PORTLAND — Being loaned to a new team in the middle of a season is a disruption. It can also be an opportunity.

Both Diego Gonzalez and Dylan Sing happily accepted moving to Portland to join the Hearts of Pine on a temporary basis, and the result has been a boost to the team’s offense.

Gonzalez, a creative midfielder, has four goals in six games since coming to Portland on a season-long loan from the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. The 23-year-old Houston native had been with the Dynamo organization since joining the MLS club’s youth academy when he was 13.

“I wanted to explore something different, see what it was like,” said Gonzalez, who met with Portland coach Bobby Murphy in Houston prior to agreeing to the move.

Sing, 25, is a sturdy 6-foot-3 striker in his third pro season. He headed in his first goal for Portland last Friday in Boise, Idaho, to open the scoring in what would be a 2-1 USL League One loss.

“I had conversations with Bobby and had conversations with Indy Eleven and ultimately decided to come out here,” Sing said.

Gonzalez captained the Dynamo 2 squad in MLS Next Pro and was an all-league performer in 2024. But after an injury in 2025 limited him to seven games, he anticipated a move to a new franchise could happen in 2026.

“This was the plan we had and when it came up, it was, ‘let’s do it.’ And it helped more that Bobby came and saw me in person,” Gonzalez said.

Murphy and the Hearts’ analytics team targeted both Gonzalez and Sing to fill specific roles. Gonzalez has been able to provide a fluid, attacking presence across the width of the pitch, something the team has missed since Masashi Wada broke his leg in the home opener.

At 6-foot-3, Sing provides an up-top target at striker with strength and size, another missing piece since Titus Washington went down with a knee injury in May.

“We know guys we like and we can crunch numbers and see who fits us. Then we go and see how much they’re playing for their club and then reach out and see if they’re available for loan,” Murphy said.

Sing was in his first season with Indy Eleven in the USL Championship after leading Charlotte FC’s MLS Next Pro squad, Crown Legacy, in scoring in 2024 and 2025 with eight goals each season.

He had appeared in eight of Indy Eleven’s 11 league matches (plus five more in USL Cup and U.S. Open Cup) and scored two goals, one as a starter, one after coming in as a reserve. Not a bad first year in the second-tier of American professional soccer. USL League One (and MLS Next Pro) are third-tier leagues.

After starting Indy’s first three USLC matches, the former Western Michigan University standout from St. Joseph’s, Michigan, had seen his role change to late-game reserve. He played in five of the next eight matches, totaling 63 minutes. So far in Portland, he’s entered as a reserve in two league matches and started in the USL Cup penalty kick win against the New York Cosmos.

“I wanted to obviously play and help the team, but Bobby did a really good job of letting me know what the community does for the team and what we mean to the community,” Sing said. “And ever since I’ve been here, the fans have been absolutely fantastic. I’ve been smiling ear-to-ear.”

Sing came to Portland knowing two members of the team. Assistant coach Alex Ryan coached Sing in 2022 when he played for the Seacoast United USL2 team. In the fall of 2022, Sing played with Hearts goalie Hunter Morse, another Michigan native, who transferred to Western Michigan from Michigan State.

Gonzalez’s loan agreement is good through the end of the season. Sing is on a short-term loan through August.

“There’s a mutual possibility of extending Dylan’s loan,” Murphy said. “We’re not going to wait until the end of August to make a decision on whether he stays or goes.”

Portland hosts Union Omaha at 7 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN+) at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

Union Omaha (10-5-2) is just a point behind league-leader One Knoxville. Portland earned a 2-2 tie in Nebraska on May 9.

At the halfway point of its season, Portland (5-6-5) is 10th in the 17-team league with 20 points. The top eight teams make the playoffs. Forward Madison, which has played only 14 matches, and Spokane currently hold the final two playoff spots with 26 points.

Portland finishes the month with a pair of exhibition games against USL1 foe Sarasota Paradise. The teams meet in Portland at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, then play again Wednesday in Florida.