Matthew Miazga (born July 19, 1995) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays as a

center-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

club

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The ...

and the United States national team. Having come through the academy system of the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

, he made his debut in the

2013 Major League Soccer season The 2013 Major League Soccer season was the 101st season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, the 35th with a national first-division league, and the 18th season of Major League Soccer. The season featured 19 total clu ...

and won two

MLS Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 1 ...

s with the team.

Club career

Youth

From

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

, Miazga attended Clifton High School for one year before he left and joined the

New York Red Bulls Academy The New York Red Bulls Academy is the multi-layered youth system of the New York Red Bulls. It is the first cost-free program in Major League Soccer that provides a professional soccer training environment for youth players in the New York Tri-Sta ...

in 2009 at under-14 level. While with the under-16 side, Miazga helped the Red Bulls win the

U.S. Soccer Development Academy The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's mission ...

National Championship in 2012. In 2013, Miazga had signed a

letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a contract, legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a Heads of agreement ( ...

to play for the

Michigan Wolverines men's soccer The Michigan Wolverines men's soccer team is the intercollegiate soccer program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Histo ...

program. However, after offers from Europe and the New York Red Bulls, Miazga turned down his scholarship offer to play in college and signed with the Red Bulls at the professional level.

New York Red Bulls

On May 30, 2013, it was announced Miazga had signed a homegrown contract with the New York Red Bulls, becoming the eighth player to sign a homegrown contract with the club. Miazga made his first-team debut at age 18 as a substitute for Markus Holgersson in the 76th minute of a 4–1 win at

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

on September 8, 2013. Miazga started playing more frequently during the 2014 season. Also, in August 2014, he signed an endorsement deal with

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

and played in the

Major League Soccer Homegrown Game The MLS Next All-Star Game, formerly known as the MLS Homegrown Game, is an exhibition match between selected players in MLS Next Pro. Similar to events such as Major League Baseball's All-Star Futures Game, the National Hockey League's NHL A ...

. Miazga made his

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...

debut in a 1–1 draw against the Montreal Impact on October 22. During the 2015 season, Miazga established himself as a starter for the club, forming a partnership in the backline with

Damien Perrinelle Damien Perrinelle (born 12 September 1983 in Suresnes) is a French football defender. Career France Born in Suresnes, in the western suburbs of Paris, Perrinelle began his career in the youth system of Amiens and in 2004 joined US Créteil w ...

. He was sent off for two bookings in a 2–1 victory against

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned ...

in the first ever

Hudson River Derby The Hudson River Derby, also known as the New York derby, is the name given to the soccer local derby between the two teams based in the New York metropolitan area, New York Red Bulls and New York City FC. First played in 2015, the rivalry betwe ...

match on May 10. On June 28, he scored his first goal as a professional in a 3–1 derby victory over the same opponents at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

. He celebrated by pretending to swing a baseball bat, making fun of the fact that their rivals play in a baseball stadium. Miazga was sent off for the second time of the season on September 25 in a 5–2 loss to

Orlando City SC Orlando City SC is an American professional soccer club in Orlando, Florida, that competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL ...

at the Red Bull Arena. After strong performances against New York City FC's

David Villa David Villa Sánchez (; born 3 December 1981) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Villa is regarded by pundits as one of the best forwards of his generation, and one of the best Spanish strikers of all time. ...

and

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

Sebastian Giovinco Sebastian Giovinco (; born 26 January 1987) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a forward. A quick and creative player on the ball, Giovinco was a versatile forward capable of playing in multiple offensive positions. Gio ...

, Miazga became regarded as one of the best defensive players in the league and earned MLS team of the week appearances four times throughout the season. His strong defensive play throughout the 2015 season helped New York win their second

Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 19 ...

in three years by having one of the strongest defenses in the league. At the end of the season, the Red Bulls offered Miazga a

designated player The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap (either by offering the player higher wages or by paying a transfer fee ...

deal which would have made him one of the highest paid players on the team. However, Miazga turned down the offer, stating his desire to play in Europe.

Chelsea

On January 30, 2016, Miazga joined English

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a reported £3.5 million (US$5 million). Three days later, he was given the number 20 shirt for the remainder of the 2015–16 campaign. He was first included in a Chelsea matchday squad on February 16, remaining an unused substitute in their 2–1 loss at

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

in the first leg of the

round of 16 A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

of the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

. With both

John Terry John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He was most recently the assi ...

and

Gary Cahill Gary James Cahill (born 19 December 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Cahill began his career playing for the AFC Dronfield youth system in Derbyshire. In 2000, he joined the Aston Villa Academy an ...

injured, Miazga made his Chelsea debut starting in a 4–0 Premier League victory away to

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

on April 2, 2016. After an impressive debut, Miazga started his second match against Swansea City, but was substituted at half-time.

Vitesse (loan)

On August 31, 2016, Miazga was loaned to Dutch

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

club Vitesse for the 2016–17 season, after a deal with

Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...

fell through due to paperwork. On September 10, Miazga made his debut for Jong Vitesse in a 2–2 draw against SV Spakenburg in the

Tweede Divisie Tweede Divisie ( en, Second Division) is the highest amateur (and historically the lowest professional) football league in the Netherlands. It was established in 1956, together with the Eredivisie and the Eerste Divisie. Between 1956 and 1960 and b ...

