Matt Miazga is not FC Cincinnati’s best player. Never has been. And with Miles Robinson playing the same position, he may not even be the best center back on the 2025 roster.
But for the Orange and Blue to have a realistic chance at a deep MLS Cup playoff run, they need Miazga. They need his natural gifts for organizing defensive structure. They need the steadiness he supplies in the center of the backline. And, yes, they need the megaphone that is Miazga’s mouth, a weapon that can be used for both good and evil.
Three hundred and one days after he crashed into a goal post making a defensive recovery in San Jose, rupturing the posterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee, Miazga returned to the field in the 84th minute of Cincinnati’s 1-0 triumph last weekend at D.C. United. “It’s nice to see him back,” said FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan. “You could feel his energy in trainings, in meetings, certainly here on the road, on the flight, on the bus. It’s just a little bit louder, and there’s some good banter with him. And his presence is important.”
The numbers reflect Miazga’s value. FCC conceded a half-goal more per match following his injury in 2024. In the Supporters’ Shield-winning 2023 campaign, he started 27 league matches and was named MLS Defender of the Year. After he was acquired in August 2022, the Orange and Blue lost just two of their final 12 matches.
Miazga is essential, and his absence has been felt especially hard for the past two postseasons. Last season was out of everyone’s control. But in 2023 Miazga got himself suspended for the rest of the playoffs for on- and off-field antics following a Eastern Conference first round victory at the New York Red Bulls. FCC squeaked by Philadelphia in the next round, but Miazga had to watch as the Orange and Blue squandered a 2-0 second-half advantage in the East Final to Columbus. Oddly enough, Cincinnati has endured stretches sans Nick Hagglund—who returned to the pitch late last month—and Miazga simultaneously in each of the past three campaigns.
Miazga’s and Hagglund’s minutes will continue to be managed for the foreseeable future, but when factoring in Gilberto Flores, Teenage Hadebe, and Robinson, Noonan now has five starting center back options to select from. That list even omits Lukas Engel, who’s shown well in limited center back minutes.
Miazga’s return has implications for his national team ambitions, too. Once a regular for the Stars and Stripes, he has a chance to make a positive impression upon the coaching staff ahead of the 2025 Gold Cup (which begins in June) and the 2026 World Cup next summer. Miazga hasn’t suited up for the Americans since the 2023 Gold Cup and has seemingly been passed on the center back pecking order by younger players, but a sterling run of form could put the 29-year-old back in the mix.
As for Saturday’s tilt, the Orange and Blue logged more shots on target (5-2) than D.C. United but were edged out in expected goals (1.2-1). Dado Valenzuela, making his first start of the year, scored the tilt’s lone goal with a sequence of shot-creating brilliance.
That’s three wins on the bounce for Cincinnati, which is just two points back of unbeaten Columbus for the East’s top spot. Next up is a short road trip to Chicago Saturday evening before returning home on April 26 to take on Sporting Kansas City.
Grant Freking writes FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at @GrantFreking.
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