Ewing. Sajak. Henry. Stewart. Swayze.
The list of famous Patricks is long and illustrious, and on this St. Patrick’s Day, we thought we’d take a crack at ranking the best Patricks to ever play – or coach – in MLS.
Here’s our list. Let’s hope they’re all rocking some green today:
10) Patrick McLain
Now in his fourth year in MLS, Patrick McLain hasn’t seen much time in the league, recording just three career appearances with Chivas USA and the Chicago Fire. He’s now the third-string option for expansion club Minnesota United FC.
9) Patrick Doody
A Chicago Fire Homegrown, Patrick Doody has appeared sparingly in his first two seasons in MLS, recording just seven league appearances and spending much of his time on loan in USL. He’s yet to play in 2017, but he has been on the bench for both of Chicago’s first two matches.
8) Pat Phelan
A physical defender/defensive midfielder, Pat Phelan spent four years in MLS, recording 80 regular season appearances for some strong New England Revolution teams before moving to Europe after the 2011 season.
7) Patrick Vieira
The only coach to make our list, Patrick Vieira (pictured above) hasn’t been in MLS long, but he has made a big-time impact. The legendary former Arsenal and France midfielder took an NYCFC team that finished near the bottom of the league in 2015 and transformed them in his first year in charge, leading the club to a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference regular season standings. He needs a bit of work in the playoffs, but Vieira has NYCFC poised for another strong run this year.
6) Patrick Ianni
A two-time MLS Cup champion with the Dynamo and a Seattle Sounders MLS original, Patrick Ianni recorded 130 appearances and 98 starts in his nine-year MLS career. The center back’s most prolific year was 2010, when he made 25 appearances – 24 of which were starts – for Seattle, where he won three Open Cup titles. He also took the 2012 AT&T Goal of the Year award for one of the four career goals he ever scored – for this stunning scissor-kick effort:
5) Patrick Mullins
The 11th overall pick in the 2014 SuperDraft, Patrick Mullins got off to a bit of a slow start in MLS, but took the league by storm after being sent from NYCFC to D.C. United last July. The 25-year-old tallied eight goals and two assists in just 14 appearances for D.C. last season, taking his career totals to 18 goals and eight helpers in 68 regular season matches. He’s made an impact in the playoffs, too, providing the assist on New England’s goal that forced extra time in MLS Cup 2014, though the Revs would go on to fall to the Galaxy after 120 minutes.
4) Patrice Bernier
One of the more important figures in Montreal Impact history, Patrice Bernier (yeah, we know he’s not technically a “Patrick”) has only played five full seasons in MLS, but he’s made his presence felt. The longtime Canadian international has 13 goals and 23 assists in 126 regular season appearances with Montreal, and has been a hero for the club in the playoffs, playing a major role in the club’s 2015 and 2016 postseason runs. The 37-year-old has started both of the Impact’s matches thus far in 2017.
3) Patrick Nyarko
The D.C. United winger doesn’t garner a ton of press, but Patrick Nyarko has had a quietly effective MLS career. Now in his 10th year in the league, the 31-year-old Ghanaian has 23 goals and 47 assists in 224 career regular season games. He’s still going strong, too, recording four goals and eight assists in 26 appearances for D.C. last year and starting both of United’s first two matches in 2017.
2) Pat Noonan
Injuries prevented him from racking up a ton of appearances, but Pat Noonan was wildly efficient when he was on the field. Now an assistant coach with the US men’s national team, Noonan racked up 42 goals and 33 assists in just 183 MLS regular season appearances during his 11-year career. A three-time US Open Cup winner and two-time MLS Cup champion, Noonan earned 15 caps with the USMNT.
1) Pat Onstad
A three-time MLS Cup champion and two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and Best XI selection, Pat Onstad is one of the more decorated goalkeepers in MLS history. The Canadian recorded 223 regular season starts in his nine years in the league, posting an all-time record of 93-59-70 and recording 64 career shutouts before retiring following the 2011 season. Now an assistant with Columbus Crew SC, the 49-year-old led San Jose and Houston to their titles in 2003, 2006 and 2007 and was capped 57 times by Canada, helping the country to the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup championship.
