On a drizzly Saturday afternoon at Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland Hearts of Pine looked to get back to their 2025 form in a showdown with FC Naples. The Hearts came into the matchup scoreless in their last four matches in all competitions and only managed to gain two points from a possible nine in the previous three USL League 1 games. The visitors looked to continue their strong start to the 2026 campaign and came into Maine second in the league table behind defending champions One Knoxville SC.
The Hearts started the match strongly, finding success in the offensive third through star man Ollie Wright and the dynamic Jay Tee Kamara, who was back in the squad following international duty with Sierra Leone. The home supporters thought that Hearts had a well-earned breakthrough in the eighth minute, when debutant Josh Drack put the ball in the back of the net with a neatly placed volley following a Kamara corner kick. However, Titus Washington was deemed to be obstructing Naples goalkeeper Lalo Delgado's line of sight while in an offsides position, and the goal was disallowed.
The hosts continued to pile on the pressure as the first half went on, and finally took advantage in the 36th minute. Drack pounced on a misplaced pass and played a first-time through ball to Wright, who split the Naples center backs and coolly lifted the ball over Delgado, giving Portland a 1-0 lead going into the break.
Wright's goal was a welcome sight, given that he had struggled to find goal contributions to start the year and was such an important factor in the Hearts' success last season. Drack's assist was a standout moment in a solid debut, as the former first-round MLS SuperDraft pick jelled quickly with the squad.
The second half brought more pressure from Naples, as the visitors needed to gain a foothold in the match. They had 62% possession in the half but were unable to generate any real scoring chances until the 70th minute, when Mo Mohamed tried to see a ball out on the endline. Naples substitute Kevin O'Connor won the ball off the Hearts outside back. The ball fell to Taylor Gray, but Hearts midfielder Michel Poon-Angeron put in a crucial last-ditch tackle to deny the potential equalizer and keep the scoreline in Portland's favor.
Just when it seemed like the Hearts had done enough to earn all three points, Naples found an equalizer through an unlikely source. In the 87th minute, O'Connor put in a dangerous, looping cross to the back post, and fullback Max Glasser slid the ball past Hunter Morse with a first-time effort for an equalizer that felt like it was against the run of play. This was Glasser's first professional goal, and the Fitzpatrick crowd fell into an uneasy silence.
The Hearts would manage one last chance, as a Konstantinos Georgallides free kick found its way to Brecc Evans, the former Naples star, at the back post. Evans managed a solid effort on goal, but Delgado came up clutch to deny the 2025 Second Team All-League defender.
In the first full match following Masashi Wada's injury last time out, Hearts won't be blamed for feeling hard done by after turning in a solid performance at home and not coming away with all three points. It is clear, however, that there is still work to be done to discover their form from last season.
The Boys of Maine travel to New York to take on Westchester SC in their first Prinx Tires USL Cup game next weekend before playing host to the Cosmos on May 2.
