The Maine Event
It took six years of planning, but Mainers now have a pro soccer team to cheer on, thanks to founder and chief community officer Hoffman-Johnson. The Portland Hearts of Pine kicked off their inaugural season with USL League One in March to great fanfare. Season tickets quickly sold out.
Following a successful soccer career with the Big Green, Hoffman-Johnson played professionally for one year with Saint Louis FC. He credits his parents with shaping his path—his father was a collegiate soccer coach and athletic administrator, while his mother led grassroots peacekeeping efforts in Sierra Leone. “I was basically raised by soccer and social impact,” he says.
Central to the Hearts’ mission is community outreach with youth clubs and after-school programs. The organization has given away 1,400 tickets this year to local schools and nonprofits such as the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. In a city where more than 60 languages are spoken, Hoffman-Johnson recognizes that soccer has a unique ability to transcend cultures and unite all who call Maine home.
“It’s this younger, more diverse generation that’s really pushed the growth of soccer in America,” he says. “I believe in its power to change people’s lives for the better.”
