Portland Hearts of Pine Supporters Are Bringing Maine To the Masses
Up The Hearts
Hello, and welcome to American Tifo, a weekly newsletter for, and about, North American soccer supporters. Thank you for being here. If you haven’t already, subscribe! If you’re a member of a supporters group, please consider sharing this with the rest of your SG and encouraging them to subscribe as well.
The moment was pure magic. On a foggy, March night in an American city layered with soccer symbolism, dreams that were years in the making came true. Portland Hearts of Pine, Maine’s first ever professional soccer team, won its first competitive match, a 4-0 victory culminating with a dazzling free kick, and delirious celebrations between players and fans.
“It’s going to live in the memories of everybody that was there for a long time,” said Charles Adams, one of the hosts of the From The Forest To The Tide podcast.
“This is what we’ve been working for. It was electric,” said Justine Satterthwaite, head of the membership committee for the Dirigo Union.
As one of the hottest up-and-coming clubs in American soccer, Portland Hearts of Pine garnered attention before a ball was even kicked, with its sharp kits and authentic branding. Now, with the spotlight still on the team, the club’s supporters group, Dirigo Union, is ready to show the world what it means to be a Mainer.
“The thing about Maine that’s really cool is everybody that’s here is proud to be a Mainer or connects with Maine,” said Adams.
Maine has no major professional sports teams, although it’s home to the Maine Celtics, Portland Sea Dogs and Maine Mariners, minor league affiliates of Boston’s pro basketball, baseball and hockey teams. But a strong soccer culture developed over the years.
“We’re hungry for something like this,” said Satterthwaite. “The soccer community is big. There’s a lot of local bars and a lot of soccer you can access down in Portland, so I think everyone was ready.”
For Dirigo Union co-founder Colin Durrant, last week was the culmination of a six year prologue that included a pandemic, a stuttering stadium deal and lots and lots of dreaming.
Durrant grew up in Massachusetts and tried to throw his support behind the New England Revolution, but it never stuck. After moving to Maine about six years ago, he heard rumblings about a pro soccer club coming to the state. Durrant reached out to the individual spearheading the efforts, Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, who connected him with Mario Moretto and John Morgan and the trio founded Dirigo Union. The name, which came from a member vote, channels Maine’s state motto, Dirigo, which is Latin for ‘I Lead.’
As the years went on, Durrant and his co-founders tried to keep members engaged. It wasn’t until 2023 that the USL announced that Portland had been awarded a USL One expansion team to start play in 2025.
“We tried to keep that momentum going. But frankly, it’s difficult to keep people excited for five years,” said Durrant.
But that long runway allowed Dirigo Union to take its time building an identity. As the picture of what the group could be started coming into focus, one thing remained steady, it needed to be distinctly Maine and welcoming to all.
“Maine right now is a great combination of people who grew up here and people like me who moved here,” said Durrant. “We’ve got a really robust diverse immigrant community, we’ve got a great creative community. So, recognizing that all those people have to be part of this, and have to be welcomed, that’s been our core. This is the club for Maine, this is a supporters group for Maine.”
This ethos, plus the long build up, allowed Dirigo Union to build the group and attract members at their own speed.
Satterthwaite, a Liverpool supporter who fell in love with the game thanks to the open arms of some passionate Reds fans in a run-in at a pub, was apprehensive at first. She was unsure if this supporters group in Maine could deliver the same type of inclusive and welcoming vibes she had found in her Liverpool fandom. One conversation with Dirigo Union co-chair Donald Thibodeau at an event proved they could.
“I went down to talk to Donald,” she said. “I had chatted with him online, and as soon as I walked in, he gave me a great big hug, and I was like, ‘Yeah, 100% I’m here for this, I am so here for this.’”
Satterthwaite is now Dirigo Union’s membership coordinator where she leads community initiatives and tries to give folks the same welcome she received.
“We want to be part of the community,” she said. “So we do a lot of football tournaments and community drives, because we want to be a part of the community in a more broader sense rather than just for sports.”
