Noonan happy with his new crew

Columbus trade put him into first

COLUMBUS, OHIO - When the Revolution traded midfielder/forward Pat Noonan to the Columbus Crew Aug. 6, they owned the best record in Major League Soccer and were overflowing with talented forwards.

A month later, the Revolution were down to just one healthy forward on the senior roster and were trailing the Crew in the Eastern Conference.

Although a player such as Noonan could be helpful to the Revolution now, he played for the Crew last night. Noonan, who played the final 16 minutes of the Crew's 4-0 win last night and collected his first assist for Columbus, said he is not upset with the team he played with for five seasons.

"There's no hard feelings because I have a lot of good friends still on the team," Noonan said prior to the game. "It will be great to see them all, but I've moved on and they've moved on and now it will be fun to compete against them."

In Noonan's time with the Revolution, he was part of three trips to the MLS Cup championship and developed friendships with the coaches and players such as Taylor Twellman, Jay Heaps, Shalrie Joseph, and Doug Warren.

In January, Noonan and the Revolution couldn't come to an agreement on his contract and he was granted a free transfer to play with Aalesund FK of the Norwegian Premier League. But the arrangement didn't work as well as Noonan had hoped.

He played in 11 matches and was used sparingly in a system that was geared to getting the ball over the top to a 6-foot-9-inch forward, which didn't suit Noonan's style. Noonan said he and his fiancée were unhappy, and a return to the United States was a priority. He said the situation with the Crew has worked out well. He has been coming off the bench, but is working to earn more playing time.

A 'full' schedule
The lighter schedule for the Revolution means the days of full practice sessions can return. Although many may not look forward to full training sessions, the team began to miss the opportunities to scrimmage and develop detailed strategies. The last full session came so long ago that coach Steve Nicol couldn't remember when it was, although his players say it was just after the SuperLiga semifinal victory over Atlante July 30. Midfielder Jeff Larentowicz said the chance to hold full practices shouldn't be overlooked. "It gets you going completely," he said . . . The Revolution return to action Thursday against Chivas USA at Gillette Stadium. After that match, the Revolution will enjoy a nine-day break . . . Revolution Midfielder Wells Thompson made the trip to Columbus but was unavailable last night because of illness.

Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com.