PORTLAND — When it comes to the FIFA World Cup, members of the Portland Hearts of Pine professional soccer team are just like any other fan of “The Beautiful Game.”

They have their home country allegiances and also can root for other countries because of favorite players.

Or, in the case of midfielder Mikey Lopez, they have good reason to vote for two different countries. Lopez, who grew up in Texas, is a dual citizen of the United States and Mexico, which along with Canada are host countries for the 2026 World Cup.

Lopez is America-first when it comes to his allegiances. He notes that he, his parents and grandparents are all extremely proud to be Americans. Plus, Lopez was on the United States U-20 World Cup team in 2013.

He’s also equally proud of his Mexican heritage.

“I’ve got two teams and hopefully one of them, or both of them, can do really well,” Lopez said.

If the two longshots somehow were to meet in the July 19 World Cup final?

“I can’t lose either way. So I’m good,” Lopez said.

Heated rivalries define football in the United Kingdom. Fans are not typically friendly to those wearing the colors or crests of hated opponents. But that changes when it’s World Cup time. Then, everyone roots for England, said Ollie Wright, the Hearts of Pine’s star midfielder who was born in London.

“Obviously, there are major rivalries in the UK, but the fans from every club come together for that month or two and support the team, and it’s great to see,” Wright said.

Wright said the World Cup is also a time to celebrate the brilliance of the game’s top players.

“Honestly, a lot of admiration I have for the top players in the world coming together and competing at such a high level,” said Wright, an all-USL League One second-team selection in 2025. “It’s something almost every kid dreams of playing in. Unfortunately I never reached those heights, but it’s major admiration I have for the level those players keep themselves at.”

Of course, it’s OK to have a backup team. Wright said as a kid he was a fan of Argentina, in part because that’s who was playing on the telly when he and his mum were in a London pub, which Wright said is his first World Cup memory.

Hearts of Pine goalkeeper coach Yuta Nomura is from Tokyo. Naturally, he’ll be rooting for Japan. He believes his home country, which co-hosted the 2002 World Cup with South Korea, could make a run. More of Japan’s top players are in the world’s top leagues than ever before and Japan has beaten top teams like Brazil and England in recent Cup action.

But he said he’ll have some mixed feelings when Japan meets Sweden in the group stage. Nomura played professionally in Sweden.

“I have a lot of friends in Sweden and I still talk to them,” Nomura said. “It’s going to be a rivalry match, I guess.”

Every sport loves a good underdog story, and Hearts of Pine players Walter Varela and Serigne Mbacke Faye are both rooting for their African home countries to make an impression.

Varela, a second-year forward with Portland, grew up in Cape Verde, coming to the greater Boston area when he was 20. Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup for the first time. Varela was once invited to Cape Verde’s U16 national camp and played with several of national team members, including Jovane Cabral, one of the top offensive threats, and goalkeeper Marcio Rosa.

“I’m very proud of them,” Varela said. “This is history. We’ve never done it before.”

Cape Verde is in Group H, which includes overall favorite Spain, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.

“It’s going to be a very, very tough group, but we’ll see how it goes. I cannot predict how what we’re going to do,” Varela said.

Mbacke Faye, known as Prince to his teammates, is a first-year defender with Portland who hails from Senegal, which beat Morocco, 1-0, in the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. That result was later overturned and Morocco was ruled to have won by forfeit because the Senegal team briefly left the pitch in protest of a late penalty.

When that result was brought up, Mbacke Faye noted “the trophy is in Senegal,” and the Lions of Teranga do have World Cup history. In their debut in 2002, they reached the quarterfinals after beating defending champion France in the opening match of the tournament. In 2022, Senegal advanced out of the group stage but lost in the round of 16.

While dreams of representing their home country in the World Cup have passed for players like Lopez, Wright and Varela, it is still a goal for Mbacke Faye. The 6-foot-3 defender is seeing increasing time for the Hearts.

“Maybe next World Cup,” he said.