Matt Miazga

Matt Miazga

Miazga with the New York Red Bulls in 2014
Personal information
Full name Matthew Miazga
Date of birth (1995-07-19) July 19, 1995
Place of birth Clifton, New Jersey, United States
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 20
Youth career
2009–2013 New York Red Bulls
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2013–2015 New York Red Bulls 34 (1)
2016– Chelsea 2 (0)
National team‡
2012 Poland U18 1 (0)
2013 United States U18 1 (0)
2014–2015 United States U20 8 (0)
2014– United States U23 3 (1)
2015– United States 1 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of April 9, 2016 (UTC).
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of April 2, 2016

Matthew Miazga (born July 19, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for English club Chelsea. Having come through the academy system of the New York Red Bulls, he made his debut in the 2013 Major League Soccer season and won two MLS Supporters' Shields with the team.

Club career

Youth

From Clifton, New Jersey, Miazga joined the New York Red Bulls Academy in 2009 at under-14 level.[1] While with the under-16 side Miazga helped the Red Bulls win the U.S. Developmental Academy National Championship in 2012.[1]

In 2013, Miazga had signed a letter of intent to play for the Michigan Wolverines men's soccer program.[2][3] However, prior to arriving in Ann Arbor to play for head coach Chaka Daley, Miazga turned down his scholarship offer to play for the Red Bulls at the professional level.

New York Red Bulls

Matt Miazga tackles Toronto FC's Jermain Defoe in June 2014

On May 30, 2013 it was announced that Miazga had signed a homegrown contract with the New York Red Bulls, becoming the eighth player to sign a homegrown contract with the franchise.[1] Miazga made his first-team debut at the age of 18 as a substitute for Markus Holgersson in the 76th minute of a 4–1 win at Houston Dynamo on September 8, 2013, and made his CONCACAF Champions League debut in a 1–1 draw against Montreal Impact on October 22.[4]

Miazga started playing more frequently during the 2014 season. He made two notable errors during the middle part of the campaign: a failed clearance that led to a goal for the Columbus Crew in July, earning the ire of teammate Thierry Henry, and a first-half red card against the New England Revolution the following month. Also in August 2014, he signed a deal with Nike and played in the Major League Soccer Homegrown Game.[5]

During the 2015 season, Miazga established himself as a starter on the club forming a partnership in the backline with Damien Perrinelle. He was sent off for two bookings in the first half of a 2–1 win over rivals New York City FC on May 10.[6] On June 28, he scored his first goal as a professional in a 3–1 derby victory over the same opponents at Yankee Stadium. He celebrated by pretending to swing a baseball bat; making fun of the fact that their rivals play in a baseball stadium.[7][8] Miazga was sent off for the second time of the season on September 25 in a 5–2 loss to Orlando City SC at the Red Bull Arena.[9]

After strong performances against NYCFC's David Villa and Toronto FC's Sebastian Giovinco, 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.[10][11][12][13] His strong defensive play throughout the 2015 season helped New York win their second Supporters' Shield in three years by having one of the strongest defenses in the league.[14]

Chelsea

On January 30, 2016, Miazga joined Premier League club Chelsea on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a reported £3.5 million ($5 million).[15][16] Three days later, he was given the number 20 jersey for the remainder of the 2015–16 campaign.[17]

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 in the first leg of the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.[18] With both John Terry and Gary Cahill injured, Miazga made his Chelsea debut starting in a 4–0 Premier League victory away to Aston Villa on April 2, 2016.[19]

International career

Miazga played one match for the Poland Under-18 team in 2012.[20] Since 2012, he has played only for United States youth teams.

