PORTLAND, Maine — Portland Hearts of Pine ended its first season in existence with a loss on penalty kicks at Spokane Velocity FC in a USL League One semifinal match.

The team was deflated in the aftermath, but head coach Bobby Murphy told them in the locker room that they had changed lives.

He reiterated that point when I met him five days later at the Portland Zoo, one of the city's foremost soccer bars and a weekly viewing spot for Hearts fans throughout the season.

"They got to not only plant the seeds but sit under the tree for a little bit," Murphy mused.

From the day he was announced as head coach and sporting director and throughout the season, whenever he was asked why he took the job, Murphy repeatedly told reporters and fans he knew, "this was a city in search of a team," wh

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