrow and regret during the post-game interviews. The prevailing emotion, however, was gratitude.

Gratitude to the organization, to the fans, and to Maine.

“I have things I believe in both on and off the field,” Murphy said. “I believe I have a group of players that exemplify those values. I believe we represent a community that buys into what we’re trying to do, and I think we really worked hard to provide a team that this community would be proud of on and off the field. This has been just the most wonderful journey.

“I’m so proud of what we’ve done. I’m proud of the people that I work with, both on the technical side and the office side. It’s just been a miraculous journey, and I want to thank ownership for giving me this opportunity so far, and thank the fans and thank everybody who’s been behind us every step of the way.”