FC Naples’ strong season start couldn’t be halted by the weather. A draw to the Portland Hearts of Pine on Saturday, March 30, put the team at the top of the USL League One standings.
Southwest Florida’s newest sports organization has had a dominant debut season. It started with a 1-1 draw against the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC and then three straight wins versus Forward Madison FC, Sarasota Paradise, and Spokane Velocity FC, 2-0, 2-1 and 1-0, respectively.
The team’s 2-0-1 USL League One record slotted them one point ahead of the Richmond Kickers. The contest against Sarasota Paradise did not count towards the USL League One record. A 0-0 draw against Portland solidified Naples’ lead at the top of the table, increasing the club’s lead to two points.
“We had some chances that we didn’t take advantage of,” FC Naples coach Matt Polland said. “We seemed a little slow in the first half. I think the second half got stronger for us. But to get a shutout at home is always good.”
Both first-year teams struggled to find footing in the first half, as weather conditions forced both clubs to up their aggression for ball possession. Naples was at the forefront of the aggression as the team acquired three of the four yellow cards given in the opening 45 minutes.
“In football, there are two types of games,” defender Julian Cisneros said. “There’s games that are a bit of a dance, and there’s games that are a bit of a fight. And today was one of those games where the pitch wasn’t great, the conditions weren’t great, so it turned into more of a fight.”
After going 25 minutes without taking a shot, Naples rattled them off to exit the half. They outshot Portland 5-2. Andres Ferrin took Naples’ sole shot on target with a long shot in the 36th minute, saved by Portland goalkeeper Hunter Morse.
The Portland Hearts of Pine took control in the second half as they continued to pace the match, holding possession for 58.7% of it. With the possession, they outshot FC Naples 6-3, but couldn’t get a scoring opportunity past Naples’ four-back defenders.
As the match continued, the quality of play decreased. This was no more apparent for Naples, who came off a week in which it played three matches in eight days, than for Portland, which was playing its first match as a club.
Portland’s best chance at taking the lead came in the final nine minutes as Naples struggled to clear the ball out of their side of the field. They shot back-to-back shots in the extra time period, one of which was on goal. FC Naples goalkeeper Edward Delgado blocked both attempts for the 0-0 draw.
“Anytime you get kind of pinned back late in the game, it’s hard to get out of it, because you don’t want to take too many risks and leave yourselves exposed,” Polland said. “Credit to the goalie, that’s why he’s there, he made a great save and kept the shutout.”
FC Naples will return to the Paradise Coast Complex on Wednesday, April 2, against the Little Rock Rangers in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
“It’s incredible to have this many fans come out,” Poland said. “We didn’t know with the weather what it would do, but to have a full stadium and this many fans making noise is very important to us to find the energy to play for them. Obviously, that’s why we exist, it’s for these fans.”
Fans can purchase FC Naples tickets at FCNaples.com. Students who use the code “Eagles2025” at checkout can get tickets as low as $10.
