Portland Hearts of Pine's outside backs were active in Saturday's scoreless draw against One Knoxville, which has been lacking in recent games.
Jaden Jones-Riley earned his first start since recovering from an ACL injury suffered on April 15, 2025, logging 62 minutes at right back in the scoreless draw against One Knoxville. The speedy 24-year-old was unabashed about getting forward, showing some chemistry with Jay Tee Kamara.
Head coach Bobby Murphy expects more highlights in the weeks to come as Jones-Riley becomes more fit.
"I think there were moments where he could have jumped into the attack and he was a little late," Murphy said.
The right-footed Mo Mohamed started on the left, a decision made "to get as much athleticism and speed up and down the flanks."
While there were instances of disconnect, Mohamed, who moved to the right later, also showcased good energy and technical footwork.
"I think our fullbacks are really important in this system," Michel Poon-Angeron explained. "As you know, a guy with high output last year was Nathan Messer. He's a huge miss, but [Jones-Riley and Mohamed] stepped up."
Murphy will continue to work with his backs and will likely give other players opportunities. Zion Scarlett, who entered for Jones-Riley, is a candidate to start on the left.
The 21-year-old has impressive speed and size, but needs some time to adjust to a new position after previously being a forward.
"I thought you saw him winning balls in the air," Murphy said. "He played with a bit of anger today, which was good, getting in some tackles. I think it's just going to take a little bit of time."
