The drum thumps. The chant starts: “Hearts.” Hundreds clap in unison. Over and over, faster and faster. Thump. “Hearts.” Clap. It’s the heartbeat of a fandom that has embraced this inaugural Portland Hearts of Pine season.
On Sunday night, the Hearts played their USL League One semifinal in Spokane, Washington. Watch parties were held all over Portland, the biggest gathering taking place at the State Theater. Thump. “Hearts.” Clap.
Thirty years ago, just days after I graduated from the University of Maine, I attended a Faith No More concert at the State Theater. It was loud, face-melting American rock n’ roll. Legend has it that the very next night, Mel Torme had to stop his show when plaster fell from the ceiling, shutting down the Velvet Fog.
Since then, I’ve returned to the State numerous times. That Faith No More concert remained the loudest benchmark—until Sunday night, when Dirigo Union, the Hearts of Pine fan club, and other fans took over the venue.
“Just the fact that they involved the fans from the beginning — the fans fell in love with them,” said Naneen Chace-Ortiz, who attended the watch party at the State Theater with her husband, Mike. “We loved them before it was a team, when it was an idea.”
Zoram Blancas-Ruiz plays trumpet in the Valentine Band, the musical arm of Dirigo Union. Before joining the band, he hadn’t played trumpet in 25 years. It took him a few games to get his wind back and for his lips not to ache after playing throughout an entire game. But it was totally worth it.
“It’s a party every time they play,” Blancas-Ruiz said.
None of this should be a surprise to anybody. This team came built with an enthusiastic fan base. The Hearts of Pine led USL League One in attendance this season, averaging more than 5,700 fans per home game. Last month, they set the league’s single-game attendance record when 6,440 fans packed Fitzpatrick Stadium for a thrilling 6-1 win over Spokane.
On the secondary ticket market, seats for a Hearts game sold for more than seven times their face value.
At the State Theater, Mike and Naneen hung a custom flag they had made using the barrier that kept fans off the stage. The movie screen projected the game behind it. The flag bears the team’s logo in the center. “Westbrook Hearts” is written in the upper left corner, with “On Tour” in the upper right — a nod to their plan to bring the flag overseas to games. In the lower left corner are Naneen and Mike’s names, and in the lower right, the acronym “UTFH!” (we’ll let you figure out what that stands for).
Fifteen minutes before kickoff, a highlight video played and the band performed. The crowd sang “Ballad of the 20th Maine,” the Ghost of Paul Revere song that has become a staple at Hearts games: “Stand fast! Ye are the boys of Maine.”
The only time the room went quiet was in the 44th minute when Spokane scored to take a 1-0 lead. The silence was abrupt and jarring, but it didn’t last long.
Across town at the Portland Zoo — a Bayside bar that has been a Hearts fan favorite all season — fans crammed inside both the main bar and the shed to stay dry from the rain and watch the game.
When Portland tied it 1-1 on Ollie Wright’s goal in the 52nd minute, there was a brief delay. Did he score? He did. Then, euphoria.
This is season one, and already the Hearts of Pine have given their fans plenty to cheer. The passion and pride were on full display at the State Theater, at the Portland Zoo, and in bars and homes throughout the state.
Thump. “Hearts.” Clap.
Stand fast! Ye are the boys of Maine.
https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/11/09/fans-show-their-love-for-hearts-of-pine-at-watch-parties/