In May 2013, Miazga played for the United States Under-18 side that participated in the 19th Annual International Juniors Tournament in Portugal.[21] 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 the senior level. In October 2014, Poland U-20 coach Marcin Dorna stated that he had not given up on Miazga and that the Red Bulls player might still play for his team.[22][23] Miazga played for the United States Under-20 team at the 2015 CONCACAF U-20 Championship and helped the team qualify for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.[24]

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.”[25] The following day, Miazga received his first United States call-up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers matches. [26] Miazga earned his first senior cap against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on November 13, 2015, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute in a 6–1 win at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.[27]

Personal life

During his time at the Red Bulls, Miazga lived with his parents Adam and Elizabeth in Clifton.[5]

Career statistics

As of April 9, 2016[28]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
New York Red Bulls 2013 Major League Soccer1000000010
2014 7000101090
2015 261402000321
Total 341403010421
Chelsea 2015–16 Premier League2000000020
Career total 361403010441

Honours

New York Red Bulls

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Red Bulls Sign Home Grown Defender Matt Miazga". New York Red Bulls. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Daley Adds 10 Signees, One Transfer for 2013 Season". Michigan Athletics. MGoBlue.com. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Matt Miazga Bio". Michigan Wolverines Athletics. MGoBlue.com. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  4. ↑ http://www.concacaf.com/category/champions-league/game-detail/203204
  5. 1 2 Stanmyre, Matthew (August 28, 2014). "NJ's Matt Miazga, Red Bulls rookie, living dream from mom and dad's at 19". NJ.com. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  6. ↑ "RED CARD: Matt Miazga is sent off in the first half after a second yellow card". Major League Soccer. May 10, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  7. ↑ Giocometti, Eric (June 30, 2015). "It's high, it's far, it is gone! Matt Miazga on his "Home run" celebration at Yankee Stadium". Major League Soccer. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  8. ↑ "MATCH RECAP: New York City FC 1, New York Red Bulls 3". New York Red Bulls. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  9. ↑ Chin, Jhamie (September 25, 2015). "Lions Deliver Commanding Performance to Defeat Red Bulls 5-2 and Record Third Straight Win". Orlando City SC. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Team of the Week (Wk 17): Darlington Nagbe, Matt Miazga shine during MLS Heineken Rivalry Week". MLSSoccer.com.
  11. ↑ "Team of the Week (Wk 19): Sebastian Giovinco's historic performance leads way in Week 19". MLSSoccer.com.
  12. ↑ "Team of the Week (Wk 20): Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane show why they are legends in 5–2 rout". MLSSoccer.com.
  13. ↑ "Team of the Week (Wk 23): MVP frontrunners make their cases as season enters home stretch". MLSSoccer.com.
  14. ↑ "New York Red Bulls win 2015 MLS Supporters' Shield". MLSSoccer.com.
  15. ↑ "Miazga move completed". Chelsea F.C. January 30, 2016.
  16. ↑ "New York Red Bulls Transfer Matt Miazga to Chelsea FC". New York Red Bulls. January 30, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Pato and Miazga given squad numbers". Chelsea F.C. February 2, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Matt Miazga makes Chelsea's bench for UEFA Champions League clash at Paris Saint-Germain". Major League Soccer. February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Aston Villa 0–4 Chelsea". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Przez półtora miesiąca zagrał dla Polski i USA". Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. December 19, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Under-18 Men's National Team Commence 10-Day International Trip to Lisbon". United States Soccer Federation. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Reprezentacja U-20: Cibicki i Miazga powołani". Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. September 25, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Miazga poza kadrą Polski. Dorna: Temat nie jest zamknięty". Przegląd Sportowy (in Polish). Ringier Axel Springer Polska. October 31, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Matt Miazga". U.S. Soccer. U.S. Soccer. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Matt Miazga: The Polish-American centre-back who's caught the eye of Chelsea". FourFourTwo.
  26. ↑ "New York Red Bulls Defender Matt Miazga Earns First Call Up To U.S. Men’s Senior National Team". New York Red Bulls.
  27. ↑ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - Matches - USA-St. Vincent / Grenadines - FIFA.com". FIFA.com.
  28. ↑ Matt Miazga profile at Soccerway

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