Portland Hearts of Pine Soccer Club
Building Community Through the World’s Game
In the United States, soccer may trail American football, basketball and baseball in visibility, but worldwide, it remains the most played and watched sport on the planet. In Maine, that global game has found a distinctly local expression through the Portland Hearts of Pine, a soccer club built on the belief that soccer can connect people across cultures, backgrounds and lived experiences.
That idea comes directly from team founder and Chief Community Officer Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, whose mission blends sport with service. “Soccer, social good and an unrelenting desire to make a difference,” he says, “are sort of who I am.” From the start, the goal wasn’t just to launch a competitive soccer team in Maine—it was to build a club rooted in community.
The Hearts (as they’re known to their fans and friends) are the state’s only professional soccer club (part of the USL League One), and they have joined the ranks of Maine’s sports teams in a way that feels both fresh and timeless. Just like the forests and coastline that shape life here, the club is carving out an identity built on strength, inclusivity and connection.
During their inaugural season in 2025, the Hearts of Pine sold out every home match at Fitzpatrick Stadium, earned recognition from AdAge as the “buzziest new team in U.S. soccer,” and quickly became one of Maine’s most talked-about sports organizations. This year should be no different. See the 2026 schedule to watch a game during their season, which runs March through October.
Lead With Your Heart: Maine Identity, Woven Throughout
The team’s motto, Lead With Your Heart, isn’t branding—it’s a guiding principle. Every element of the club reflects Maine’s landscape, culture and stories. The name Hearts of Pine nods to the state’s iconic pine trees and honors Portland’s beloved “Valentine’s Day Bandit,” Kevin Fahrman, who famously filled the city with paper hearts for decades.
That storytelling continues in the visually striking kits. The “Woods & Water Kit,” banded in deep green and ocean blue, and the heart-covered “Bandit Kit” both place Maine at the center of the design. Backed by the Maine Office of Tourism and Maine-based L.L.Bean, the uniforms turn local identity into something visible, wearable and unmistakably Maine.
Inclusion On and Off the Field
The Hearts’ roster reflects the diversity of Maine’s evolving communities. Players come from different countries, cultures and life paths, bringing international experience and local pride onto the pitch.
In a state known for close-knit towns and strong local identity, the Hearts of Pine have become a gathering point, one where longtime Mainers, recent arrivals, families and fans of all backgrounds stand shoulder to shoulder on match day. Fans cheer while enjoying oysters from Lady Shuckers, sourced from women-owned Maine sea farms, alongside rotating food trucks that spotlight local makers and chefs. International Friendlies (like the club’s cross-border match with Halifax) underscore the team’s commitment to connection beyond state lines.
The Hearts’ impact also extends beyond games. Programs like the Portland Soccer Project support social and emotional development for local youth, while the Community Ticketing Program ensures local students can attend matches, hear the roar of the crowd and feel part of something bigger.
Mainers have always valued resilience, hard work and looking out for one another. The Hearts of Pine channel those values through soccer: building belonging, one match at a time.