Anticipation high for Hearts of Pine opener

Mar. 20—LEWISTON — Catherine Culley gave an acquaintance a big hug and said, "Can you believe it? You didn't believe it."

Culley is part owner of the Portland Hearts of Pine men's soccer team and was one of the earliest bundled-up arrivals at Lewiston High for the Hearts' historic first official game. In about 70 minutes the Hearts were going to take the Don Roux Field, in front of what was expected to be a crowd of about 3,000 fans, and Culley said the reality was setting in.

"I woke up at 4 a.m., and I was jacked. The first thing I did was tweet, 'Game day,'" Culley said. "This has been six years in the making. Six years of ups and downs. It's emotional for me."

The Hearts of Pine's first opponent was CD Faialense, a men's amateur team from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The teams were about to play in the 110th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup first round. The Open Cup is designed to give amateur and lower-level professional teams the chance to test themselves and potentially upset a higher-level team.

Anticipation for the game took many forms. For the Hearts' players, it was a chance to show that they have already bonded into a cohesive professional club after a preseason that started in mid-February in preparation for their inaugural season in USL League One.

For the players on CD Faialense, a collection of players who played at mostly Division I New England college programs, it was a chance to show they could compete. And maybe they, too, had the goods to be a professional soccer player.

"I'm 28. All I need is one big break," said Kyle Ryan, who grew up in Westford, Massachusetts, and played at George Mason University and UMass Lowell, finishing his collegiate career in 2019.

While Ryan said he was "half-joking" about his own chances, Felipe Guimaraes, one of Faialense's older players at 31, said some of his teammates have every right to harbor that dream.

Guimaraes also said his team was capable of winning "of our chemistry. The base core of the team has played together for three, going on four years."

Fans had also been waiting for this day. Peter Hofmann, 42, from Scarborough and originally from Germany, proudly claimed he was the first person to buy official Hearts of Pine merchandise when it went on sale at a fan fest reveal.

"They said it didn't go on sale for two hours. I said I'd wait," Hofmann said. So it was no surprise he and his family, including children Rileigh Moore, 23; Madison Moore, 21; and Benjamin Hofmann, were going to get to the game early and — of course — buy a couple of warm hooded sweatshirts and a quarter-zip pullover, to go with the scarves and assorted other swag they brought with them.

"We're here to support the Hearts of Pine. We're a big soccer family," Madison Moore said.

Rileigh Moore added, "I'm very excited. It's kind of fun to be part of something that's building up right from the bottom."

On the side of the field opposite the team benches, a strong contingent of the club's supporters' group called Dirigo Union was on hand, with a variety of flags emphasizing the Hearts, Dirigo Union, and inclusiveness.

Mitchell Ketchen, 30, of Winthrop is a co-chair of Dirigo Union.

"Five years of anticipation," Ketchen said, recalling how he and other key members of the group began by doing a podcast and then were welcomed into the discussions of what the club should represent by founder Gabe Hoffman-Johnson.

"He brought us in and asked if we supported the cause and five years later here we are," Ketchen said, a smile spreading across his broad face.

In recent weeks players have dropped by Dirigo Union gatherings at Bunker Brewing in Portland — "just coming by on their own to hang out with us, have a drink," Ketchen said. It's a two-way relationship of fans supporting the players and players showing their appreciation of the fans.

So with a bit extra insight into who would be playing for the Hearts, what did Ketchen expect to see on the pitch?

A style of play that Mainers will embrace because it reflects the core values of the state's people, he said.

"Mainers are hardened. We're gritty. Since Bobby's (Hearts of Pine coach and sporting director Bobby Miller) come on his mindset that style which is unique to USL League One," Ketchen said. "I expect Bobby's team to come out and show what they're all about."

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