There are bound to be lulls in performance in a season that runs from March to late October especially for an expansion franchise. The Portland Hearts of Pine are in such a lull, with three straight losses entering the final stretch of the USL League One regular season. Portland plays three games in eight days, all at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, to end the season. “It’s a great opportunity for us to get momentum again,” said captain Mikey Lopez. “And just to be able to play in front of our fans is always great.” The Hearts (10-7-10) host last-place Westchester SC (5-15-8) at 5 p. m. Saturday. Portland needs a tie to clinch a spot in the eight-team playoffs. Westchester, also an expansion team, is eliminated from postseason contention. “Hopefully we’ll clinch on Saturday night and everyone can celebrate this weekend and then we can get ready for the playoffs,” said Portland coach Bobby Murphy. Fitzpatrick Stadium will be even more transformed than is usual for Hearts games, because of what the club has dubbed “Fitzy Fair.” In addition to the regular array of food, beverage and merchandise vendors, signage and song, there will be a petting zoo, a mechanical bull and a dunk tank. Club founder Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, part-owner and NESN host Tom Caron, and injured player Jaden Jones-Reilly are scheduled to be dunkees. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, with gates opening at 3: 30 p. m. Portland hosts third-place Spokane Velocity (13-6-8) on Tuesday and concludes its regular season against AV Alta FC (7-10-11) on Oct. 25. Injuries have slowed Portland’s run to the playoffs. Portland typically travels with 18 players but had only 17 healthy bodies for a 3-1 loss at first-place One Knoxville on Oct. 10. Lewiston’s Khalid Hersi made his first league appearance as an extra-time substitute. Portland will get two offensive threats back on Saturday. Forward Jay Tee Kamara has served his one-game red-card suspension. Attacking midfielder Natty James is back from a stint with the Trinidad and Tobago national team for two World Cup qualifiers. Striker Titus Washington (seven goals, four assists) missed the Knoxville game and appeared limited in Wednesday’s training session. “We’re hoping he’ll be ready for Saturday,” Murphy said. The defense is thin. Center back Kemali Green, dinged up in the Oct. 4 home loss to Forward Madison, made the trip to Tennessee but did not play. The four healthy backs are season-long stalwarts Nathan Messer at left back and Sean Vinberg at center back, along with Shandon Wright and Mo Mohamed. Lopez, a defensive midfielder, has frequently filled in on defense. Portland’s offense has also been stagnant, with three goals in its last four matches. Prior to that, the Hearts scored 18 goals in a 6-0-1 surge as they climbed from 10th to fifth in the standings after beating Texoma, 1-0, on Sept. 27. “I think our problem the past few weeks was maybe we were looking at other goals when we hadn’t even ticked off the first goal,” of clinching a playoff spot, said Ollie Wright, the team’s leading scorer with nine goals and eight assists. The top four teams in the regular-season standings host quarterfinal games Nov. 1-2. Portland, currently sixth with 40 points, can finish ahead of fifth-place Union Omaha (12-10-6, 42 points) and fourth-place FC Naples (12-8-8, 44 points). The best path to a home playoff game is to win their remaining games and hope Naples has a tie or loss in one of its two games. Murphy’s primary concern once a playoff spot is secured is to do get his team as healthy as possible. “If we can get into the playoffs, we can all take a deep breath and then focus on what it will take to get people ready for two weeks from now,” Murphy said. “We’ll push for that home spot, but if it doesn’t work out, we just want to make sure we’re healthy, because we don’t really fear anybody on the road.”.
https://www.centralmaine.com/2025/10/16/hearts-of-pine-looking-to-finish-strong/
Hearts of Pine looking to finish strong
