Dirigo Deep Dives #2: John Tabor

This month Deep Dives gets us better acquainted with a familiar face in the Zoo and other DU haunts. John Tabor is among the most original of the Forest City Originals, having followed the “Portland USL Club” from its first whispers and joining Dirigo Union… well, he’s not exactly sure when. He thinks he got signed up when he bought the very first scarf and jersey. He’s the proud owner of a “USL to Portland” scarf and a “Reproductive Rights are Human Rights” DU jersey, both offered years before the Club was named, much less destined for the playoffs in its first season. He attended the “secret” Club naming announcement in April 2024. A “USL to Portland” magnet is on the family fridge. More FC ORIGINAL one could not be.

Deep Diver’s goal is to tell DU members’ stories beyond soccer, to explore the fascinating and diverse paths that bring us together at Fitzy. That’s a tough ask with John – he’s such a soccer nerd! He waxes impressive on the sport’s minute details, be they athletic, tactical, marketing, or business-related. I did learn that John is very much a data guy. His dad was an “old school fantasy baseball player” in the days when members of the fantasy league received letters in the mail revealing the week’s stats. John’s day job is as an admissions data analyst for Bates College. When Deep Diver mentions that John may one day earn a living running stats for the Hearts of Pine, he sighs, “that would be my dream job.”

John attends the games and other events with his wife and 12-year-old daughter. Like many in DU, John is a life-long Mainer. Like everyone in DU, he’s deeply connected to the state. Born in Maine, raised in Maine, a proud UMaine Black Bear, and current resident of Windham, John likely bleeds green and blue if you cut him. Deep Diver first noticed John from her seat in Section 103 at the beginning of each home game. Six-foot three (add a few inches for the well-coifed man-bun with a sweet fade), he cuts an imposing figure as he marches in front of the stands pumping his arms from head to knee, willing those seated on Fitzy’s quiet side to get loud and excited for the game. It works! That same enthusiasm infuses a conversation with him. He quickly goes deep soccer-wonk. Deep Diver lost the thread with some of his observations on strategy and the “expected goals” formula, but she’s glad John is on top of these finer points of Hearts’ performance.

John follows international “football” (Deep Diver struggles to forgive his commitment to Arsenal) but isn’t a fan of MLS: “It’s a closed league, run by billionaires.” In contrast, Hearts of Pine is firmly rooted in its community. John met club founder Gabe Hoffman-Johnson early on and shares his North Haven ties. “Gabe’s a Mainer. He gets Maine.” John attributes the Hearts’ smashing success with fans to Gabe and his team conducting listening tours and grounding everything about the Hearts of Pine experience in what matters to Mainers. And he’s impressed with Bobby Murphy’s tactical philosophy, especially Coach’s observation that “possession is a loser’s stat.” He notes proudly that Hearts play “Old School Route One” soccer. Deep Diver didn’t understand what that meant but loved the locality of the phrase. John explained that Bobby doesn’t hold the ball like many clubs do. “His view is get the ball to other side of the field as fast as is humanly possible because that’s where you score goals.” Indeed it is, and it certainly seems to be working.