FC Cincinnati name Pat Noonan as new head coach

FC Cincinnati have named Pat Noonan as their newest head coach ahead of the 2022 MLS season, the club announced Tuesday. 

He joins the Eastern Conference club after spending the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Union. 

“We are proud to introduce Pat as the new head coach of FC Cincinnati,” Albright said in a release. “He has demonstrated a track record of coaching success and we are excited to bring his leadership to FC Cincinnati.”

Noonan also served as an assistant coach with the LA Galaxy and US men’s national team, working alongside now New England Revolution manager and sporting director Bruce Arena at both stops. 

“It’s an honor to be named the head coach of FC Cincinnati,” Noonan said. “Thank you to Chris, Jeff Berding, Carl H. Lindner III and the ownership group for putting their faith in me. I’m thrilled to take on this opportunity at FC Cincinnati and to get started.”

The recent appointment makes Noonan FC Cincinnati’s fourth head coach in their history. The club was previously led by Alan Koch, Ron Jans and Jaap Stam. Yoann Damet and Tyrone Marshall have both served as interim head coach for varying lengths of time.

“I want to welcome Pat to FC Cincinnati,” said Lindner, FC Cincinnati CEO and controlling owner. “The search for the next head coach focused on candidates who had domestic coaching experience, had thrived in winning environments and would be aligned in our vision for FC Cincinnati. I believe we have found the best candidate for the job. We eagerly await Pat and his family joining us."

The Orange and Blue hope the newest coaching change can make an impact on the teams standings after three consecutive bottom-of-the-league finishes since joining MLS as an expansion side in 2019.

This past season the team recorded only 20 points in 34 games, suffering a whopping 22 defeats.