FC Cincinnati Signs U.S. Center Back Matt Miazga From Chelsea

Matt Miazga is on his way back to MLS.

FC Cincinnati signed the U.S. international center back on a free transfer from Chelsea just prior to the close of MLS’s secondary transfer window, ending Miazga’s time abroad—at least for now—after six loan-filled years. Miazga left the New York Red Bulls for Chelsea in January 2016 in a transfer worth a reported $5 million. He hardly featured for the Premier League side, though, making just two appearances for the Blues, both coming in his first half-season at Stamford Bridge.

Since then, he was loaned to Vitesse in the Netherlands, Nantes in France, Reading in England, Anderlecht in Belgium and Alavés in Spain, earning considerably more playing time but never truly increasing the likelihood that he would feature for his parent club. Now 27, with 22 U.S. caps to his name, Miazga is headed back to the league where he initially broke out, joining a team that’s in the mix to reach the playoffs for the first time in its history. For three seasons, FC Cincinnati has produced the worst record in MLS, but it currently sits tied with Charlotte FC and Inter Miami on points for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, trailing just on the total wins tiebreaker. Its 42 goals conceded are second-worst in the conference, however, and that’s an area where Miazga could certainly be of assistance. He is signed through 2025, with an option for 2026, with the use of Targeted Allocation Money.

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Given Miazga’s status on MLS’s allocation list (players joining or rejoining MLS subjected to the league’s allocation order due to meeting specific criteria), FC Cincinnati needed to use its place atop the allocation order to acquire him and now goes to the back of the line. FC Dallas would have occupied the top position, but it traded its spot at No. 2 to Toronto FC in a separate deal that allowed the Canadian club to re-acquire right back Richie Laryea on loan from Nottingham Forest (Toronto also traded general allocation money to Cincinnati in order to briefly leap to No. 1 to snag Laryea). The Chicago Fire are next in line to ascend to the top spot.

Miazga leaves behind U.S. teammate Christian Pulisic at Chelsea, and he’ll have the chance to go head-to-head against one of the Blues’ newest signings, with Fire goalkeeper and U.S. international Gaga Slonina heading to London following the end of the MLS season after signing a six-year deal with Chelsea this week. In Cincinnati, Miazga will team with a former U.S. center back in Geoff Cameron while playing for a club run by a pair of ex-U.S. internationals in general manager Chris Albright and coach Pat Noonan.

“Matt is a dominant defender that has a wealth of experience internationally and across numerous leagues in Europe,” Albright said in a statement. “But his knowledge of what it takes to compete and win in MLS, along with his high character and mentality, are what drew us to this opportunity. We feel he’s an excellent fit to the group that we’re building, and we are delighted to bring him to FC Cincinnati.”

As for Miazga’s U.S. World Cup prospects, it figures to take something significant to get Miazga back on Gregg Berhalter’s radar, even with a long-term injury to fellow center back Miles Robinson. He did not participate in World Cup qualifying, and his last appearance with the U.S. was as a substitute in the final seconds of the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in June 2021.