What does it take to win a professional soccer knockout playoff game?

The Portland Hearts of Pine, Maine’s first-year team in USL League One, are about to find out. The seventh-seeded Hearts (11-7-12) will be at the second-seeded Chattanooga Red Wolves (15-5-10) on Saturday for a quarterfinal that starts at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

The winner advances to next weekend’s semifinals against the No. 3 Spokane Velocity or the No. 6 South Georgia Tormenta. It’s a U.S. soccer scenario that several of Portland’s key players have not experienced as active participants.

That list includes standout left back Nathan Messer, who leads USL1 with 221 crossing passes, rookie center back Kemali Green and rookie striker Titus Washington, and Trinidad and Tobago national team midfielders Michel Poon-Angeron and Natty James.

They can, however, get advice from veteran teammates who have been through the postseason process.

“The dark arts become more darker,” said midfielder/defender Mikey Lopez, the Hearts captain who is in his 13th pro season (five in MLS, seven in USL Championship). “I mean, it’s just being game savvy, being able to manage the game whether you’re winning or losing.”

Forward Azaad Liadi, a pro since 2020 with experience in USL Championship, USL1 and MLS NextPro, said playoff games usually come down to work rate, especially off the ball.

“Everyone’s desperate to move on. So everyone is going to give everything they can and give every last push, because if you lose, your season’s over,” Liadi said.

Chattanooga leads the league with 11 shutouts and has conceded 30 goals in 30 games. The Red Wolves beat Portland, 2-1, at their home field CHI Stadium in East Ridge, Tennessee, on June 7. The teams played to a testy 1-1 tie at Fitzpatrick Stadium on Sept. 13. Portland rallied after conceding a penalty kick in first-half added time and having center backs Sean Vinberg and replacement Sega Coulibaly go down with injuries. Eight yellow cards were handed out (five to Chattanooga).

“They’re second in the league for a reason,” said Hearts forward Jake Keegan, who has played for five USL1 teams. “They’ve had a better season than us to this point, and it’s our job to now turn the tables.”

PLAYOFF FORMAT

Unlike the regular season, if the game is tied at the end of regulation, there will be two 15-minute overtimes that will be played in their entirety. If the match remains tied, it will go to penalty kicks.

Both Portland and Chattanooga have two penalty-kick victories this year.

Portland beat Hartford Athletic in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Lewiston High and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds during the USL Cup at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Chattanooga won two U.S. Open Cup games via PKs.

UPSET ALERT?

In the 2024 USL1 playoffs, there was one quarterfinal upset — and it was the No. 7 vs. No. 2 game. Spokane Velocity, then a first-year franchise, shocked the Northern Colorado Hailstorm, 3-0. Spokane went on to the championship match. Northern Colorado folded its franchise. Keegan and Hearts midfielder Pat Langlois played for Northern Colorado.

“There’s so much more pressure, knowing there’s no second chances,” said Langlois, who played professionally in his home country of Australia for five seasons. “When you go on a run and go to finals, it’s the best feeling ever, but when you lose early, you’re left wondering what went wrong.”

MISSING MASASHI

Portland attacking midfielder Masashi Wada, who tied Ollie Wright for the team lead in goals during league play with nine, is serving a one-game suspension after getting a red card in Saturday’s 2-2 tie with AV Alta FC.

Coach Bobby Murphy said Keegan, who has 31 career USL1 goals, is a likely candidate to replace Wada. Another option is to move James inside from his most common right wing slot.

Murphy said at Wednesday’s training session that his 18-player game-day roster will likely be the same as the group that dressed for the regular-season finale with the exception of rookie Evan Southern added in Wada’s absence.

If that holds true, Liadi will be an option at striker along with Washington. Liadi (six goals in 15 matches) missed 17 consecutive matches before coming on late in Saturday’s game against AV Alta. He appeared to be a full-go at practice.

Wright (nine goals, eight assists in USL1 play) will be at his normal spot attacking from the left wing, with Keegan, James, Jay Tee Kamara and Southern also options in the offensive third. Regular starters Poon-Angeron and Lopez should be in the center midfield slots, with Langlois in reserve.

With the exception of left back Messer and goalie Hunter Morse (league-leading 83 saves), the defensive alignment is less certain now that Coulibaly and right back Colby Quinones are back from the injured list. Some combination of Green, Coulibaly and Vinberg will be at center back. One of the three right back choices — Shandon Wright, Quinones or Mo Mohamed — will probably be left out. Mohamed did not dress for the regular-season finale.