Pat Noonan takes blame for FC Cincinnati's shortcomings vs Columbus Crew

FC Cincinnati fell short in the Eastern Conference final vs Columbus Crew despite holding a 2-0 lead at half-time, inspiring head coach Pat Noonan to take the blame for his team's postseason exit.

The Orange and Blue were 2-0 up at the break thanks to goals from Brandon Vazquez and MVP winner Lucho Acosta, but it wouldn't be enough as the visiting Crew came storming back. An Alvas Powell own and an 86th minute strike from Diego Rossi forced extra time at TQL Stadium.

Christian Ramirez was the hero once again for the Crew, doing exactly what he did one week ago by coming off the bench in extra time to score the go-ahead goal for his side.

Even with the commanding lead after the first 45, where many would expect the winning team to see the result out, Noonan still chose to not blame his players but instead point the finger at himself.

"Guys gave everything, but they just wore us down," the 2023 Coach of the Year said.

"The guys gave everything. I cannot fault them. There were things that I could have done better to manage that situation."

Cincinnati's dominant 2023 campaign comes to an end, but Noonan is already thinking about how he can move on and improve for the 2024 season when there will be heightened expectations for the 43-year-old's third season in charge.

"I'll look back at it and probably blame none of those players ... they gave everything, and I'm proud of them for that. I'm disappointed for them for everything they put into this season to be able to position themselves to play in a Cup final. ... I'll take a look at myself first and see how I learn from this and how we get this right in the future," he said.

Noonan has completely transformed this Cincinnati side in such a short amount of time, lifting them from the basement of the Eastern Conference to back-to-back postseason appearances and coming so close to playing their first ever MLS Cup final.

Cincinnati, who brought home the 2023 Supporters' Shield and qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup for the first time ever, will hope to build on their recent success and go one step further in 2024.

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