Matt Miazga addresses suspension: 'I wasn't happy with what happened'

FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga reflected on the suspension he received for allegedly entering the referee room following the match against the New York Red Bulls on November 8, explaining "I wasn't happy with what happened and how things transpired".

Miazga played a controversial role in the playoff match against the Red Bulls, earning an initial yellow card for dissent after referee Victor Rivas had blown his whistle for full time, before being booked a second time when taunting opposing supporters in penalties. The referee cautioned the player after Miazga blew kisses and mouthed "I love you" to fans. 

Reports noted that following Cincinnati's celebrations on the pitch, Miazga entered an area reserved only for referees in an attempt to speak with Rivas. Though not much was said at the time of the incident, the Professional Soccer Referees Association, released a statement on social media that an unidentified player "was forcibly removed by stadium security while acting in an aggressive & hostile manner."

Miazga later received a suspension from the disciplinary committee for three matches and issued an undisclosed fine for his alleged misconduct.

The punishment also ordered Miazga to undergo a "a behavioral assessment through the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health (SABH) Program and may petition for a reduction in suspension based on continued commitment and compliance with any recommended treatment programs."

But the defender explained in an exclusive interview with 90min that "the people that truly know me, know who I am."

He explained: "I thought about this numerous times over the course of, you know, in the past, like two months is maybe a little less. And the reality is, you know, the verdict has been sorted, I got suspended. It is like, what can I do now? I can obviously go back and harp on it and, you know, say my side of the story to an extent and I know what truly happened from my point of view, but what's that really gonna do?

"I don't really need to kind of continue pushing this narrative or this, I guess topic because it's done now, the punishment given I had to deal with it as a man and move forward. Obviously I wasn't happy with what happened and how things transpired and I feel like the punishment was a bit too harsh, but nonetheless I'm taking responsibility for it, moving forward and there's no point in even going back on it because I'm gonna sound like a whiny little guy.

"I think we can all agree, you know, the people that truly know me, know who I am and I'm not too worried about what other people say. There can be some perception of me, you know, on the outside, you know, but I'm a passionate guy. I wanna win, I love to win. So I'm gonna do anything I can to obviously defend my team and keep playing as hard as I can."

Given the suspension, Miazga will miss the first match of the 2024 Major League Soccer campaign as FC Cincinnati takes on Toronto at TQL stadium.