FC Cincinnati's Matt Miazga named MLS Defender of the Year
The postseason awards continue to roll in for FC Cincinnati, and the latest is a big one as center back Matt Miazga was named Defender of the Year.
A voting process involving Miazga's peers, club officials and media members saw Miazga named Defender of the Year for the first time. In winning the honor, which was announced at 10 a.m. Monday, Miazga became the first FC Cincinnati player to win one of Major League Soccer's major, individual year-end awards that is voted on by players, teams and media.
The awards FC Cincinnati had already stacked up including Luciano Acosta's Goal of the Year and Roman Celentano's Save of the Year are noteworthy but considered secondary to the likes of the annual recognition for the best defender, goalkeeper, coach, young player, most valuable player, and others.
Breaking down the vote
In the final voting tally for Defender of the Year, Miazga received 25.45% of the total vote compared to second-place St. Louis City SC center back Tim Parker's 10.46%. Among players, Miazga received 16.56% to Parker's 19.11% but Miazga buoyed his overall percentage via the voting by club officials (Miazga's 26.8% to Seattle's Yeimar Gómez Andrade at 7.32%) and media (Miazga's 32.95% to Yeimar's 16.7%).
Miazga's place in MLS history
In winning Defender of the Year, Miazga lodged an important place in MLS history as the award has been presented since the inaugural MLS season in 1996. He now stands among MLS greats including Eddie Pope, Jeff Agoos, Peter Vermes, two-time winner Carlos Bocanegra, three-time winner Chad Marshall and more recent greats like two-time winner Walker Zimmerman and 2022 honoree, Jakob Glesnes.
More: Here's the date and time for FC Cincinnati's next MLS Cup playoff match
Miazga arrived to FCC during the secondary transfer window in 2022 and in 2023 helped turn the club's defense around. Cincinnati conceded 17 fewer goals year-over-year and tied for fifth in MLS this season with 39 goals allowed.
In the 36 games he was on the field for Cincinnati in 2023, the Miazga-led defense allowed just 35 goals (0.97 goals per game). He started 12 games in which the club held their opponents scoreless, and his 10 MLS regular season clean sheets are tied for the fourth-most among outfield players in the league.
Recent news on Miazga
Unfortunately, there's a cloud hanging over Miazga's award. It's a deserved honor for a full regular season of hard work and success but Miazga received it in the midst of an ongoing postseason controversy.
Miazga is set to be suspended for the club's Nov. 25 Eastern Conference semifinal matchup for postseason yellow-card accumulation. The Professional Soccer Referees' Association (PSRA), the referees' union, lobbied on social media last week for additional punishment, too, after alleging Miazga's involvement in a post-match incident following the Nov. 4 game against New York Red Bulls.
The MLS launched an investigation into the PSRA's allegations. MLS hasn't updated the status of the investigation since Tuesday. PSRA has not responded to an Enquirer request for comment and further information.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: FC Cincinnati's Matt Miazga named MLS Defender of the Year
