Portland Hearts of Pine

Ollie Wright scored 12 goals in the club's first season and made the All-League Second Team, part of a squad that included Masashi Wada and Nathan Messer on the First Team — a startling return for an outfit that had never played a competitive match before 2025. Portland Hearts of Pine went straight from paperwork to the USL League One semi-finals, and the league noticed the business side too, handing the club three awards in 2025 for marketing, consumer products and community relations.

The idea began with Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, a former Dartmouth College player from Maine, who put together an ownership group with local developers Jonathan and Katie Cushing and NESN broadcaster Tom Caron. Maine had never had a professional football club before this one. It took until April 2024 to settle on a name, and the club reached back into the state's own nickname — the Pine Tree State — for it.

Records followed quickly. Before a ball was kicked in anger, 96% of season ticket deposits had already sold, a mark USL had not seen before. Then, on 21 October 2025, a home game against Spokane Velocity drew 6,440 supporters, a USL League One attendance record.

They play at James J. Fitzpatrick Stadium, known locally as Portland Stadium, which holds 6,000 for its general layout but is set up for 5,500 when Hearts of Pine are at home — a capacity the club has already tested.