The inaugural season for Portland Hearts of Pine was a success by any measure, including 18 sold-out games, 150 community events, record-breaking merchandise sales, and a daring run in the USL League One playoffs.
The club is now looking to do more in year two, aiming to play postseason soccer at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
Work started early, as the technical staff used the offseason to analyze the roster, ultimately bringing back 13 players and adding 11. The belief is that the 2026 squad is better equipped to handle the 32-game regular season, as well as the U.S. Open Cup and Pinx Tires USL Cup.
Hearts performed well last year, making the playoffs and coming within moments of going to the championship, but head coach Bobby Murphy believed his team needed more depth.
The semifinal game illustrates this point.
Jay Tee Kamara scored in the second minute of extra time, but Spokane Velocity forced penalties by equalizing in the 121st. Goalkeeper Hunter Morse’s shootout save wasn’t enough as the Velocity prevailed 6-5 to make their second consecutive final.
“I think we're better than we were last year,” Murphy told The Blazing Musket. “I think if we're really, really honest–and I told ownership this the other day–we probably went as far as we could last year.
“If we had gotten to the final, who knows what would have happened, but I think we weren't deep enough to see off the game in overtime. We just weren't. And so, how do we make the squad better across the board? How do we make ourselves deeper?
“That's what we've really tried to do, just strengthen the depth of the entire squad across the board.”
Hearts finished seventh in 2025, two points behind FC Naples, who hosted a first-round playoff game, and 12 points behind Player’s Shield winners One Knox.
Murphy thinks they were about 12 goals away from finishing in the top four, whether scored or conceded. It’s something they looked to address in the offseason.
The goalkeeper corps will stay the same, but the backline has been reinforced with Brecc Evans, Serigne Mbacke Faye, Zion Scarlett, Adam Armour, Ernest Mensah Jr., and Esteban Espinosa. Kemali Green, Mo Mohamed, and Jaden Jones-Riley are the three returners.
Second-year professional Titus Washington is expected to be a key attacking threat, along with Kamara, Ollie Wright, and Masashi Wada.
Newcomers Emiliano Terzaghi, a three-time USL League One Golden Boot winner, and Langos Kunga, who led the league in successful dribbles in 2024, are also ready to torment opposing defenders.
The team looked to upgrade every position, even at the center of the park. Mikey Lopez and Michel Poon-Angerson are the incumbents, joined by Matteo Kid, who played for Murphy at St. Louis 2, and Diogo Barbosa, who spent time in Cyprus, Australia, Bulgaria, and Malta.
“Between Mikey, Michel, Diogo, and Matteo, any one of them could start for any USL One club, and I've got four of them,” Murphy said.
Murphy also expressed faith in his options at centerback and in the attack.
He noted that Walter Varela, who had five goal contributions during the regular season, was arguably “our best player” during the first half of 2025. Now he has heavy competition.
“We've got to have the depth to go the distance, you know?” Murphy said. “I think last year, we papered over some cracks and got away with some things, but we really want to just make sure that whatever comes our way, we feel strong and prepared and ready to go.”
It’s early days, but Murphy sees a team that is hungry and excited. He also sees a group ready to confront the inevitable adversity, which has already begun to surface during the preseason.
After some time in Maine, Hearts traveled to Bermuda, where they encountered severe weather that sandwiched three good days of training.
The second storm featured gusts of wind that reached 60 miles per hour. Not only did this prevent them from playing their second preseason game, but it also caused the hotel to lose power.
The team returned to the northeast before traveling to South Carolina. Here, they faced a rash of minor injuries, which forced them to play Charlotte Independence with 13 players, only four of whom were signed.
The club also experienced issues obtaining visas, and some had to be refiled due to complications with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Hearts persevered, using the time to get new players up to speed with the club’s tactics and daily habits. A new tradition was also established: the players enjoyed their 3:30 pm tea time in Bermuda so much that they purchased tea and snacks in South Carolina.
“It's a constant reminder that life throws things at you, and you just have to smile and get on with it,” Murphy said.
Hearts are back in Maine, preparing for a busy opening week that includes away trips to the New York Cosmos, Vermont Green FC, and AV Alta.
Murphy said that trainings have been competitive. On Thursday, he reported that the players are getting healthier and that Faye and Terzaghi would arrive soon. He plans to evaluate the last two before deciding their roles for the opening weekend.
Murphy feels like Hearts are "in a good place” ahead of their sophomore campaign. But he knows the real test begins on Saturday when Hearts travel to face the Cosmos.
“I feel like we're better than we were last year, and we'll see if that's going to be good enough,” Murphy said. “Time will tell.”
