PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s first professional soccer team named its first head coach Thursday. Bobby Murphy will take the helm of the Portland Hearts of Pine, who begin their inaugural season in the spring of 2025.
“As you get older and you move on in your career, you look for projects that are fulfilling,” Murphy said in an interview ahead of the announcement.
Murphy comes to Maine after coaching St. Louis CITY2, the reserve team of the Major League Soccer franchise St. Louis City SC. He also spent time with MLS team Orlando City SC and briefly coached the men’s soccer team at the University of Southern Maine.
In his new role, Murphy faces the challenge of both coaching a new team and making a new team to coach. No players or assistant coaches have been signed yet.
“The obvious challenges are filling out a staff and a roster,” Murphy said. “I’m about people first. I want good people around me; I want smart people around me. I want determined, hungry people around me, whether those are players or staff.”
Murphy plans to recruit his team from current professional players in the U.S. and abroad, as well as from Maine. An open tryout is scheduled for December.
Murphy also sees his duties as going beyond strictly soccer, with the Hearts of Pine seeking to establish a strong cultural following in Portland and across the state.
“Our goal is to become part of the fabric of the community of Portland,” Murphy said. “This place has a buzz to it, you know? It has a vibe to it, and I think it's really exciting that we can hopefully tap into that.”
Giving his first press conference as head coach at Allagash Brewing on Thursday, Murphy said he was “in the people business,” and said he hopes to have a core roster by the end of the year that could be added to.
Fans gathered for the occasion shared their first impression of the Hearts of Pine’s new coach.
“I’m elated. I really think it’s a good fit,” Mitchell Ketchen, the leader of the supporters’ group Dirigo Union, said.
The Hearts of Pine will begin their season next March. They will play home games at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.