As an opposing player, Brecc Evans knew a good thing when he saw it in two trips to Fitzpatrick Stadium to play against the Portland Hearts of Pine.
“When we go away and travel, a lot of the stadiums are not anywhere close to being filled up,” said Evans, 26, who got his professional start in USL League One in 2019. “Being in this league for awhile, it’s special to have a crowd like that.”
Evans officially began his tenure as a member of Portland’s men’s professional soccer team on Tuesday. It wasn’t at Fitzy, where the Hearts sold out every game in their inaugural season and averaged a league record 5,808 fans. Instead, Evans and his new teammates were inside the Portland Sports Complex for the first training session of 2026.
“I think it went great. It was very intense. People were pressing and flying into tackles,” Evans said. “After two months or so of the offseason, I was so excited and loving it.
Evans brings a 6-foot-4 frame and seven years of professional experience as a left-footed center back to the Hearts of Pine defense. When Evans played last season for another 2025 expansion team—FC Naples — he was named a second-team all-USL1 player. A native of California, Evans began his professional career with the now-defunct North Texas SC as a 19-year-old team captain for a team that won the first USL1 championship. He played one season for USL Championship squad Memphis 901 (dissolved in 2024) before three seasons with the Northern Colorado Hailstorm in USL1, another franchise that folded after the 2024 season.
“Having a naturally left-footed center back is huge, and he was all-league,” said Portland coach Bobby Murphy. “I thought we gave away too many chances, too many goals last year, so he’s an instant upgrade for us.”
Murphy added, “He was eager to come and help us win a trophy, and I think he’s going to be a big piece this year.”
Like most players in USL1, Evans was on a one-year contract in Naples. Given the opportunity to sign with the Hearts of Pine, he saw a chance to help a good team improve.
“Everything that is going on here in Portland, Maine, in my opinion, is something I want to be a part of, and I think we have a really good opportunity to win a trophy,” Evans said. “That is my goal, and having conversations with Bobby Murphy, we’re on the same page here.”
HEARTS GOING TO VERMONT FOR U.S. OPEN CUP
United States Soccer announced the first-round draw for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, and Portland is going to the Green Mountain State.
Portland will play at USL League Two title-holder Vermont Green FC on March 17 at the University of Vermont’s Virtue Field. The game will air on CBS Sports Network.
Last year, the Hearts hosted three U.S. Open Cup games at Lewiston High ahead of their home debut at Fitzpatrick Stadium, including the club’s inaugural game and a penalty-kick victory against USL Championship squad Hartford Athletic.
The Vermont Green are a pre-professional team. Most of the players still have college eligibility. The franchise, which started in 2022, has a strong devoted fan base. USL2 plays a 14-game schedule from early May to mid-July.
