CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga has been suspended by the MLS, the league announced Wednesday evening.
Miazga has been suspended for three matches and issued an undisclosed fine. The suspension and fine come after Miazga committed misconduct following FCC's match agains the New York Red Bulls on Nov. 4, the MLS said.
"Matt made a mistake and now we suffer from it," said Pat Noonan, FC Cincinnati's head coach, in a press conference on Thursday. "Having said that, I think the punishment is way over the top for the actions that transpired. I think this is something that's unprecedented and, taking everything into account, I think this could have been a heavy fine and you try to keep your most important players on the field for key games."
Miazga will carry out the suspension through the remainder of the 2023 season during Cincinnati's run in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, with any remaining suspension served during the 2024 MLS regular season.
Miazga earned three yellow cards during the Best-of-3 round in the playoffs, causing him to be suspended during FCC's semifinal victory against the Philadelphia Union.
Currently, FC Cincinnati is set to play the Columbus Crew on Saturday in the Eastern Conference final match.
The defender will also have to undergo behavioral assessment through the Substance Abuse and Behavior Healthy Program. He is able to petition for a reduction in suspension based on his compliance with the program.
The MLS didn't specify what this misconduct was, but the Professional Soccer Referees Association, which represents the MLS' referees, said on social media that a player gained "unauthorized" access to the referee locker room after that game. That player had to be "forcibly removed" the union said.
The union didn't reveal what player did so but WCPO 9 sports anchor Marshall Kramsky saw Miazga leave an unmarked room at Red Bull Arena, visibly upset. He yelled "fine me!" before he was calmed by FCC team staff.
I don't know what happened behind closed doors, but this is what I saw at Red Bull Arena:
— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) November 7, 2023
As I was leaving FC Cincinnati’s locker room, Matt Miazga entered the hallway from another room. Miazga was visibly upset, and said something to the extent of "fine me". An FCC staff member… https://t.co/UZg6nogUjl
That lack of a clear narrative from MLS officials is something Noonan said should change.
"I also would love to see some, just some transparency and accountability with the officials," said Noonan. "I'm talking about it, at some point Matt's going to have the opportunity to talk about it. Let's have an official up here talking about what transpired so it's not just transcript, it's not just, you know, here's the report. I think we can move forward in a strong way if we have that as well."
After Noonan's press conference, The MLS Players Association issued a statement that took its own swipe at the way things have panned out for Miazga.
The MLSPA said it "condemns the behavior" of the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) and some of its members, citing that the match report approved by officials and statements made by the PSRA have "contained material falsehoods."
According to the MLSPA's statement, video footage made available during the disciplinary process showed that statements made by referees and the PSRA were false.
"In the meantime, no discipline has been announced for the referees for submitting a match report with multiple false statements and no discipline has been announced to address the stadium security breakdown that allowed the incident to occur in the first place," reads the MLSPA's statement.
Statement on the suspension of Matt Miazga. pic.twitter.com/4R7F9uS2qo
— MLSPA (@MLSPA) November 30, 2023
