Portland Hearts of Pine head coach Bobby Murphy wants more consistency from his team.

Hearts were down a goal by the second minute of Saturday's game against the Chattanooga Red Wolves, as a long-range shot by Pedro Hernandez ricocheted off the crossbar and hit Hunter Morse before settling in the back of the net.

The home side held 64% of possession during the first half but couldn't record a shot on target, though Ollie Wright did hit the post.

The second 45 was better, as Hearts outshot their opponent (20 to 10) and found a goal through loanee Diego Gonzalez. They missed three big chances, which they rued when Hernandez scored a 90th-minute game-winner.

"We created so many chances, we've got to take one of them," Murphy said. "But you can't play 45 minutes. The first half, we don't turn up, we don't want to run, we don't want to do what we're told, we want to do whatever we want. And that's what happens. You can't just try and pull it out of the fire the last 45 minutes."

It's been a difficult season for Hearts, who have dealt with a host of absences. Long-term injuries to Masashi Wada, Mikey Lopez, and Titus Washington – all projected starters – have forced the team to shuffle.

The addition of Gonzalez, who arrived last week, will certainly help, as he was the co-leader for the assists (10) in MLS NEXT Pro in 2024 before his injury.

"Diego's spot is something we've been missing since Sashi went down," Murphy said. "I think we're lucky to get Diego. By all accounts, from inside and outside of the [Houston] Dynamo, he very easily could be on an MLS roster right now, and circumstances have been different for him. I think it's a good opportunity for him to be able to kickstart his career."

Murphy stated that the team is looking to add two strikers in the coming weeks.

"We have targets," Murphy said. "We've got to get deals across the line, but we're working on it."

Saturday's loss means Hearts won't go undefeated at home this year, a goal they set at the beginning of the season. Matteo Kidd explained that the loss is something that "can't happen," then noted that they're looking forward.

He's confident that things will turn around.

"Just give us a little time, we'll get there," Kidd said when asked for a message for the fans. "Don't worry, we're working every single day. It's going to happen. The boys have come together. We've come with Bobby, and we're ready to win. This is a very, very, very good group, and I think once we find it a little bit, we find that little momentum when we need it, we'll be very dangerous and hard to beat."