A tie in sports is often an unsatisfying result. Worse than a win, better than a loss — a tie can often leave fans stuck in limbo somewhere between celebration and disappointment.
But for the new Portland Hearts of Pine team and its fans, Sunday night’s 1-1 draw against Knoxville SC was anything but a normal tie.
It was Portland’s first home match at Fitzpatrick Stadium in franchise history, and the sold-out crowd of more than 5,700 was just happy to be there to enjoy professional soccer in Maine. The final score almost didn’t matter; the Hearts of Pine faithful were ecstatic to be there regardless of the result — and regardless of the weather on a rainy Sunday evening.
“It’s just fun to be here,” said season ticket holder Ian Purvis of Saco, who called it “incredible” to have the team in Portland after being a soccer fan his entire life. That enthusiasm stays the same whether the team wins, loses or draws, he said.
“It doesn’t matter the weather,” Purvis said. “We’re just excited to get the season going.”
‘Psyched’ to have pro soccer in Maine
Lydia Wagner lives in Portland and was previously a Major League Soccer season ticket holder in New York. She has two young sons who are “psyched” for the team’s arrival.
“And we’ve been dying for soccer to come here,” Wagner said. “So we are super excited to see what it does to bring the community together.”
Wagner, like many other Hearts of Pine spectators Sunday, didn’t seem phased by the dreary weather.
“I mean, we live in Maine. We figure it out, right?” she said.
It may take the Hearts of Pine some time to figure things out as an expansion team in the United Soccer League’s League One division, with the squad starting the season at 0-1-3 and toward the bottom of the table after a hectic road schedule out of the gate.
“I don’t have high expectations that they’re going to win a ton this season,” Wagner said. “I think they get at least one or two seasons to kind of ease their way in.”
Fans give players a lift on the pitch
The beginning of Sunday’s match was anything but easy for the upstart group from Portland. Just two minutes into the much-anticipated game against Knoxville SC, the opponents looked like they might spoil the party with an early goal by Stuart Ritchie.
That goal momentarily stunned a packed Fitzpatrick stadium, but could not silence the crowd. Hearts of Pine coach Bobby Murphy explained afterward how the support from home fans helped his team respond in that moment.
“It’s huge having that lift and knowing that they’ve got your back,” Murphy said. “Listen, when the first goal went in, they’re the first ones to get up and kind of get [the team] going again.”
Murphy’s team battled back and arguably controlled most of the first half after that jarring start, earning an equalizer from midfielder Masashi Wada just before halftime. The head coach was proud of his team’s effort and appreciative of the unshakable engagement from the stands.
“It’s not lost on them how special this place is, and what we’re building here,” Murphy added, saying that both he and his players are “humbled and grateful” for the love and support they are receiving.
“Not only just game day, but just around town and our everyday lives,” Murphy said.
A soccer culture waiting for a team
Eben Perkins grew up playing soccer at Fitzpatrick Stadium and was a standout player for Westbrook High School. He’s thrilled to now be watching professional soccer on the same field where he used to play. And his wife, Lucy Perkins, might be even more excited about the Hearts of Pine.
She credited the club for continuing to build excitement and enthusiasm around the team.
“It’s easy to catch on,” Lucy Perkins said.
While Hearts of Pine continues to try to build success on the pitch, there is already a loyal fanbase that has been hungry for a soccer team.
“We’ve had a soccer culture here. We just haven’t had a team to put it in yet,” Eben Perkins said.
And that culture extends well beyond the Portland area.
Crystal Shamas-Douglas and Jim Douglas traveled down from the Waterville area for the home opener, and the weather couldn’t dampen their enthusiasm. He was a longtime youth soccer coach, and she provided the snacks and was team manager. Now their son has Hearts of Pine tickets. So they traveled down to Portland for a weekend of family and football.
Both their son and daughter played soccer in high school, and they expect the Hearts of Pine to help inspire the next generation of Maine soccer players.
“I think it’s going to bring it to the next level,” Douglas said Sunday. “To be able to have the young folks — the kids in the rec leagues and the travel leagues — to be able to come here and see soccer at this higher level, may give them more interest to aspire to that next level.”
Shamas-Douglas sees the Hearts of Pine giving Maine a unifying team for people across the state to root for, and highlighted the accessibility that soccer provides to young players.
“It’s just a great game. It’s really a democratic thing,” she said. “The kids don’t need to buy ice time. You don’t need a lot of equipment. I think it’s awesome, both for the guys and the girls.”
Special to see it come together
Tom Caron is used to covering historic sporting events as an announcer and host for NESN. But he was enjoying the Hearts of Pine home opener in a different role Sunday as a co-owner of the team.
The Lewiston native was “ecstatic” about the atmosphere as the team headed into halftime tied 1-1. He said he met team founder Gabe Hoffman-Johnson six years ago and that the outpouring of support matched the initial vision that Hoffman-Johnson outlined for the club.
“People from all different communities, all of Maine coming together around a soccer game — and this is what we have tonight,” Caron said, adding that a better first half couldn’t have been scripted. “Maybe a little drier, but other than that, it’s perfect.”
Caron had no trouble putting his day job aside Sunday evening, though he compared watching the game as a team owner to being a sports parent watching his son play college soccer.
“It’s funny. It isn’t that hard,” Caron said about leaning into the owner role Sunday night. “My son played college soccer and it feels more like that. I’m a nervous parent.”
But Caron seemed to have those nerves pretty well contained at halftime as he reflected on the electric atmosphere.
“The buy-in, the excitement, the belief that this could be something special has kind of been there from day one,” he said about the fans. “So to give them something that they’re proud of is what it’s all about.”
It clearly meant a lot to the Maine Sports Hall of Fame member.
“I played here as a kid,” he said while surveying a packed Fitzpatrick Stadium. “I mean, this is pretty special to see this come together.”
