Maine Wildness News
October 15, 2026Maine Wildness Unveiled as Maine’s New Women’s Soccer Team
Maine Wildness unveiled as the brand for The Soccer Club of Maine’s new women’s team, with its inaugural 2027 USL W League season powered by Bank of America
PORTLAND, Maine — Strong and resilient, independent yet community-minded, hard-working and unpretentious, steadfast and fearless. These were some of the words Mainers used to describe the women of their state during months of town halls, listening sessions and community conversations about the identity of Maine’s new women’s soccer team.
On Thursday night, that identity became official.
Portland Hearts of Pine unveiled Maine Wildness, the name, crest and brand of the Club’s new USL W League team, in front of 500 community members at Live at Madrid’s in Portland’s Old Port.
The name emerged after hundreds of conversations with supporters and more than 300 names explored by Club staff. The goal was to create an identity connected to Hearts of Pine, but distinctly its own, one that reflected both Maine as a place and the spirit of the women who have shaped it.
“We asked people across Maine what they wanted for this team, and we kept hearing the same response: a love for what we’ve created with Hearts, and a deep desire for something distinct to the women of Maine. ‘Wildness’ came from listening to that feedback, finding a name that captures the spirit intrinsic to both this place and the people who make it so special,” said Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, the Club’s Founder and Chief Community Officer.
Why Wildness?
Throughout the naming process, conversations repeatedly returned to the trailblazers, leaders and everyday women who have shaped Maine. Community members shared stories of figures including Lucy Nicolar Poolaw, Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby and Joan Benoit Samuelson, alongside hopes that the next generation would see the team, its crest and its players as something they could aspire to.
“The breakthrough came from Henry David Thoreau’s words published in Walden following his time in the North Maine Woods: ‘We need the tonic of wildness,’” said Josh Lane, the Club’s Vice President of Marketing.
“Maine Wildness brought all of these ideas together. It plays on themes of navigation, pathfinding, and trailblazing – going into the wild unknown and finding our way,” Lane said. “It has an edge that captures the grit, tenacity, and resilience true of trailblazers and everyday Mainers alike. It taps into the state’s natural beauty and the quality of life that is found here. It’s also an invitation for fans to embrace and cherish their own wildness.”
For the Club, Wildness is meant to represent more than a soccer team. It is an opportunity to create a community where women, girls and gender-expansive people can see a place for themselves in the game.
“At its heart, this is about creating a community where women and girls across Maine feel seen, supported and connected,” said Hannah Sirois, the Club’s Vice President of Fan Experience.
“This team is intended to set the standard for what a pre-professional women’s team can accomplish,” Sirois said. “We want to grow the women’s game in this country. Consistently selling out a 6,000 person stadium has never been done at this level, and raising that standard is what we’re rallying this state around. It's a wild idea, but we’ve come this far, and we’ll keep pushing to build the best women's soccer experience in America.”
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A Crest Crafted in Maine
The Maine Wildness crest was created by Portland-based designer Pame Chévez, who moved to Maine from Mexico in 2016 and has since become part of Portland’s creative community through work with organizations including Lift All Boats and Palmar Collective, formerly More Women + Surf.
“When I left my home country, the Maine outdoors helped me build a community: women of grit, creativity, and tenderness, from sailors to gardeners,” Chévez said. “Their company, the landscapes they opened up to me, and the Indigenous stories I read stayed with me as I tried to portray the wildness that lives in them. What a challenge this design was, to pick and choose from all the greatness Maine holds.”
The creative process was led by Club staff with a clear objective: create an identity that belonged within the Hearts family without simply adapting the men’s crest.
“We wanted to create a crest with its own story,” said Deanna Scherrer, the Club’s Creative Director. “Wildness has a distinct energy and strength to stand on its own, while also feeling deeply connected to the community-backed, purpose-driven Club that Hearts has built.”
That independence is visible throughout the design. Rather than a perfectly uniform shield or circle, the crest is formed by organic, hand-drawn elements. No two details are exactly alike, and the irregularities are intentional, giving the mark a visible human touch and a sense of artistry and individuality.
At the center of the landscape is Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, located on the unceded ancestral homelands of the Penobscot Nation and Wabanaki peoples. Flowing layers of water represent the lakes, rivers and coast that shape life across the state.
Above the landscape sits the Dirigo Heart, carried over from the Hearts of Pine crest. Community members repeatedly identified the heart and the motto “Lead with your Heart” as elements they wanted preserved in the women’s identity. Inspired by Maine’s Dirigo Star and Portland’s Valentine’s Bandit tradition, the symbol now serves as a visual connection between The Soccer Club of Maine’s two teams.
Wild lupine, thistle, sea roses and ferns form the outer bounds of the crest. Each plant was individually illustrated and selected for its ability to endure, adapt and thrive in Maine’s varied environments. Together, the flora, landscape and hand-drawn character connect the two ideas at the heart of the identity: the wildness of Maine itself and the wildness found in the people shaped by it.
The lettering framing the crest takes inspiration from Maine’s backcountry and the hand-carved trail markers and signs found throughout the state’s wilderness.
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Countdown to Kickoff
Maine Wildness will begin play in May 2027, with home matches at Fitzpatrick Stadium. The team’s inaugural season is powered by Bank of America, whose support will help bring the first season of Maine Wildness to life while advancing shared goals around opportunity, access and the growth of women’s soccer.
The team will compete in the USL W League, the nation’s premier pre-professional women’s soccer league. Launched in 2022, the league featured 96 teams across 16 divisions in 2026 and serves as a bridge between the college and professional game while creating additional opportunities for women to play, coach and work in soccer.
Momentum around Maine Wildness has been building for months. All 5,000 inaugural season ticket deposits were claimed in less than an hour in June, before supporters knew the team’s name, crest, coaching staff or roster.
In September, two-time World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist and National Soccer Hall of Famer Michelle Akers joined the Club as Founding Advisor. Akers is helping shape the team’s sporting identity, culture and long-term vision ahead of the inaugural season.
“I’ve been drawn to Maine because of the way Mainers show up for their teams and their community,” Akers said. “There’s so much heart here, and I can’t wait to see that support grow with Maine Wildness.”
The first Maine Wildness merchandise collection is available now at Shop.MaineWildness.com and will be available in person beginning October 16 at the Club Shop, 127 Marginal Way in Portland.
Additional announcements about coaching staff, open tryouts, player signings, the 2027 schedule, community programming and the Matchday experience will be shared in the months ahead.
