FC Cincinnati’s Pat Noonan Named 2023 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year

Noonan earns first-career Coach of the Year honors after leading FC Cincinnati to 2023 MLS Supporters’ Shield title

NEW YORK (Tuesday, November 21, 2023) – Major League Soccer today announced FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan as the 2023 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year, becoming the first in club history to capture the award. In his second season, Noonan led FC Cincinnati to unprecedented heights, winning the Supporters’ Shield and finishing atop the Eastern Conference with a team-best 69 points and 20 wins.

• Download footage of Pat Noonan receiving news of the award HERE
• Download Pat Noonan Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year media assets HERE

Under Noonan’s direction, 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. 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 won the 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.

FC Cincinnati also excelled during close games in 2023, as the club led MLS with 14 wins in one-goal games – the third-highest total in a single season in MLS history. Additionally, they closed matches better than any other team in the league this season, capturing the most points in MLS after the 75th minute (12) while being the only team in the league not to drop any points from the 75th minute on.

Noonan also guided a squad that featured the most All-Stars in club history with three representatives – midfielders Luciano ‘Lucho’ Acosta and Álvaro Barreal and defender Matt Miazga.

Announced as the club’s sixth head coach on December 14, 2021, Noonan has guided the club’s on-field transformation which culminated with the club’s first trophy this season – the Supporters’ Shield – on Saturday, September 30. In claiming the Supporters’ Shield, Cincinnati made history across the five U.S men’s professional leagues (MLB, MLS, NBA, NHL, and NFL), as they became the first team across these five leagues to finish last in three consecutive seasons before winning a regular-season title within the two years that followed. They are also just the fourth team in the history of the five leagues to have finished last in their league in three consecutive seasons and countered with a winning season in either of the two years that followed. As the Supporters’ Shield winners, the Orange and Blue also qualified to compete in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup for the first time in club history.

Noonan, who arrived in Cincinnati after four seasons as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Union, has coached under two different MLS Coach of the Year honorees: Jim Curtin (2020, 2022) and Bruce Arena (1997, 2009, 2011, 2021). A ten-year MLS veteran who appeared in 183 career games and recorded 42 goals and 33 assists, Noonan is the 10th former MLS player to take home Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year accolades. He also 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 and FC Cincinnati look to continue their sensational season as they welcome the Philadelphia Union to TQL Stadium in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 25 (8 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).

The 2023 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year award honors the best head coach in MLS during the 2023 regular season. The award was voted on by MLS club technical staff, media, and current MLS players. Below is a breakdown of the voting results, with Noonan edging out St. Louis CITY SC’s Bradley Carnell and the Columbus Crew’s Wilfried Nancy for the honors.

A full list of previous Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year award winners can be found below: