It's official; Noonan traded to Columbus for cash, draft pick

As signaled last night by the Globe's Monique Walker, longtime New England Revolution forward Pat Noonan indeed returned to Major League Soccer and was dealt today to the Columbus Crew.

In the deal, the Revolution received money for acquiring future players and the Crew's first-round selection in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, the AP reported.

The Revs still had held the rights to the 28-year-old Noonan, who had been playing for Aalesund in the Norwegian Premier League after a transfer from the MLS. Noonan, the second highest scorer ever for the Revs, had appeared in 119 games over five seasons for the team..