Hearts of Pine vs One Knoxville

Photography by: Gabriel Bayona Sapag

“The Way Soccer Should Be.” That’s the slogan that Portland Hearts of Pine have embraced since they launched this season, and we finally got to experience what they mean this past Sunday.

It was the club’s first-ever home game at the newly upgraded Fitzpatrick Stadium, a cozy local field sitting between pines, a highway, and a baseball stadium.

The occasion was everything we could’ve dreamed and more. It was the perfect Maine atmosphere. Fog, rain, and mud were the order of the day, but it didn’t matter. We might argue it made the supporters even more comfortable in their new home - more people were in wellies and waders than sweatshirts and shoes.

One thing was incredibly obvious – no one was here by chance. Matchgoers, young and old, sported multiple pieces of Hearts merch. The pride was tangible and intentional. No one was “brought by a friend”. The budding supporters’ group, the Dirigo Union, dictated the tempo from The Zoo, breaking out brass instruments, drums, and even an electric keyboard.

Even though it was only their first official league game in their new home, it felt like they’d been around forever. One of those rare occasions in soccer where everything seemed to click so naturally, that we fully understood what the fans meant by “The Way Soccer Should Be.”