Portland Hearts of Pine Coach Bobby Murphy, center, shakes hands with members of the Dirge Union Supporters Clubs after being introduced at Allagash Brewing in Portland on Thursday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

A veteran coach with Major League Soccer experience and a connection to Maine will lead Portland’s new professional soccer franchise.

The Portland Hearts of Pine announced Thursday that Bobby Murphy, 54, will be its first head coach and sporting director. The Hearts of Pine will begin their inaugural season in USL League One in mid-March. Most recently the coach of St. Louis City 2 in the MLS Next Pro league, Murphy was on the Orlando City staff from 2016-18, twice acting as interim manager (head coach) of the MLS club.

“I got fairly high up on the coaching ladder,” Murphy told the Press Herald. “Now, I’m looking for jobs that are fulfilling and exciting to me on a personal level and a challenge.”

“From what I’ve learned, the community is ready for this team, excited about them,” Murphy added. “To build something from scratch, to develop a culture from scratch … and to (build a) product or club that is meaningful to the community, that is about as satisfying a job as I could find.”

Murphy will also be in charge of building the team’s roster. That process has already begun with Murphy using his extensive network of contacts to identify potential players and begin conversations with their agents.

“Everyone I’ve spoken to, agents, players, this is now a really desirable destination for a lot of players. Already,” Murphy said.

The Hearts of Pine have sold more than 3,000 season tickets. Fitzpatrick Stadium’s capacity will be roughly 5,500 for USL1 games.

LOOKING FOR PLAYERS

Hearts of Pine will also be looking for players at the grassroots level when it holds a Mainers Only tryout at Falmouth High School on Dec. 7. Registration will open Friday, with room for up to 80 players who pay a $50 tryout fee. From Dec. 13-15 a more extensive combine will be held, also at Falmouth High. Those players will be vetted beforehand by Murphy and his staff.

Hearts of Pine Chief Community Officer Gabe Hoffman-Johnson said the club reviewed more than 50 qualified applicants before interviewing 15 semifinalists.

“Bobby was our top choice,” said Hoffman-Johnson, also the club’s founder. “He’s a very experienced coach, at all different levels from youth to MLS, so he understands the American marketplace and the American professional landscape. I’m a big believer in his game model and philosophy, and I believe in his ability to execute and put a good product – a successful, winning product – on the field.”

Bobby Murphy speaks during the news conference where he was named the first head coach of the Portland Hearts of Pine at Allagash Brewing in Portland on Thursday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Murphy, who grew up in Dallas and played college soccer at New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University), got his coaching start as an assistant at Plymouth State College in New Hampshire. His first head coaching job came at the University of Southern Maine, where he coached the men’s team in 1999, going 5-10-3.

MAINE CONNECTIONS

Current USM men’s soccer coach Jim Hopkins was a captain on that 1999 team. Yarmouth girls’ soccer coach Andy Higgins also played for Murphy at USM.

Hopkins said Murphy gave him a call during the hiring process.

“I told him, ‘You can win here. You will have a great following and players will want to come here,’ ” Hopkins said.

Hopkins added that he’s talked to several other coaches and soccer connections in the state who know Murphy. The consensus, Hopkins said, is “this is a good hire and we have to back this guy.”

Higgins was a junior on the 1999 USM team.

“Bobby Murphy is and always will be one of the most influential people I’ve ever crossed paths with,” Higgins said. “He came in and made it clear that our value as people was higher than our value as players, and you really felt he cared for you.

“This is truly a fantastic hire for Hearts of Pine, Portland, and for soccer in the whole state.”

Murphy left USM’s part-time position to become the director of coaching for the South Texas Youth Soccer Association, then transitioned to leading the soccer academy at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, a job he held from 2003-2016 while he and his ex-wife were raising their three children.

At Orlando City, he filled in as the interim coach for three games in his first season and remained on staff when new head coach Jason Kreis was hired. Murphy then led the team on an interim basis in 2018 after Orlando fired Kreis.

Murphy also has experience in the USL, as an assistant coach with now-defunct Rio Grande Valley FC in the Champions league (2020) and Union Omaha in League One from 2021-22. In two seasons as the head coach at St. Louis City2, the club went 28-15-13, made the playoffs each season, and advanced to the 2024 Western Conference final.

At Wednesday’s news conference, held at Allagash Brewing, Murphy emphasized that his goal is to help the Hearts of Pine forge a lasting connection with Portland and the state of Maine.

“To me the relationship between a club and a community – I’ve seen it up close with other clubs I’ve been associated with – that is a special bond that, if done right, is unshakeable,” Murphy said. “Let’s be honest. I have a very limited skill set to contribute to this world. I can coach soccer and that’s about it. So this is my chance to do good, and to give back and to hopefully build something that lasts beyond me and my lifetime.”

Murphy said that starts by signing players who “first and foremost are good people, good characters.”

He wants the Hearts of Pine to play a relentless, pressing style of play that reflects Mainers’ no-nonsense work ethic.

“We want to be on our front foot. We want people to have to cope with us,” Murphy said. “There’s nothing worse from a fan’s perspective than paying hard-earned money and watching their team play defensively.”

BOBBY MURPHY AT A GLANCE

Age: 54 (will turn 55 Nov. 19)
Hometown: Dallas

Coaching Experience
2024: head coach St. Louis CITY 2 (MLS Next Pro)
2021-23 : assistant coach Union Omaha (USL1)
2020: assistant Rio Grande Valley FC (USL)
2016-18: assistant Orlando City (MLS)*
2003-16: Academy director, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School
1999: head coach University of Southern Maine

Q: Do you prefer being called coach or manager?
A: I prefer Bobby.

* Murphy had two stints as interim head coach; three games in 2016, six games in 2018.