Adams, a former college soccer player who did a stint in Europe and spent his adolescent summers in Maine, was drawn back to the state as an adult. As rumors about a USL team coming to Maine started to swirl, Adams paid attention.
“It’s something that a lot of people, including myself, wish we could have done,” he said.
He went to the official brand reveal, met some of the people behind the club and the supporters group, and was immediately drawn in.
“I wanted to get involved in any way I could and learn more,” he said.
With a background in podcasting and broadcast communication, he suggested to Dirigo Union leadership that he launch a podcast, which the group immediately supported.
From The Forest, To The Tide launched in July of 2024 and has featured interviews with players, coaches and community members and has recorded at several official club events. The pod is growing, but what’s most powerful to Adams is the trust and support from Dirigo Union leadership to run with his vision for the pod.
“I got involved in this later than some of these guys, who have been following the club for years, who were deep in USL, and I was able to walk in and say, ‘Hey, I’d love to contribute in this way,” he said. “Making everyone feel so welcomed and always being open to whoever wants to come in and get involved in the party is probably what makes us so special.”
It hasn’t hurt that the club has nailed almost every aspect of their brand rollout, crafting a name, crest and kits that feel authentic to the state and its communities.
“They’ve done such a good job with marketing and branding and really connected with the communities,” said Adams. “Everything about it is so dialed in and comes from the communities. You can say what you want about any of the designs or the jersey, but you can’t say it’s not Maine.”
But a cool kit doesn’t guarantee Ws on the field, and no amount of planning, preparation or prayer can deliver a successful first match. An uninspiring 0-0 draw, a 5-0 drubbing, a heartbreaking 2-1 loss, all options are on the table.
But as the club’s first ever competitive match drew near, everything seemed to line up.
The match was held at Lewiston High School due to ongoing renovations at what will be the club’s home stadium, Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. But Lewiston is a city steeped in soccer culture in its own right. Lewiston’s High School’s boys’ soccer program has won 3 state championships, the first of which was documented in Amy Bass’ book, One Goal, which highlighted the contributions of the town’s Somali immigrant population in the team’s championship run. The school’s most recent championship in 2023 came on the heels of a devastating shooting in the town that killed 19, and the victory was credited with bringing a little light in a dark time.
“I think just the fact that the game was in Lewiston says a lot,” said Durrant.
Any reservations that this would be anything but a dream start soon dissipated. Hearts of Pine jumped out to an early lead and cruised to an easy 4-0 win. Nathan Messer’s free kick goal to seal the game in the 68th minute was particularly memorable.
“I was there with my daughter,” said Adams. “And we were the ones that got jumped on by Nathan Messer, we were right in the center of that. So, I will never forget that. You watch European players run over to the stands and celebrate with their fans, and it’s something you always want to experience, and just to have a taste of it is incredible.”
“It was just hours of my heart pounding, and screaming and jumping, and it was just an incredible feeling,” said Durrant. “I’ve waited for years and it just exceeded any expectations. It was just an incredible evening.”
Still basking in the glow of last week’s win, Hearts of Pine and its supporters enjoyed even more magic this week. After a scoreless draw on the road at fellow USL debutantes FC Naples, Hearts of Pine hosted Hartford Athletic in the second round of the Open Cup where they advanced 4-2 on penalties after a thrilling extra time period.
It’s still early days, but as Hearts of Pine and Dirigo Union continue to build their history week on week, they’ve got some pretty great foundational moments to back up an already thriving community.
“I think it’s so important that this keeps growing, because the momentum is so exciting, and I just want everyone to be a part of it,” said Satterthwaite. “But we flourish because of Portland and Maine, and what it’s been able to provide us, and I think that’s pretty awesome and pretty unique.”
As a Chattanooga Red Wolves supporter (and former Unum employee with lots of friends in the Portland area) I'm happy to see Hearts of Pine enter the league. Best of luck to the club and Dirigo Union!