Vermont Green FC defeated Portland Hearts of Pine 1-0 at Virtue Field on Tuesday night in the U.S. Open Cup First Round. David Ismail scored the lone goal for the Vermonters. Despite the weeknight arctic conditions, a capacity crowd was on hand to witness another unforgettable cupset in the Green Mountain State.
It was a long awaited fixture between two former tournament darlings and the first manifestation of a New England soccer rivalry that’s just starting to simmer. Fans from Vermont and Maine were on hand, bundled up with the temperature hovering around 19 degrees at kickoff.
Chris Taylor’s starting XI for the first match of 2026: Niklas Herceg in goal. Brandon Marshall and Egor Akulov at centerback, flanked by Riley Moloney and Shakir Nixon at left and right back respectively. In the center, Connor Miller and Tyler Caton were tasked with controlling the play. In the attack, Ryan Zellefrow played centrally with Andrew Millar and Marco Dos Santos on the wings. David Ismail started at center forward.
Portland started the match with intensity, taking immediate control of the ball and attempting to implement their aggressive, attacking style. Despite this, the Vermonters held firm and patient, absorbing much of the early pressure and finding their own moments to break out.
In the 40th minute, Connor Miller threaded a long ball through the Portland defense and onto the sprinting Marco Dos Santos, who uncorked a powerful shot that stung the palms of Hearts goalkeeper Hunter Morse. Ryan Zellefrow pounced on the rebound and skillfully flicked the ball back across the face of goal to a wide open David Ismail, who tapped the ball home with ease.
The central midfield triangle of Miller, Zellefrow, and Caton looked as if they’d been playing together for years, when in reality they met each other on Sunday, just 48 hours before kickoff.
The Green went into the locker room for a momentary relief from the brisk Vermont air holding onto a 1-0 halftime lead.
After the break, Taylor introduced Brendan Lambe, Philipp Schmidtke, Marcell Papp, and Nikos Clarke-Tosczak, each of whom added a spark off the bench.
For 45 minutes, Vermont took it to the professionals, creating most of their chances on the break. Andrew Millar put in a strong shift on the left wing, nearly breaking through and doubling the lead on two occasions. On the opposite wing, Dos Santos looked dangerous whenever he was on the ball.
Herceg faced one decently powerful shot midway through the second stanza, but it was right at the big German, who had a surprisingly uneventful evening.
Even when a minimum of three minutes of stoppage time was declared by the officials, the Green didn’t look fazed. They saw out the match in a composed and professional manner.
At the final whistle, the new-look Vermont Green had earned themselves a well-deserved victory. The newcomers to the squad were showered with adoration and maple syrup with the Green Mountain Bhoys and all of the Virtue Field Faithful who stuck through the bitter cold.
Vermont Green has advanced to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round for the second time in club history.
Lineups
Vermont Green FC — Niklas Herceg, Shakir Nixon, Brandon Marshall, Egor Akulov, Riley Moloney, Connor Miller (Philipp Schmidtke 72′), Tyler Caton, Andrew Millar (Nikos Clarke-Tosczak 72′), Ryan Zellefrow (Brendan Lambe 61′), Marco Dos Santos (Marcell Papp 78′), David Ismail.
Subs — Ryan Carney, Nikos Clarke-Tosczak, Sebastian Pop, Brendan Lambe, Nash Barlow, Philipp Schmidtke, Marcell Papp.
Portland Hearts of Pine — Hunter Morse, Ernest Mensah Jr (Mohamed Mohamed 65′), Serigne Faye, Kemali Green, Adam Armour (Zion Scarlett 77′), John Kamara, Diogo Barbosa (Matteo Kidd 65′), Michel Poon-Angeron, Masashi Wada, Aboubacar Camara (Emiliano Terzaghi 72′), Ollie Wright.
Subs — Esteban Espinosa, Georgallides Constantinos, Matteo Kidd, Mohamed Mohamed, Kashope Oladapo, Emiliano Terzaghi, Zion Scarlett.
Scoring Summary
VGFC: David Ismail — 40′ (assist from Ryan Zellefrow)
Discipline Summary
VGFC: 🟨 Ryan Zellefrow 25′
PHOP: 🟨 Ollie Wright 76′
Maple Man of the Match: Ryan Zellefrow
Referees: Gurhan Dolgun (R), Andre Carr (AR1), Jason Weischedel (AR2), Jay Vallieres (4th)
Weather: Bitter cold, 19°F
Attendance: 2,500+ (sold out)
Post Match Quotes
“That’s a really good team that we made look a little bit ordinary to be honest. That’s a credit to the players, not to disrespect Hearts.” — Head Coach Chris Taylor
Next Match
The U.S. Open Cup Second Round will take place on March 31 or April 1. The time, location, and opponent will be announced soon.
