CINCINNATI – Pat Noonan kept it simple when announced Tuesday as FC Cincinnati’s head coach.
What You Need To Know
- Pat Noonan named fourth head coach in FC Cincinnati's MLS history
- Noonan served as an assistant in Philadelphia where he worked alongside current FCC GM Chris Albright
- FCC leadership acknowledged on-field struggles in the past and hope Noonan's success and knowledge of the league helps them get over the hump
- The first FCC home match of next season is set for March 5 against D.C. United
“I’m excited to get to work,” said Noonan, a longtime MLS player and assistant coach. He most recently served as an assistant for Philadelphia Union. That’s where he met Chris Albright, who left the club this October to join FCC as its new general manager.
“We are proud to introduce Pat as the new head coach of FC Cincinnati,” Albright said. “He has demonstrated a track record of coaching success and we are excited to bring his leadership to FC Cincinnati.”
Leadership and success are two things the Cincinnati franchise has struggled with in its first few seasons in Major League Soccer.
Since beginning MLS play in March 2019, FC Cincinnati has finished near the bottom of the league table each season. On-field struggles mixed with a combination of roster and front office changes have made it difficult to develop continuity.
Noonan is the fourth permanent head coach in FC Cincinnati’s MLS history including Alan Koch, Ron Jans and Jaap Stam. None of the three survived a full MLS season. Additionally, the team has had two interim head coaches during that time.
In September, FC Cincinnati fired Stam and promoted Tyrone Marshall – then head coach of the club’s U-19 academy team and future U-23 side – to interim head coach to finish the regular season. Two months earlier, they parted ways with general manager Gerard Nijkamp.
FCC also cut ties with assistant coach Said Bakkati, who came with Stam to Cincinnati in 2020, and Yoann Damet, who twice before served as interim head coach for FCC after the dismissal of a head coach.
Following Stam’s firing, team President Jeff Berding called FC Cincinnati an “ambitious club” with a main goal of “making Cincinnati a championship city.”
“We believe a change in leadership is in the best interest of the club at this time, and a new general manager will lead the search for a new head coach,” he said.
On Tuesday, Berding acknowledged that “we’ve come up short with our product on the field.” But he plans for that to change with this most recent round of hirings.
As part of the selection process, Berding said they were looking for someone with proven MLS experience, in part because of some of the “unique challenges” presented by the league. Most of those have to do with intricacies revolving around roster movements and the salary cap.
The club also wanted someone who could spark a fire within the franchise. FCC aims to create a club culture and on-field environment “worthy of our great ownership, our great fans, and this beautiful soccer-specific stadium.”
Berding said he believes they’ve found that in their new coach.
Noonan praised Cincinnati fans and the state-of-the-art TQL Stadium that opened in the West End neighborhood earlier this year.
Seeing the energy during pregame marches to the stadium and watching the stands come to life during games, even those in which the team’s performance may have been lackluster, showed Noonan what could be in Cincinnati.
He cited the United States vs. Mexico match played in Cincinnati in November as an example of that magic.
“We can make [TQL Stadium] the most difficult place to play in Major League Soccer,” Noonan said.
The search for its next head coach focused on candidates who had domestic coaching experience, had thrived in winning environments, and would align in what controlling owner Carl Lindner III called the “vision for FC Cincinnati.
“I believe we have found the best candidate for the job. We eagerly await Pat and his family joining us,” Lindner added.
Next up for Noonan is to work alongside Albright to evaluate the roster ahead of next season. The pair have a working relationship dating back four years in Philadelphia.
Albright served as technical director for Union and Noonan was an assistant coach under manager Jim Curtin. The Union had the best regular season record in 2020.
That history and familiarity with one another will allow them to “hit the ground running,” Albright said.
Before joining the staff in Philadelphia, Noonan served as an assistant coach under legendary coach Bruce Arena and the United States Men’s National Team from 2017 until 2018.
After his retirement as a player, he joined LA Galaxy’s coaching staff in 2013.
“It’s an honor to be named the head coach of FC Cincinnati,” Noonan said. He thanked club leadership for putting their faith in him. “I’m thrilled to take on this opportunity at FC Cincinnati and to get started.”
The Pat Noonan era will begin at TQL Stadium on March 5 in the home opener against D.C. United.
Meet FC Cincinnati's new coach
Born in Ballwin, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis, Noonan was a two-time All-American at Indiana University. He scored 48 goals in 91 college matches. The New England Revolution selected him ninth overall in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft.
Noonan got off to a hot start in his career, finishing as runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2003. A season later, he finished in a tie for MLS Scoring Champion. He was named to the MLS All-Star team in 2004 as well.
During his 10-year MLS playing career, Noonan won the MLS Cup twice, once with the Columbus Crew in 2008 and again with the LA Galaxy in 2012. He won back-to-back Supporters Shields with the Crew in 2008 and 2009, and he lifted the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup three times—in 2007 with New England, and then in back-to-back seasons with Seattle Sounders FC in 2010 and 2011.
Internationally, Noonan earned 15 caps for the USMNT, scoring one goal and helping his country win the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
He ended his playing career in 2012 with the Galaxy and immediately began his coaching career.