Photo Credit: USL1
On Wednesday November 13, Hearts of Pine announced that Bobby Murphy, late of the St. Louis CITY organization, was signed as the inaugural Head Coach and Sporting Director. During an hour long meet and greet which included a press conference, local media outlets and supporters got to know the new gaffer. Since then, Murphy has appeared on several local programs including the Dirigo Union's own podcast, From the Forest, To the Tide. Below are our 4 key takeaways for week 1 of Bobby Murphy's stewardship.
1. This Coach is about player development
Very early on in his press conference Coach Murphy made very clear he is a “people-first” coach and repeatedly returned to this theme over the afternoon. This should come as no shock given Murphy’s recent role at St. Louis CITY where he coached the MLS side’s reserve team in MLS Next Pro development league. Most of his roster was on the squad to grow their talents throughout the season. CITY2 last season made a great effort to have their homegrown players play key roles while pushing their older veterans in their reserve squad in new roles and directions. This paid dividends, especially for the squad’s star scorer Mykhl Joyner who earned himself a national U-19 call-up during his time with the club. This strategy worked as CITY2 ended the year with a 17-4-7 record and a 2nd-place finish in Group B with a playoff run that saw them play in the semi-finals. In the USL1 we’ve seen what effect positive player development can have in a campaign with the most recent example being center-back Bruno Rendon transforming into an outstanding midfielder. Such development can also have a strong impact on the bottom line for clubs with last season’s confidential transfer of Nick Akoto for a record transfer fee certainly positively impacting the club’s bottom lines.
2. Murphy states the value of possession
Coach Murphy made several comments to make clear he values possession-based soccer. When asked how he plans to create an identity for the new team, Coach explained that on all his prior teams there was a strong focus on playing on the front foot and not being shy about chasing, pressing, and counter-pressing opponents offering convincingly that “effective possession leads to goals.” This strategy may benefit Hearts given the narrow field they will be playing on at Fitzpatrick Stadium in which the geography of the pitch will strongly benefit the team able to maintain control of the ball.
3. Expect deliberate player signings.
Those expecting a rapid release of roster names in short order following Coach Murphy’s signing may be slightly disappointed to learn that he made several comments describing a thought-out and deliberate process to find the inaugural squad. Murphy made it clear he has a specific mentality in mind for the players he wants to bring to Fitzpatrick in 2025. “We will turn down good players. We will not have good players come to this club because they won’t be the right players for this club, right?” explained the coach. Indeed, Murphy pointed out several times during his opening press conference that he places stock in selfless players who will put the team first. This methodology will prove necessary with Murphy effectively starting a team culture from scratch with a locker room fully unaccustomed to playing together.
Further elaborating later in the press conference, Murphy made clear he intends to hold several spots on his roster open until January to take full advantage of MLS roster decisions after the new year. Hearts will, also, hold an open tryout in early December with 1 day set aside for Maine-based players and another for open tryouts. While this may lead fans to believe Hearts may be looking at a youthful roster, Murphy did state the League’s contracts are short which leaves the possibility of bringing in veteran players for a good value. With luck, he will get a lot of interest. As he stated on the From the Forest, To the Tide podcast, he hopes Portland will become a destination for many players.
Extending beyond players, Murphy also stated he plans to bring in a coaching staff and has some folks already in mind. According to the Coach, he would ideally like a goalkeeping coach, a fitness coach, and an assistant coach but hopes that the people filling these roles will be able to fill other roles. “In the USL you’ve got to wear multiple hats at times, and I’ve got to try and find guys with multiple skill sets,” offered Murphy. Having coaching staffs fill multiple roles comes with the territory in lower division sports and it is helpful for the Hearts that Coach Murphy
4. Murphy’s network will come in handy
Murphy did concede that he has already been in discussions with several players which is not surprising given that the team has already confirmed an extremely high interest from players looking to come to Portland. This is also unsurprising given Murphy’s experience coaching from smaller academies to MLS first teams over the last 25 years. In the USL1 it is not uncommon for coaches to be fresh out of their playing days and just learning the coaching ropes but Murphy comes with a career long resume. This will prove invaluable given that he has 5 months to build a 23–25-man roster. In an interview on the 96.3 The Big Jab on Wednesday, Murphy stated that immediately after the interview he would be speaking to another player showing he is digging into recruitment. His network does include some key Maine names as well, he has coached both USM men’s coach Jim Hopkins and Yarmouth women’s coach Andy Higgins. He was also spotted immediately following his press conference watching pick-up futsal at Kennedy Park showing his desire to grow even deeper roots in the community.
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