Hearts of Pine hosts Hartford Athletic in Lewiston

The Portland men's soccer team, known as Hearts of Pine, will play another match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. They recently won their first game decisively, beating CD Faialense 4-0 in Lewiston. This victory marked several milestones, including their first official game and first win. On April 2, the Hearts of Pine will face Hartford Athletic FC, a team from the USL Championship. The match is set to start at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available for $17 on the team's website. Head coach Bobby Murphy expressed pride in his team's performance and appreciated the strong support from fans. Hearts of Pine's young squad features many players under 25. One standout is Khalid Hersi, who made his professional debut at just 20 years old. Murphy emphasized the significance of playing in front of family and friends for Hersi. Another key player, Azaad Liadi, scored two goals in the last match. He is on loan from Lexington SC and has a history of impressive performances in his career. In other news, the USL announced plans to introduce a promotion-relegation system, which is common in soccer worldwide. This system will allow teams to move between leagues based on their performance but does not yet have a set start date. As for the Open Cup, amateur teams have had some success against professional squads this year, with several winning their first-round matches.