Fabrice Noël

Early life and career in Haiti

Noël grew up poor in the village of Gressier, 12 miles west of Port-au-Prince. He began playing soccer at a very young age, taught by his mother and brothers. By the time he was 12 years old he was playing for the national team for 15-year-olds, and at the age of 16 he was one of the star players of Racing Club Haïtien, one of the country's most successful club teams. However, his skills and success ultimately brought tragedy. In November 2002, while Noël was in South Carolina taking part in an international tournament, he received a phone call from his mother, telling him that his two older brothers Luckner and Kenson had been shot to death. Their murders are thought to have been carried out by supporters of a rival club that he had refused to join. Noël was granted political asylum in the United States, but his parents and youngest brother were forced to go into hiding. After the ordeal, in late 2002, he went to live with a former coach in Palm Beach, Florida, and enrolled in Palm Beach Lakes High School. He joined the soccer team and quickly became the star, scoring 58 goals his senior season.

Colorado Rapids

Noël received many offers from colleges, but turned them all down, instead choosing to turn professional in order to raise the money to bring his family to the United States. While playing in a local tournament in February 2005, he caught the eye of Colorado Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo, who offered him a…

Noël made his debut for the Haiti national football team in an August 2006 friendly match against Guatemala. He was a Haiti squad member at the 2007 & 2009 Gold Cup Finals

With the help of the Colorado Rapids organization, Noël set up a fund, known as the Fabrice Noël Fund in order to raise money for his parents and brothers transport to the United States.

Puerto Rico Islanders

USL First Division Championship runner-up: 2008 Commissioner's Cup: 2008 CFU Club Championship runner-up: 2009