3 Reasons to Consider HFX Wanderers a Derby Rival & 2 Reasons Why We Just Can't

On August 6th, the Hearts of Pine will face off in their first international friendly against HFX Wanderers at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Kick-off is at 6:30 PM EDT/7:30 PM ADT. The match is sold out but tickets are available for resale on Stubhub and the match is being broadcast via WHOU in Houlton.

While some have called this a competition worthy of a Derby name, others have said we are too similar to the Wanderers and Halifax for that to apply. Today the State of the Union looks at 3 reasons why a Derby would make sense and 2 reasons why it just doesn't.

Why Consider Them a Rival:

1.      The History

Maine and Nova Scotia have had their differences over their nearly 300 year history. Beginning with a minor event called the American Revolutionary War, Nova Scotia and Maine have walked parallel but separate paths in history. To be sure Halifax got off to an early start, with a fleet from the city burning down Portland in 1775 (our Canadian cousins may tell you it started with a certain incident in Machias). After our independence, Maine and Canada had a small tiff called the Aroostook War which settled the land boundary between our two nations save for Machias Seal Island (which we get back if we win tonight, right?). Even at the dawn of the industrial revolution the competition between Portland and Halifax as year-round ports was so strong that competing railroads, the Grand Trunk & the Inter-Colonial Railway, chose different cities to ship out Canadian grain to Europe.

Perhaps the most dramatic example came during the War of 1812 when the HMS Boxer, a Royal Navy ship based in Halifax, met the USS Enterprise of Portland in a naval battle just south of the Pemaquid Light. A 30-minute engagement left both ships near wrecked but the Enterprise prevailed. Shortly after the surrender, both captains William Burrows & Samuel Blyth died of their wounds. Upon return to Portland, both men were buried together in a grand funeral and still rest side-by-side in Eastern Cemetery on Munjoy Hill.  

2.      The Fisheries

Anyone who has spent time bending a rod with friends knows that even friendly competition when it comes to fishing can turn heated. As coastal societies, people living along the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy have been making their living from the sea since before our countries were colonized. Over time as ships became bigger and faster, competitions often broke out over who could get to port fastest to sell the catch. One ship, a legend in Halifax, was the Bluenose, well regarded as one of the fastest fishing schooners on the east coast. Numerous American captains tried to beat her in organized fisherman's races, including some from Portland, but for the most part to no avail until 1930 when a Gloucester-based ship the Gertrude L. Thebaud bested the Canadian schooner.

With the end of fishing with dory and sail in the 1930’s, competition in the fisheries has largely turned to resource sharing. With only so many scallop, lobster, and haddock that can be fished each season, fights often broke out between fisherman. After escalating tensions throughout the 60’s and 70’s an international law court in the Netherlands established the Hague Line to defuse tensions between the fisherman of both countries but some lingering fighting remains. The waters around Machias Seal Island were not settled by the Hague Line agreement and competition in the area between Maine and Canadian lobstermen and scallopers remains high.

3.      The Teams

To be sure competition will exist between Hearts of Pine & the Wanderers purely because this is an international fixture. Adding to the tension will be the relatively young nature of both squads. Wanderers are the senior team, but the club still only got their start in 2019. To date, they’ve still never won their league of 8 teams and currently sit 5^th in the table. Of course, given their team’s schedule it’s fair to say we will a lot of rotation with up and comers likely making up much of the roster. In a way though, that’ll just add to the overall desire of Head Coach Derek Martin’s squad to come out and prove something.

Hearts, of course, also find themselves young and hungry. A recent setback this weekend against One Knox will lead Bobby Murphy’s side to want to try and find some footing going into this weekend’s big match against Richmond. As with Wanderers, we should expect a good amount of squad rotation which will be immensely helpful at getting players more experience at operating within our tactical style. With luck, that’ll pay off and we will see more players with confidence going into the final third of the season.

A final reason comes in the strong support among the fans of both sides. An issue Hearts fans have noticed in many USL1 fixtures has been the lack of organized support (or support at all) of other teams. Wanderers do not fall in that category. Sporting several SGs, Wanderers fans are adamant in their support of their side and often sell out their field, the Wanderers Grounds. With the relatively close geographic distance between both teams, its entirely possible this turns into a regular occurrence. Whether the fan bases will embrace that however, will be on display tonight.

Why You Just Can't Consider this A Rivalry:

1.      Community Connections

No one can doubt that Mainers have deep deep ties to Canada, especially the Maritimes. More than a few of us have fond memories as children riding the Scotia Princess or the Cat across the Gulf of Maine, watching with wonder as the coast of Yarmouth or Digby came into view. In return, gruff Mainers welcome with open arms our cousins to the north on their vacations to Old Orchard Beach, Moosehead Lake, and Acadia. These ties of friendship and the familiar settings in both places allow us to speak a common tongue about why we love these places, our shared hardships, and our hopeful future together.

It extends beyond visitors though. If one walks through the streets of a mill town like Lewiston, Westbrook, Rumford, or Millinocket chances are you’ll meet more than a few people proud of their Canadian ancestry. More than a few members of the Dirigo Union will no doubt be able to sing 'Oh Canada' full throated from memory tonight. Even in the deep north woods, logging crews often sells their timber across borders to mills on either side of the St. John river. Such cultural ties are not easily forgotten or put aside even for the 90 short minutes of soccer game.

2.      Growth of Our Game

As previously stated, we are both young teams and its important to remember that the sport of soccer is as young in Canada as it is in the United States. Like the Hearts, the Wanderers do not have a close geographic rival in their league. The closest team they play, Ottawa, requires a 13-hour drive to get to, 2 hours longer than if we were to drive to Richmond and 7 hours more than a trip to Westchester. Both teams, and both fanbases, are ambassadors for our sport, especially, given the fact neither town has ever seen a major professional sports team. As both teams grow, we are in turn growing soccer in our regions.

Just as Maine has seen a rise in the number of amateur and semi-pro soccer teams rise since the Hearts announced their intentions to start a team, Halifax saw their first women’s soccer team start play this season.  With this level of growth in close geographic proximity to each other, recruitment, fan rivalry and the overall health of soccer can only improve. Its hard not to look in admiration at what the Wanderers have built in Halifax and I'm sure many of their fans feel likewise about us.

At a time of rising tensions between governments in Washington and Ottawa, its important to remind ourselves that the ties between Maritime Canada and Maine remain strong. As hosts, its important all supporters of the Hearts of Pine welcome our Nova Scotian cousins to Fitzpatrick Stadium with open arms, cheer against them for 90-dramatic minutes, and then join them for a pint at the Zoo afterwards. While a soccer game may seem like a simple gesture, the reality is that it brings us together to watch a sport we love. That's a beautiful thing.