Pat Noonan
A cerebral forward turned architect of one of MLS's most explosive attacks, he rebuilt FC Cincinnati from a league joke into a champion.
Born 1980 (age 46)·American soccer coach & player·Birthday: August 8·Generation X
Biography
Pat Noonan's soccer life has been a study in intelligent adaptation. As a player, he wasn't the fastest or strongest, but his tactical awareness and precise finishing made him a key part of the New England Revolution's runs to multiple MLS Cup finals in the 2000s. That same soccer IQ defined his transition to coaching. After learning under Bruce Arena, Noonan was handed the monumental task of fixing FC Cincinnati in 2022, a club infamous for its historic ineptitude. He didn't just fix it; he transformed it. Installing a high-pressing, possession-based system, he unlocked the potential of players like Luciano Acosta and Brandon Vazquez. In just his second season, he guided Cincinnati to the Supporters' Shield, completing one of the most dramatic turnarounds in American sports history.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Pat was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Pat Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Pat's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the MLS Supporters' Shield as head coach of FC Cincinnati in 2023, the club's first major trophy.
- Named MLS Coach of the Year in 2023 after leading Cincinnati from the bottom of the league to the top.
- Scored 42 goals in his MLS playing career, including a career-high 11 for the New England Revolution in 2004.
Did You Know?
He played college soccer at Indiana University, winning the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship in 1999.
Noonan and his former Revolution teammate Taylor Twellman are brothers-in-law.
He earned four caps for the United States men's national soccer team between 2004 and 2008.
“The game is won in your head before your feet touch the grass.”
