November 21, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – FC Cincinnati News Release
FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan has been named the 2023 Sigi Schmid Major League Soccer Coach of the Year, the league announced today. The second-year head coach of the Orange and Blue led the club to unprecedented heights in 2023, winning the Supporters’ Shield with a league-best 69 points and 20 wins.
FC Cincinnati’s on-field turnaround began immediately in Noonan’s first season in 2022 – when the club reached new heights including the club’s first MLS Cup Playoff berth and win – and the success carried over in an extraordinary way in 2023. Under Noonan’s direction this season, Cincinnati tied for the fourth-most points in a single MLS season and the most since the New England Revolution set the MLS record with 73 points in 2021.
This year, the club also became just the ninth team in league history to win at least 20 games in a single season (excluding the shootout era), including a league-high 13 home matches in 2023. Cincinnati matched the MLS record by winning their first 10 matches at home to start the season and concluded with a 13-2-2 record at TQL Stadium. With 41 points at home, the Orange and Blue tied for the fourth-most points in a season at home and their 13 home wins were tied for the second-most in league history.
Noonan’s team excelled in close games this season, as the club led MLS with 14 wins in one-goal games – the third-highest total in a single season in MLS history. FC Cincinnati dominated when scoring first, having an unbeaten 17-0-4 record when scoring the first goal in regular season play, three more wins than any other club. When leading at halftime, the club was 9-0-0, the most wins without any losses or draws in MLS.
The team also found success in adversity, holding the league’s best win percentage when allowing the first goal (3-5-4, .417 win percentage) and when trailing at the half (2-5-3, .364 win percentage). FC Cincinnati captured the most points in MLS this season after the 75th minute (12) while being the only team in the league not to drop any points from the 75th minute on.
Noonan is the 10th former MLS player to take home Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year accolades. He played under the namesake of the Coach of the Year award – Sigi Schmid – while with the Columbus Crew (2008) and Seattle Sounders FC (2010-11). Noonan also coached as an assistant under two different MLS Coach of the year honorees (Jim Curtin: 2020, 2022 and Bruce…
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