Morning Sports Update
The first ever meeting of the two local soccer teams ended with an upset win for Vermont playing in front of home fans.
Vermont Green FC forward David Ismail scores the decisive goal against Portland Hearts of Pine in the U.S. Open Cup matchup on Tuesday. Josh Wallace/Vermont Green FC
March 18, 2026 | 10:44 AM
3 minutes to read
Vermont wins the first round of a local soccer rivalry with Maine: While Burlington, Vermont in March might not seem like the ideal setting for a high-stakes soccer game — the temperature at kickoff was 19 degrees — it played host to a first-of-its-kind rivalry on Tuesday night.
Vermont Green FC, based in USL League Two, faced off against Portland Hearts of Pine (from USL League One) in a U.S. Open Cup matchup. It was an unprecedented New England clash between clubs two clubs that were both founded in the last five years.
Vermont, playing at home in front of a sold out Virtue Field crowd, entered the match having won the league in 2025. Portland, which began play as a club a year ago, made it to the USL League Two semifinals in its inaugural season.
Both teams have already established strong fan cultures, and the northern New England tie-ins signal the makings of a potential local rivalry.
This concept was further helped by the fact that Vermont, despite playing in a lower tier of the U.S. soccer pyramid, pulled off the upset against Portland. Vermont forward David Ismail (who also played for the University of Vermont) swept home the game’s only goal on a rebound in the 40th minute.
And thanks to a well-organized defensive structure, the home team held on for a 1-0 win against their Maine counterparts.
USL League Two champions Vermont Green break the deadlock against Portland Hearts of Pine in the #USOC 🟢💫 pic.twitter.com/dNqTCvhCgG
— Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) March 17, 2026
“That’s a really good team that we made look a little bit ordinary to be honest,” Vermont head coach Chris Taylor said, per Alex Abrami of The Burlington Free Press. “That’s a credit to the players, not to disrespect Hearts.”
Taylor explained that he combined a counterattack-based system with his roster (which by the nature of a USL League Two team is composed mostly of college players).
“We definitely frustrated them. We were allowed to sit back in this game,” Taylor added, “which played into our hands. We felt that if we put 10 of the best college soccer players in the country behind the ball, it’s going to be hard to break them down.”
Vermont will play its next opponents (still to be determined) in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup on either March 31 or April 1.
Trivia: What three countries in South America have won the World Cup?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: One is the defending champion, one has won the World Cup five times, and the third hasn’t won it since 1950.
Scores and schedules:
The Bruins lost to the Canadiens 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday. Boston will play the Jets at TD Garden on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Also on Tuesday, the Fleet lost to the Sceptres 2-0 at Agganis Arena.
Tonight, the Celtics host the Warriors at 7 p.m.
And on the international stage, the World Baseball Classic concluded on Tuesday night with Venezuela upsetting the favored U.S. 3-2 in the final. It’s Venezuela’s first WBC title.
More from Boston.com:
Highlights from the World Baseball Classic: Venezuela stayed the course and pulled off a memorable upset of Team USA.
On this day: In 1995, Michael Jordan announced he was returning to basketball after his brief foray into baseball, doing so with the iconically simple two-word press release: “I’m back.”
“I’m back.”
25 years ago today, Michael Jordan used two words to announce he was returning to the NBA 👏 pic.twitter.com/uNDxEWYXhj
— ESPN (@espn) March 18, 2020
Daily highlight: Ceddanne Rafaela made a diving catch for the Red Sox in a spring training game on Tuesday.
Ceddanne Rafaela lays out and tumbles to make a nice grab! pic.twitter.com/y3YmHZQ0cW
— MLB (@MLB) March 17, 2026
Trivia answer: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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