Columbus Crew veteran Pat Noonan is back for his fourth time in the MLS Cup.
Noonan lost three MLS Cups with New England and is hopeful that he can win it with the Columbus Crew on Sunday.
Noonan has started all of his previous MLS Cups but is likely to start on the bench against the New York Red Bulls.
“I’ve been there but it never gets old. I still haven’t won one. Hopefully, this will be the year and I’ll finally get the first one,” he said.
“Obviously, I’d love to be out there in the starting lineup. That’s not the way it is right now. I’m going to be supporting the guys who are out there like they would for me.
“They’ve done a great job getting us to this point and so have the reserves who’ve come in when needed. It’s a team effort. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance late in the game if need be. If not, I hope it will be a victory for the Crew at the end of the day.”
Crew coach Sigi Schmid said: “Pat’s been great. For a player like himself, I know there’s a certain level of frustration because he hasn’t gotten on the field yet.
“His attitude at practice has been super. His attitude in the locker room and around the guys has been great. That experience he brings, having been there, the calm, the knowledge of knowing what’s going on is something that other guys can learn from and bank on.”
[Source: MLSnet.com]
