Fabrice Noël (born July 21, 1985 in Gressier, Haiti) is a Haitian soccer forward, who plays for the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL Division One.
Fabrice grew up 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 Haitien, 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 murderers are thought to have been supporters of a rival club that Fabrice had refused to join. Fabrice 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.
He received many offers from colleges but wanted to earn a pro contract 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 contract after he graduated high school. On June 24, 2005 it was made official and Fabrice signed with the Rapids. He made his debut less than a month later on July 20 against the San Jose Earthquakes, and scored his first goal in the season finale against Real Salt Lake.
With the help of the Colorado Rapids organization, Fabrice has set up a fund, known as the Fabrice Noël Fund in order to raise money for his parents and brother's transport to the United States.
During the 2007 MLS pre-season, the Rapids waived Fabrice and Noel signed on with the Puerto Rico Islanders. Fabrice scored the only goal in the two-legged 3rd place match in the CFU Club Championship 2007 - this victory enabled the Islanders to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League 2008–09.
Noël made his debut for Haiti in August 2006 friendly match against Guatemala. He was a Haiti squad member at the 2007 Gold Cup Finals.
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