Portland Hearts of Pine Makes First Addition to 2026 Squad
The backline gets bigger
Portland Hearts of Pine has signed center back Brecc Evans ahead of the 2026 USL League One season.
Evans joins Hearts after playing with fellow USL League One newbies FC Naples in 2025. He was named to the USL League One All-League Second Team and led the league with 223 clearances while also recording 71 recoveries, 21 interceptions. Additionally, he won 111 duels and ranked third in the league with +6.35 goals added.
Prior to FC Naples, Evans played three seasons with Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC from 2022-2024, where he became the club’s all-time leader in minutes played. Evans has also won a USL Championship when he captained North Texas SC during their 2019 title-winning season.
“Everyone I spoke to had positive things to say about the structure here—the facilities, the daily standards, the attention to detail,” he said in a statement. “It’s clear that players want to be here. A lot of high performers are returning, and it feels like a place where people want to build something long-term.”
Standing at 6’4”, Evans brings some height to the back line and joins Kemali Green, Nathan Messer, and Jaden Jones-Riley, who were all brought back for the 2026 season.