Wright, Wada, Lopez, Morse Set To Return To Portland Hearts of Pine
Head coach and sporting director Bobby Murphy explains that the four players weren't on regular options.
Ollie Wright, Masashi Wada, Mikey Lopez, and Hunter Morse are among those set to return to Portland Hearts of Pine next year. The four players were core contributors for Hearts during their inaugural season.
Wright had 11 goals and eight assists in 32 appearances, while Wada collected nine goals in 27 appearances. Wada made the USL All-League First Team, while Wright was on the Second Team.
Lopez (31 appearances) often donned the captain’s armband, bringing leadership to the midfield. Morse (30 appearances) was a steady presence in the net, amassing seven clean sheets and a league-leading 96 saves.
“Mikey and Ollie had two-tiered options,” head coach and sporting director Bobby Murphy explained to The Blazing Musket. “If I took their option by, like, July 31st, it was X. If I took it after, it was X plus. So, their options were taken early.
“Masashi came here on almost no money because I didn’t have any money left, and then some money became available, and we tore up his contract and signed him to a two-year deal this past year.”
“Hunter came on a one-year deal, thinking that he wasn’t sure about this place, and he came to us halfway through the year and asked to stay for another year.”
Hearts had a strong initial campaign, advancing to the USL League One Semifinal after defeating second-placed Chattanooga Red Wolves. They nearly advanced to the championship, but were ousted 5-6 in penalties by Spokane Velocity after a 2-2 draw over 120 minutes.
UPDATE: Hearts have announced a full slate of roster decisions, which are listed below.
The following players will be returning for the 2026 season:
Goalkeepers:
#1 Hunter Morse
#23 Kash Oladapo
Defenders:
#2 Jaden Jones-Riley
#3 Nathan Messer
#66 Kemali Green
Midfielders:
#5 Mikey Lopez
#90 Khalid Hersi
#8 Michel Poon-Angeron
#77 Masashi Wada
Forwards:
#10 Ollie Wright
#14 Titus Washington
#80 Jay Tee Kamara
The following players are currently out of contract:
Defenders:
#7 Sean Vinberg
#19 Shandon Wright
#21 Colby Quiñones
#50 Mo Mohamed
#45 Sega Coulibaly
Midfielders:
#6 Pat Langlois
#17 Mickey Reilly
#47 Nathaniel James
Forwards:
#9 Azaad Liadi (loan expired)
#11 Evan Southern
#12 Jake Keegan
#22 Walter Varela
#99 Noah Kvifte