Sigi Schmid and Pat Noonan won a championship together in 2008 with the Columbus Crew. The reunion, two years in the making, was made official today when the Sounders announced the signing of the 29-year-old forward.
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"I'm excited that Pat Noonan was available and we were able to sign him," Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said. "My experience with him was a very good one in Columbus. Pat is a good player who can play a number of different positions on the field, and is a very solid professional."
During the Crew’s championship run, Noonan played in all four of their playoff games during his 11 appearances. Despite seeing production decline since his MLS debut in 2004 (10 goals that year with a career-high 11 in 2005), the forward from Indiana University is currently ranked 20th among active players in goals with 40 goals and 32 assists in his 152 appearances.
If Schmid decides to play Noonan immediately, it will likely be up top to supplement the loss of injured forward Nate Jaqua. A more likely scenario would be to play Noonan off the bench as a late game substitute. This would allow the Sounders to bring Noonan slowly up to speed while getting minutes under his belt
With the arrival of Blaise Kufo this summer, expect to see Noonan lose minutes to the more productive Swiss-national player. Whatever his role becomes, Noonan will bring versatility, big-game experience and a veteran presence to the Sounders.
SOUNDERS NOTES:
The next Sounders game is Saturday, April 3 at Qwest Field at 7:30 p.m. with gates open at 6 p.m. The match will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel, KIRO 97.3 FM and Ke Buena 1210 AM.
The March to the Match will start at 6:30 p.m. in Occidental Park, four blocks from Qwest Field.
Metro will offer special shuttles between Qwest Field and the following park-and-ride lots: Northgate, South Kirkland, and Eastgate. The fair will be $5 cash and because it is a special event, ORCA cards and transfer slips will not be accepted.
Reach Galen Helmgren at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
