FC Cincinnati center back Matt Miazga, recently voted the 2023 MLS defender of the year, will miss the Eastern Conference final and, if Cincinnati advances, MLS Cup due to suspension.
MLS announced Wednesday evening that Miazga would be suspended for three games, fined an undisclosed amount and must undergo a behavioral assessment through the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health (SABH) Program after entering the officials locker room following FC Cincinnati’s win over the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Nov. 4. Miazga can petition for a reduction in suspension based on continued commitment and compliance with any recommended treatment programs.
The Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA), a union that represents professional soccer referees in the United States, called for Major League Soccer to take action after a player had to be “forcibly removed” from the locker room. Last week, FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said details of Miazga entering the locker room had been “fabricated.”
“It’s an hour and a half after the game, he’s got a pizza box in his hand,” Noonan said. “I think people have this notion that he was in his cleats, running into that room. It’s been fabricated, what happened. That part’s also disturbing. Hopefully we can come to a conclusion that has him back on the field.”
The PSRA said the player gained unauthorized entry into the locker room and “acted in an aggressive and hostile manner” when security intervened.
“This is an unacceptable and, as we recall, unprecedented violation of league policy and sporting integrity,” the PSRA wrote in a statement. “We have urged MLS to take appropriate disciplinary action against the player and to remind all league participants that violations like this will not be tolerated.”
Sources told The Athletic that Miazga left the referee’s locker room with a member of Cincinnati’s staff and was not forcibly removed by stadium security. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Pat Brennan also reported Miazga was not removed by stadium security.
Miazga, according to two sources briefed on the matter, wanted to speak with referee Victor Rivas about the yellow cards he received at the end of the game against the Red Bulls, which did not result in a red card because one came during the penalty shootout, during which time they count separately. However, those two yellow cards, combined with the one Miazga received in Game 1 of the three-game series resulted in his suspension for Cincinnati’s conference semifinal match against the Philadelphia Union.
Miazga’s first yellow card of the game came from arguing with Rivas after a last-second game-winning goal from Luciano Acosta was disallowed. His second came after he made a spot kick in the ensuing penalty shootout. After scoring, Miazga made a heart sign with his hands and blew kisses to the Red Bulls supporters’ section, positioned directly behind the goal used for the shootout. The New Jersey native and former Red Bulls homegrown defender continued to do so after several fans reacted angrily, interpreting the gestures as a provocation. As Miazga lingered near the penalty spot, RBNY goalkeeper Carlos Coronel clashed with Miazga. The referee came to separate the pair and issued Miazga’s second yellow card.
MLS rules for the playoffs dictate that a player serve a one-game suspension if they accrue three yellow cards, with the record resetting before the conference finals.
FC Cincinnati beat Philadelphia, 1-0, on Saturday in the semifinals with Miazga watching from a suite. Miazga was seen on the field celebrating the win after the game, including in a video posted to MLS’s account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
That game does not count toward Miazga’s three-game suspension, as he missed that game due to the separate yellow-card suspension. Per the league’s press release, “the suspension will be served during the remainder of FC Cincinnati’s games during the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, with any remaining suspension served during the 2024 MLS regular season.”
GO DEEPER
Miazga entered referees locker room after win
(Photo: Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
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