Maine USL W League team

USLW Maine
Full namePortland Hearts of Pine SC
FoundedJune 4, 2026 (2026-06-04)
GroundFitzpatrick Stadium
Capacity6,000
Owner(s)Gabe Hoffman-Johnson (majority); Jonathan and Catherine Culley; Tom Caron
LeagueUSL W League
2027Inaugural season
Websitewww.uslwmaine.com

USLW Maine is the temporary name of a USL W League soccer franchise based in Portland, Maine, scheduled to join the league for the 2027 season. The team will play at Portland's Fitzpatrick Stadium, and will be owned and operated by the Portland Hearts of Pine, a USL League One franchise. The team will compete in the W League's Northeast Division.

History

In October 2025, the ownership of Portland Hearts of Pine, Maine's USL League One franchise, expressed interest in launching a women's team to compete in the USL W League, entering the league in the 2027 season at the earliest.[1] On February 4, 2026, the Hearts of Pine announced "USLW To Portland" and a series of town halls to engage the Portland community around a potential USL W League team.[2][3] One of the events, a virtual town hall, featured United States women's national soccer team player Sam Coffey, and retired players Michelle Akers and Sara Whalen Hess.[4]

On June 4, 2026, the club and USL announced that the W League would be expanding to Maine for the 2027 season.[5] The team will play at Fitzpatrick Stadium, sharing the ground with the Hearts of Pine and Portland High School athletics, pending Portland City Council approval.[6] Season ticket deposits went on sale on June 11, and all 4,300 were sold out within 30 minutes.[7]

Stadium

The Maine USL W League team will share Fitzpatrick Stadium with the Hearts of Pine and Portland High School's athletic teams, but will move into the Cassidy Point stadium when its finished.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Craig, Steve (2025-10-09). "Hearts of Pine exploring adding a women's team". The Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  2. ↑ "Hearts of Pine moves to launch a women's pro team, seeks community input". WGME. 2026-02-05. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  3. ↑ @hearts_sc (February 4, 2026). "👋 @uslwtoportland The women's game grows in Maine. A part of the dream from day one. We said a soccer club for all of Maine, and we meant it. This March, we're starting the conversation: three town halls to help shape what a @USLWLeague team should be for Portland, and for Maine. The mission. The culture. The way we play. The partnerships we build and the community we champion. Help us take the next steps and build this team together. The way women's soccer should be. RSVP to attend one of the three town halls at the link in our bio. Happy Girls & Women in Sports day ♥️ #ngwsd 🎨: Alexa LaPlante" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  4. ↑ "U.S. women's soccer stars to be part of virtual town hall". The Portland Press Herald. 2026-03-19. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  5. ↑ "Hearts of Pine Granted USL W League Franchise, Bringing a Women's Soccer Team to Maine in 2027". USL W League. 2026-06-04. Retrieved 2026-06-04.
  6. ↑ Healy, Emma (2026-06-04). "Portland Hearts of Pine to add a women's soccer team". Boston.com. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
  7. ↑ "Portland women's soccer team sells out 5,000 season ticket deposits". The Portland Press Herald. 2026-06-11. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  8. ↑ Flisiuk, Francis (2026-08-04). "Portland Hearts of Pine propose $50 million waterfront soccer stadium". WMTW. Retrieved 2026-08-14.
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