CINCINNATI – Rest assured, FC Cincinnati fans, Pat McMahon promises not to cut his hair until after the season.

The FCC defender’s popularity seems tied to his man bun as much as to his aggressive play on the pitch. But McMahon, whose rugged look is completed by a full beard, has proven worthy of attention regardless of his hair style.

McMahon won a United Soccer League title in his second season with the Rochester Rhinos last year – with a much different look – and is trying to do the same in Cincinnati. FCC (12-4-6) hosts his former team Wednesday in a game that could put potentially lock up a playoff berth with one month left in the regular season.

"I think his hair is some kind of power source,” FCC coach John Harkes joked. “The more hair he has, the better he plays.”

Harkes could be on to something, but only time will tell. McMahon had a short-hair, sometimes clean-shaven look during his first USL season in 2014 and helped Rochester to a 10-9-10 finish and a first-round playoff appearance.

Before coming to FC Cincinnati, defenseman Pat McMahon helped the Rochester Rhinos reach the postseason for two straight years. That was with short hair. In Cincinnati, he adopted a new look with his new team. (Provided | James Stokesberry)

Last season, McMahon had a beard, mustache and slightly longer hair, and his team cruised to a regular-season championship before backing it up in the playoffs for the overall league title.

McMahon, whose hair is now to his shoulder, has played in 21 of FCC’s 22 league games, starting as an outside back and helping a defense that allows just 0.9 goals per game. Cincinnati sits in third place, eight points behind the first-place New York Red Bulls II (which has played 23 games) in the Eastern Conference. Rochester (10-5-9) is in sixth place.

McMahon doesn’t correlate his hair to his success on the field. He just keeps it for the fans now.

"I grew my hair out in college, and then I’ll cut it every once in a while,” McMahon said. “I’ll usually go through (cycles) – grow the beard out and then trim that. I’m thinking about cutting my hair off after the season, but I guess some of the fans love it, so I’ll wait. I’ve got to save it until the end.”

The shift back to the long-hair style just happened to coincide with a change he made professionally. At the end of last season, his contract ended with the Rhinos, who are now under new ownership, and McMahon wanted to pursue other opportunities.

Cincinnati seemed like a chance for him to accomplish his goal of another championship.

"I was ready to make a change, and we had such a good year, that allowed me to be seen a little more than if I was on a different team maybe,” McMahon said. “I had been in Rochester two years, and I knew the setup here was going to be good. It was closer to home (in Chicago), so it was the perfect fit.

"You never know how long it’s going to take to find that chemistry and how the team is going to interact, but I knew based on their initial recruiting and things, they were getting guys with more experience and people who have been in MLS or USL before, so guys knew what to expect from the league. Going from a winning team, I just wanted to bring that experience here, and I feel like we’re on a good track here.”

Coming to Cincinnati did mean changing the way he was used to playing. Rochester is a team that likes to sit back on defense, whereas Harkes moves his defenders up into the attack as often as possible.

McMahon, who has one goal and one assist, admits he could do more offensively, but Harkes had no complaints about the production he gets from the 29-year-old defender.

"We’re asking a lot of Pat because, to be fair, we play out of the back a lot more than Rochester,” Harkes said. “They don’t like to distribute the ball through their lines, and we do. So, we’re asking a lot of Pat and all our backs to be a playmaker at times. It’s an adjustment, but he’s doing well.”

FC Cincinnati’s Pat McMahon leaps up to head the ball during the FC Cincinnati vs. Richmond Kickers game at Nippert Stadium on June 4, 2016. (Phil Didion | WCPO contributor)

McMahon has come a long way since his highly successful college days at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where he set a program record for consecutive starts with 85 between 2005 and 2008. He graduated with a degree in business in May 2009 and didn’t sign his first professional soccer contract until August 2013, when Swedish club Ljungskile SK picked him up for the end of its season.

The 2008 All-Horizon League defender had played semi-pro soccer in Australia with Wynnum District SC for two seasons before that, and he credits his international experience for jump-starting his career.

"It was a good experience traveling and playing with some people you normally wouldn’t get a chance to play with and experiencing some different styles of play, and also just going out and getting game time,” McMahon said. “Being on your own, I think I learned a lot more individually, off the field. But then again, because I was by myself, I was more committed to actually playing and getting better and working with other players in individual sessions.

"Having that distance from what I’ve gotten back home gave me that time and separation to focus on what I needed to work on. It was definitely helpful to make sure I keep moving forward.”

McMahon moved back to the States for his next jump professionally with the Rhinos and made 50 appearances in his two seasons in Rochester.

He said it was good to see his old team July 6 when FCC traveled to Rochester for the first matchup between the clubs. FCC lost 2-1 to end an 11-game unbeaten streak. He looks forward to a better outcome this time.

Harkes is hoping McMahon’s championship experience last year helps his team down the stretch as FCC makes a push for second place, which would guarantee two playoff games at home. FCC is five points behind Louisville City, which has played three more games.

"He’s always been a competitor, plus he brings great experience,” Harkes said of McMahon. “When you win a championship, there’s a certain experience you go through, and that lends to your mentality and then it becomes part of the fabric of who you are. He is starting to bring that to the guys, and he does it in a quiet way, which works for him.”

McMahon describes himself as a low-key guy off the field. He enjoys coffee, biking when he gets time, cooking, listening to music – he even has a record player – and he is trying to learn to play guitar, too.

On the field, McMahon likes that he can transform into a different person.

"I’m hard-working,” he said. “I try to be clean on the ball, get it and move the ball. I’m not the most technically skilled player offensively going forward, so I try to get it to guys who can do that and support the play. On the field, I’m a little more aggressive, and off the field, not-so-much. I like that soccer can be my outlet that way.”

His competitive demeanor, which has resulted in four yellow cards this season, could be a big difference for Cincinnati as it embarks on the final month.

"I still have some years left in me, and I want to win another championship,” McMahon said. “I think we’ve got the pieces in place to do it, so I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t be this season.”