HANOVER, N.J. – Ever since he was a young boy, there was never a doubt in his mind: Matt Miazga was going pro.
“It was all soccer all the time,” Miazga said of his childhood. “My parents are both from Poland and that’s all they play over there. Since I was six years old it was soccer, soccer, soccer.”
Growing up, Miazga wasn’t interested in joining the neighborhood kids in other sports – one look at this home run swing goal celebration from the Red Bulls’ win at Yankee Stadium would tell you as much. The first-generation American was always drawn to the world’s game, first learning the sport in his backyard in in Clifton, New Jersey. Now the 20-year-old plays just up the road at Red Bull Arena, where he’s become a mainstay in the center of New York’s back line with 19 appearances – including 17 starts – this year.
“I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity,” Miazga stated. “To play for my hometown club is amazing. Since I was 13 coming up through this system, the dream for every kid in the academy was to make it to the first team, to make it professionally. To be one of those kids to have my dream come true is an amazing feeling.”
Since joining the Red Bulls academy in 2009, the young defender has experienced a meteoric rise through the ranks en route to his current standing as a first-team regular. From appearing in just seven games last year to bottling up the likes of David Villa, Kaká and Sebastian Giovinco this season, Miazga’s progression has been staggering. The combination of his height, passing ability and composure has always made him stand out, but in 2015, the central defender is putting it all together.
“It’s happened quickly,” Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch said. “I said from the beginning that we were going to really help him establish himself. I think that the veterans have been very good with him and provided him with the opportunity to be successful.”
Miazga made sure not to get ahead of himself during his time with the academy. But when the training stints with the first team became the rule as opposed to the exception, his dreams started feeling more like a reality.
“Once I started training with the first team when I was 16, I thought I could compete with them and make an impact,” Miazga said. “I knew I could make the next step. Then when I was 17, I started to get even more opportunities to play with the reserves and train with the first team.”
Miazga’s success this year has not been limited to the club stage; he’s been strong on the international scene, too, turning in good performances for the US in June's FIFA U-20 World Cup.
He was one of the most impressive players of the tournament in New Zealand, helping the US to the quarterfinals before they bowed out in a penalty shootout to eventual champions Serbia. He didn’t take the chance to represent his country lightly, and the experience has left him craving more.
“It’s an honor to represent the USA at the World Cup and be seen as one of the best players in the country,” Miazga said. “I thought we were a bit unlucky to lose on penalties, but everyone had a good showing. We formed a brotherhood with that team, there was a lot of passion and we fought to the end. Not the ending we wanted, but really a dream come true.”
For Miazga, the dreaming doesn’t stop there. As one of the top players in his age group, some have begun wondering if Miazga deserves a shot with the Olympic or senior teams, the next logical progression in his development. As the 2018 World Cup cycle is just getting underway, the door may just be open for a fresh face to step in and make an impact. But for now, the defender is making sure to take it one step at a time.
“The goal is to get a call-up eventually, but I just have to focus on playing with the Red Bulls,” he said. “If it comes, it comes, and it would be great; I would love to take that opportunity. Everyone’s dream is to compete in a [senior level] World Cup, and it’s certainly one of mine. I’m just working hard to make that happen.”
But if Jurgen Klinsmann is to acquire his services, the USMNT head coach may have to act quickly. Given his lineage through both parents, Miazga is also eligible to represent Poland. Despite feeling a great deal of national pride for the US and representing his home country at various youth levels, Miazga is keeping his options open for his international future.
“You never know what happens in football,” he said. “I’m still young, so who knows what will happen. I’m definitely keeping the doors open, but I’m leaning towards the US. My next goal is to make the Olympic qualifying team, so we’ll see what happens.”
For all of the fanfare that has recently surrounded Miazga, the Red Bulls are doing everything they can to keep their promising defender grounded. While dreams of international soccer are on the minds of all top talents in MLS, Miazga’s journey is not nearly complete.
“Matt deserves a lot of credit,” Marsch said. “He’s taken this opportunity and known that we want him to be successful. He’s given everything he has into it and now he’s in a good place.
“But he’s still got a long way to go. We all see the starting points and the progress that’s been made, but we all know that in order for him to ultimately get to where we know he can get, he’s got to continue to push himself every day.”
A former US national team assistant under Bob Bradley, Marsch knows just what it takes to succeed at the highest levels of world soccer. And the Red Bulls boss isn’t shy when it comes to talking up the potential of his young center back.
“His starting points are very high – everything from his mentality to his awareness to his athleticism – means his ceiling is very high,” Marsch said. “I think in many ways he’s been one of the best defenders in the league this year and should be considered in that echelon.
“It’s about making sure that he continues to push himself, because the moment he stops to feel good about what he’s done, that’s when you start to slip and interrupt the progress that’s being made. He’s done well and we’re proud of him. He’s a big player around here now, but there’s still so much more to go.”
For his part, Miazga has done an admirable job of staying in the moment. Whether it’s thanks to his teammates and coaches tempering their praise or his own maturation, Miazga insists he’s only focused on one thing this year: helping the hot Red Bulls lift their first-ever MLS Cup.
“Outsiders’ expectations of us weren’t so high,” Miazga said of the tone in preseason. “Jesse and Ali [Curtis, RBNY’s sporting director] came in and set the tone right away. I wouldn’t say it’s been great; it’s been more than great. We have a great system here. Everyone buys into it, everyone believes in it and we worked our [butts] off from day one. It’s showing now, but we still have that chip on our shoulder.
“We haven’t achieved anything yet, so we’re going to continue to work harder than everyone else.”