The following day, he was on the substitutes' bench for the first-team against

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

, although he was an unused substitution as Vitesse lost 1–0. He made his Eredivisie debut on September 25, coming off the bench in the 64th minute and provided an assist to Lewis Baker in a 2–1 away defeat to

Twente Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germ ...

. On December 14, Miazga scored his first and only goal for Vitesse in a

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...

tie against Jodan Boys, which finished 4–0. He went on to win the Cup with Vitesse in his first season at the club by beating

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and ho ...

2–0 in the final. He played in every match of the successful cup campaign. On July 28, 2017, Miazga's loan spell at Vitesse was extended for the 2017–18 campaign.

FC Nantes (loan)

On August 6, 2018, Miazga joined

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

club

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

on a season-long loan deal. Miazga made his Ligue 1 debut on August 18, 2018, starting and playing 90 minutes in a 2–0 loss to

Dijon FCO Dijon Football Côte d'Or (; literally "Dijon Football Gold Coast"), commonly referred to as Dijon FCO or simply as Dijon, is a French football club based in Dijon. The club was founded in 1998 as a result of a merger between two local clubs in ...

Reading (loan)

On January 25, 2019, Miazga joined

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

club

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

until the end of the season after returning from Nantes. After a successful loan spell, Reading decided to loan him again for the 2019–20 season. On October 19, Miazga scored his first goal for

in a 1–0 win over

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

Anderlecht (loan)

On October 3, 2020, Miazga joined Belgian side

Anderlecht Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...

on loan until the end of 2020–21 season.

Alavés (loan)

On August 20, 2021, Miazga joined Spanish side Alavés on loan until the end of 2021–22 season.

FC Cincinnati

On August 5, 2022, it was announced that Miazga had returned to the United States, signing with MLS side

on a three-and-a-half year deal.

International career

USAvVEN 2019-06-09 - Matt Miazga (51171376945) (cropped)

Internationally, Miazga has represented the United States at under-14, 15, 18, 20 and 23 levels. He also played one match for the Poland under-18 team in 2012. In May 2013, Miazga played for the United States under-18 side that participated in the 19th Annual International Juniors Tournament in Portugal. In August and September 2014, Miazga turned down two separate call-ups to the Poland under-20 team. He cited previous commitments to the United States under-20 team and maintained he had not made a final decision about which nation to represent at senior level. In October 2014, Poland U-20 coach Marcin Dorna stated he had not given up on Miazga and that the Red Bulls player might still play for his team. Miazga played for the U.S. under-20 team at the

2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship The 2015 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship was an association football tournament that took place from 9 to 24 January 2015 in Jamaica. It determined the four CONCACAF teams that would participate at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. Q ...

and helped the team qualify for the

2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the twentieth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. The competition took place for the first time in New Zealand, the third time on Oceanian soil after ...

in New Zealand. Miazga was a standout performer at the 2015 U-20 World Cup, in which the Americans fell in the quarter finals to eventual champions

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

on penalties. On November 5, 2015, Miazga was quoted as saying, "I'm totally undecided. I'll wait to see who calls me first to the main national team and see what happens then." He received his first

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

call-up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches. He earned his first senior cap against

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...

on November 13, 2015, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute in a 6–1 win at

Busch Stadium Busch Stadium (also referred to informally as "New Busch Stadium" or "Busch Stadium III") is a baseball stadium located in St. Louis, Missouri. The stadium serves as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) f ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. On July 15, 2017, Miazga scored the Americans' third goal in a 3–0 win over

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

in the

2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF, and 24th CONCACAF regional championship ove ...

Personal life

During his time at the Red Bulls, Miazga lived with his

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

immigrant parents Adam and Elżbieta in Clifton. Miazga's idols are Carles Puyol and

Gerard Piqué Gerard Piqué Bernabeu (, ; born 2 February 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is considered one of the best defenders of his generation. Initially a highly promising student at La Masia, Piqué ...

. Miazga is a devout

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

who frequently makes reference to his faith in social media posts.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Miazga goal''.

Honors

New York Red Bulls *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Vitesse *

: 2016–17 United States *

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

CONCACAF Nations League The CONCACAF Nations League ( es, Liga de Naciones CONCACAF, french: Ligue des Nations de la CONCACAF) is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of CONCACAF, the ...

: 2019–20

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miazga, Matt 1995 births Living people Association football defenders American soccer players Polish footballers New York Red Bulls players Chelsea F.C. players SBV Vitesse players FC Nantes players Deportivo Alavés players Reading F.C. players FC Cincinnati players Major League Soccer players Premier League players English Football League players Eredivisie players Ligue 1 players La Liga players Homegrown Players (MLS) Poland youth international footballers United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's under-23 international soccer players United States men's international soccer players Clifton High School (New Jersey) alumni Sportspeople from Clifton, New Jersey Citizens of Poland through descent American people of Polish descent American expatriate soccer players Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in France American expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands American expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate footballers in Spain 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players Soccer players from New Jersey 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players