COLUMBUS -- The insurance policy named Pat Noonan has paid off for the Columbus Crew.
When Noonan expressed interest in returning to MLS after a short and unsuccessful venture to Norway, Columbus was anxious to add his depth and versatility. A deal with New England, his previous club for five seasons, was reached and the former Indiana University standout was traded to the Crew Aug. 6.
Since his debut on Aug. 16, he helped fill the gap when right midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo was winning an Olympic silver medal for Nigeria and most recently, he replaced Guillermo Barros Schelotto when the crafty playmaking forward went to the sideline with a strained hamstring that will cause him to miss a third consecutive game Saturday when the Crew face the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium.
Noonan has stepped in nicely. He scored the lone goal to rally Columbus to a 1-1 tie at Toronto on Sept. 13 and had the second assist on the Crew's final goal during 3-1 victory against New York Sept. 18 to run his point streak to three games. He also had an assist against his former club on Sept. 6 in Columbus.
Taking over the spot of a league MVP candidate in Schelotto is not easy but coach Sigi Schmid is thankful the Crew were able to obtain a talented veteran in Noonan.
"That's the reason we got Pat because we knew he play could that position. We knew he's give us depth," Schmid said. "It's exactly the reason we brought him in because he would be a very good option there, he might be the best option at that position and we're happy we did it."
The feeling is mutual. Noonan left the Revolution in January after deeming a new contract unacceptable. He landed in the Norwegian Tippeligaen with Aalesunds FK but a lack of playing time and injuries sent him to the conclusion that he was better off in MLS.
Shaking off a period of inactivity, Noonan went 58 minutes in his first Crew game then came off the bench for a total of 59 minutes in the next three matches. With Schelotto out, he started and played 78 minutes vs. Toronto and went 86 in the next match.
"I felt really good the last game against New York. It was good to get 80-some odd minutes out there. I felt good at the end, too, which was good," Noonan said. "The more you get 80-plus minutes, that's when you're game-fit and I'm getting there."
Schmid sees the improvement incrementally. "He's getting there. He'll be the first to admit to you he's probably 85-90 percent right now. It's always that last 10 percent that takes time, takes games. It's the sharpness and timing off your cuts, the timing of your passes. The more fine tuned stuff."
Noonan had to nurse a sore ankle this week but that won't prevent him from his first trip back to New England. He developed many friendships over the years while helping the Revolution to three consecutive MLS Cup Finals.
"It will be nice to catch up again. I obviously caught up with them from the first time we faced them here in Columbus," he said. "There's some old friends I'll say hello to and catch up to but for two hours you try to forget about it and try to win a game."
His first encounter produced a 4-0 Crew win and some on-field give-and-take with his former mates. He expects more of the same.
"I'm sure we'll have little conversations out there, pleasant or unpleasant. It will be forgotten about once the game is over but I'm looking forward to it,' he said.
How the fans will react is another story. Noonan made 110 starts and had 37 goals and 29 assists for the Revolution.
"I imagine there'll be some boos. That's how it always works," he said. "Hopefully, more cheers than boos."
Having spent so much time with New England leaves little doubt in Noonan's mind that Saturday's match will be physical.
"There's a lot of good players on that team. I liked to battle with (Jay) Heaps in training because we were pretty competitive. You go against Shalrie (Joseph). He likes to get in and get his hands in the mix. Those are the type of altercations you enjoy going against," he said. "They have good squad and they're talented all around. I'm sure I'll enjoy any of the battles and hopefully come away on top."
The Crew are atop the Eastern Conference by five points ahead of the Revolution and a win would go a long way toward sealing the title and the Supporters' Shield for the most points in the league. Columbus is the only team to have clinched a playoff spot, its first since 2004.
"It's an important chance to really push away with only a few games left and if we can go in and come away with three points that would be a big step for us," said Noonan. "It's going to be a big challenge for us, we know that. We've got to be ready from the opening whistle."
He and his teammates know the most recent meeting was less indicative of the Revolution than New England's 1-0 win in Columbus on My 24. The former came after a slew of league and international competitions that left the Revolution with no gas in their engine.
The real Revolution have a history of turning the play up a notch as the regular season winds down, much like the Crew are doing now on their 5-0-1 stretch.
"When you put a winning streak together and you're beating good teams home and away you get confidence and then you build on that confidence," Noonan said. "You expect to go in and win every game, which is what you need. Especially down that stretch run going into the playoffs you want to be winning games not losing games."
He noticed that the teams show some of the same traits.
"The similarities are the locker rooms. Both are great locker rooms where guys get along and enjoy playing with each other as well as the coaching staff. You've got a coaching staff that knows what they're doing," he said. "They have different approaches -- that might be one of the differences in how we prepare for games -- but they both know what they're doing. They both know how to win. It's a little more laid back here (in Columbus). Guys are very relaxed and enjoy being around the whole training atmosphere and hanging out in the locker room.
"There's plenty of similarities. That's why both teams are successful."
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