Simple mistakes continue to plague Portland Hearts of Pine.
Hearts lost the first leg of the Snowbird Cup against Sarasota Paradise 2-1, conceding two avoidable goals.
The first occurred when Serigne Mbacke Faye stepped into the midfield to try to win the ball. Fellow centerback Esteban Espinosa also moved forward, allowing Jonathan Bolanos to start his run from his own half to easily get on the end of a long ball.
"The first goal, just communication between the two centerbacks," head coach Bobby Murphy said. "One of them has to step, one of them has to go. They both go. It's stuff we've been over."
A line change served Hearts well as Ollie Wright, Jay Tee Kamara, Tyler Huck, Aboubacar Camara, and others brought energy.
The equalizer came in the 68th minute when Diogo Barbosa won the ball, allowing a well-worked sequence of passes that ended with a far-post header from Wright.
Huck's effort was notable as he played a pass to Wright before getting beyond Kamara to offer the assist.
"I thought we got ourselves back in the game," Murphy said. "I thought we were going to win the game, and then you give up the goal, and it takes the wind out of everybody's sails."
Hearts' lead only lasted two minutes, as an innocuous Sarasota corner kick was recovered by Chandler O'Dwyer. O'Dwyer was fouled by Esteban despite being in the corner with his back toward the goal.
An unmarked O'Dwyer converted the ensuing free kick.
"I don't know why we're fouling someone when their back is facing [our net]," Murphy explained. "Then we back up on the set piece at the far post instead of going and winning a header. It's all stuff we've been over. At some point, either you get tired of doing it, or you're out of the job."
While Sunday was just a friendly, similar mistakes have cost Hearts valuable points in the past. Murphy called out games against Corpus Christi and Chattanooga. The second-year club currently sits eight points below the playoff line with 15 games to go.
"It's these constant schoolboy errors that people have to start taking responsibility for, and so it's my responsibility to do what I need to do," Murphy said.
The head coach specifically said, "If this roster gets shortened to 12 to 15, then that's what we go with."
Hearts have dealt with a lot this season, including a disjointed preseason and a host of injuries. There was hope that a three-game unbeaten run (2-0-1) – including two league wins – was a sign that the club had turned the corner.
But avoidable mishaps, including turnovers and fouls, have once again cost Hearts results recently.
"Through mistakes like tonight – tonight's symptomatic, and you go over them, and then we repeat them again – that we have put ourselves in a spot where we're outside the playoffs and we're chasing points," Murphy said.
"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for giving people opportunities to do these things, thinking that we're going to learn. We have a sign up in the locker room that says, 'Learning is a change in behavior.'"
Hearts play the second leg of the Snowbird Cup on Wednesday before returning to league play on Saturday when they travel to Greenville Triumph.
