Varela Celebrates Birthday with Club's First-Ever Goal; Portland Wins 4-0 to Advance in Open Cup

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USL1 Portland Hearts of Pine

Varela Celebrates Birthday with Club's First-Ever Goal; Portland Wins 4-0 to Advance in Open Cup

March 20, 2025 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Portland Hearts of Pine News Release


LEWISTON, ME - Walter Varela celebrated his 28th birthday in dream fashion, scoring Portland Hearts of Pine's first-ever goal and helping the club advance to the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup on the back of a 4-0 win over CD Faialense in Lewiston.

On a cold, drizzly Thursday night that saw the fog roll in as temperatures dropped to the low 40s during the second half, more than 3,000 fans packed the Lewiston High School football stadium's stands to cheer for Maine's first professional soccer team.

"I've been fortunate enough to coach in MLS stadiums, but I've never been as nervous as I was tonight because of what it meant to everyone," said head coach Bobby Murphy.

Portland wasted little time establishing its dominance in the match, and Titus Washington was unlucky not to open the scoring when his 10th minute header flashed over the bar. Azaad Liadi, whose signing was only announced in the days leading up to kickoff, was through on goal shortly thereafter when Ollie Wright picked him out with a clean through-ball, but Faialense goalkeeper Lucas Verge cut Liadi's angle down and killed off the scoring chance.

Valera broke the deadlock in strong fashion in the 18th minute when he drove a low shot into the corner of the goal. His teammates had predicted before the match that he'd score on his birthday, though Varela admitted the moment took him by surprise.

"I was overwhelmed and I didn't know how to celebrate," said Varela. "My teammates had to tell me."

Eleven minutes later Nathan Messer picked Liadi out in the penalty area, and this time the forward put the ball past Verge and into the back of the net with a perfectly taken one-time shot.

Liadi scored his second in the 62nd minute when Verge parried a quickly taken Hearts free kick right into his path. Liadi pounced on the rebound and knocked home Portland's third score of the night.

Hearts' fourth and final goal came just six minutes later when Messer launched a rocket of a free kick from distance that Verge had little chance of stopping. It was an emphatic finish to a stellar debut by the USL League One newcomers.

"We showed that it's going to be an exciting group," said Patrick Langlois, who had the honor of wearing the captain's armband for the team's first match. "We scored plenty of goals tonight, and to keep a clean sheet you can't ask for much better at the start."

For the fans who packed the stands and spent the night singing and chanting, the perfect ending came when one of their own, 20-year-old Lewiston native Khalid Hersi, came on as a substitute in the 80th minute for his first appearance as a professional.

"For a young group of guys who have only been together for six or eight weeks I couldn't ask for any more," said Murphy. "I'm proud of them and thrilled for them, but I know it's only going to get harder from here."

With the win, Hearts advance to the second round of the Cup, set to be played on April 1 and 2. Matchup details will be announced on March 21.

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