Sports News
The team will play at Fitzpatrick Stadium, where the Hearts of Pine play their home matches.
Fans of the Portland Hearts of Pine soccer team cheer during a game in Portland, Maine, last month. Ben Pennington
June 4, 2026 | 11:39 AM
3 minutes to read
The Portland Hearts of Pine, Maine’s USL men’s soccer club, will soon add a women’s team.
The Hearts of Pine announced Thursday the club has secured the rights to a USL W League team that will kick off its inaugural season in May 2027. The men’s side has developed a cult following since its first season in 2025.
“Having a women’s team has been part of the plan since Day One,” Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, Hearts of Pine’s founder and chief community officer, said in a release. “This is about creating new ways for Mainers to connect with the sport, new pathways for players to develop, and more opportunities for women and girls across the state to see themselves represented on the pitch.”
The USL W League is a pre-professional league designed to bridge the gap between youth, college, and professional soccer, giving high-level collegiate players meaningful summer competition while maintaining their NCAA eligibility. The USL W League season runs from May through July, and the club expects the women’s team to play approximately six home games next season.
The Portland team, for which a name and branding have not been announced, will join the Northeast Division alongside fellow New England-area clubs AC Connecticut, Hartford Athletic, Hudson Valley Crusaders, Vermont Green FC, and New England Mutiny.
The club held a series of town halls in March of this year to gauge interest and gather community input about bringing a USL W League team to Portland.
Feedback from the meetings indicated that supporters favor a strong connection to the Hearts of Pine identity, while also giving the women’s team “a distinct voice, culture, and sense of purpose.”
The team will play at Fitzpatrick Stadium, where the Hearts of Pine play their home matches, pending Portland City Council approval of an amendment to the club’s lease agreement.
“Hearts of Pine has shown what’s possible when a club is built with a deep commitment to its community, and we’re confident it will bring that same purpose and intention to the launch of its women’s team,” said Joel Nash, the senior vice president of USL Youth and Pre-Professional.
The Hearts of Pine compete in USL League One, a professional league in the third tier of American soccer organized by the United Soccer League. The league draws about 3,000 fans per game, but sellouts are the norm in Portland. Nearly 6,000 fans pack the stands each week, and the 4,000-plus season tickets for the inaugural season sold out.
The match-day experience for the women’s side will reflect the festival-style environment that the Hearts have made their signature, featuring local partners and vendors and a welcoming supporter base. Season ticket deposits for the team’s inaugural season will go on sale June 11 at 12 p.m. at tickets.uslwmaine.com.
Interest in women’s sports has surged across the country in recent years, and Maine is no exception, despite not being home to any women’s professional teams. In March, The Sports Bra, a popular sports bar dedicated to showing women’s sports, announced it will open a location in Portland to be called The Sports Bra Maine (to avoid confusion with the original location in Portland, Ore.).
“The launch of a USL W League team builds on the incredible momentum around soccer in our state and creates a new platform for women and girls to lead and compete,” Maine’s governor, Janet Mills, said in the release. “Hearts of Pine has brought Maine people together in a powerful way, and I am excited to see that same energy help grow the women’s game here in Maine.”
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