US women’s soccer legends talk about potential Portland team

Portland, Maine, moved one step closer to women’s soccer royalty Tuesday night when U.S. national team star Sam Coffey, Hall of Famer Michelle Akers and 1999 World Cup winner Sara Wheline Hess joined a live-stream USL W forum to advocate for a new pre-professional women’s squad tied to the Portland Hearts of Pine coffin logo.

Coffey, 27, a midfielder for English champion Manchester City and a 2024 Olympic gold medalist, said simply imagining a summer night at Fitzpatrick Stadium gives her “chills.” “I’m going to be there,” she told the 100 viewers logged into the YouTube watch party hosted by The Athletic’s Meg Linecreek. “Portland has proven it will show up for its own.”

The optimism is rooted in precedent. Founded by Falmorth native Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, the Hearts of Pine men’s team averaged a USL League One-record 5,800 fans in its inaugural 2025 season after six years of grassroots build-up. Akers, who retired in 2000 after two World Cup titles, joined the Dirigo Union supporters at one of those matches and now calls the region’s culture “a perfect match” for the women’s game. “Adding the women’s side will more than double the interest,” she said.

The proposed side would play in the USL W League, a five-year-old amateur summer circuit that will field 96 teams in 2026, including 16 geographically based divisions. Players are predominantly college-aged and retain NCAA eligibility for a 10-to-12-game May-June slate. Hoffman-Johnne envisions drawing top talent from powerhouse college programs and scheduling five or six home dates inside city-owned Fitzpatrick, already busy withrough the Hearts men’s team, Portland High school spring sports and other community events.

Main already has two women’s pre-prof clubs—Maine Footy (2023) and the Maine Mysties (Lewiston-Auburn)—set to play in the United Women’s Soccer league, but Coffey says a USL W side backed by the Hearts infrastructure could add valuable pathways for local prospects. “Creating more pathways is only going to help the women’s game,” she said, recalling how childhood trips to Sky Blue (now Gotham) matches convinced her a pro future was possible. “When a little girl can go to Portland and see her favorite player play for the Hearts of Pine, she’s going to realize she can do that.”

Wholine Hess, who serves as head of player development for Westchester SC, called Maine’s community-first model “the way to grow the game.” The club has hosted three in-person town halls this month and Tuesday night’s virtual event to build momentum for a 2027 launch.

Portland, Maine, may be small, but Tuesday’s star-studded forum showed the city is thinking big.