Miazga!

Grant Wahl believes that Miazga is looking to move abroad sooner rather than later...

http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/09/30/giovinco-miazga-mls-usmnt-messi-volkswagen?xid=nl_siextra

 

We will see, but i is clearly the elephant in the room.

 

The short answer is they all are. Every player of any talent is looking to play in the big time. Whether he sincerely wants to go to Europe now or is just angling for a bigger contract, even talking it up is a way to get some attention.

Wahl is a solid writer, usually pretty accurate, but he does have his own slants that are especially evident here.

Nelson played a long time for Blackburn, as well as Tottenham and QPR, and would surely know quite a few people in the UK. OTOH, I don't know how that conflates into all of Europe. I'm sure there would be a broader network of Kiwis, but most of the ones outside of England are at very modest clubs.

Here Wahl goes completely the other direction, by deflating a the Polish passport (and EU citizenship) as meaning that he would only be going to England. Of course having the passport means a way around the appeals board, but it also makes it possible to play in all the other EU member states including several more sunny locales.

If he was signing with Nelsen specifically, I'd say he is a sure bet for the UK, but Wahl is trying a little sleight of hand here as if to say Miazga doesn't have other options. He only would have to look at the Polish national team to see their players are in a lot of leagues around Europe, including one in the EPL, but others as well in Spain, Italy and several in Germany. Also, just from his national team exposure, he would have the contacts that can be provided by Klinsmann and Herzog, both of whom would be able to pick up a phone and call clubs in Germany, Austria, England, France and Italy.

England is where the money is, but it is a meat grinder and not the best destination for developing a young player. Physically, Miazga is still maturing and he's more of a finesse player. As opposed to Nelsen, who himself didn't go to Blackburn until he was 28 after playing 5 seasons in DC. I just don't know about this pot-stirring speculation that writers do sometime. Is he following a line of logic to its conclusion or is the tail wagging the dog?

 

I just want to add, in the clear light of day, that all polemics aside, he's really in no rush. If I making a strong case for him to stay it is because it is good for the club and him. Should the Red Bulls make a better offer (and I've advocated for a young DP deal), he'd be wise to take it. He's clearly developing as a player here and has plenty of time still to make a move abroad. The rush to make a decision, which is something we've seen happen with other young players like Agudelo, is one generally made on the basis of hype rather than realism. That suggests that he's getting bad advice from people around him. Agents for on their part no doubt like to maximize their commissions by getting young players to sign for the biggest possible salaries and with the biggest possible transfer fees. No doubt Ryan Nelsen also gets a better rep having Matt sign for the biggest club possible. Having Miazga go to Arsenal rather than Heerenveen would certainly look better to future clients. Whatever he decides, he's still got a ways to go before being ready for that elite level of competition.

 

To me, "lucrative long term offer" means DP money. Even before the agent switch I'm sure Red Bulls were aware that they are competing with European clubs for his services, they have to know $150k a year won't cut it.

I don't think it will really come down to money in the end though, if the kid has his heart set on moving up to the next level then there's only so much you can do to convince him to stay. And to be honest with the way he's played this year its tough to argue that he isn't ready to make the jump to a European club, so long as it isn't one of the top clubs in each league where he'd end up in the same situation Yedlin is in now.

 

And that needs to be the cautionary tale here.

 

I agree 100% on your first point here.

What I think is arguable is that he'll do any better than NY heading to some mid-level club in a mid-level league. There are always savvy choices to be had going to UCL/Europa level club in a country like Belgium or Holland. OTOH, salary and day-in, day-out level of play is basically on a par with what MLS can offer. A couple of years from now, he'll be ready for a move straight into one of the big league clubs. There is a symbiotic relationship to be had here in NY. The club gets a solid player, star in the making and a young leader on the team. And he gets to enjoy the benefits of home and a friendly environment. I mean how many years were European clubs chasing after Neymar before he said yes to Barcelona?

 

MLS has come a long way, I think its accepted across the board that something like the Scandinavian leagues aren't a better option, but I think its got a ways to go before it becomes an equivalent launching pad up the international soccer ladder than second tier leagues in Europe or lower table teams in the big four leagues. I don't agree that the level of competition week-to-week is there yet.

Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love to lock him down for the next few years and I certainly think there's a ton of room to grow as a player within MLS. But if Miazga has a reasonable chance at a starting spot in one of the top ~8 leagues in Europe, I just can't blame him for taking it.

 

Fair enough.

 

And they need to win their semifinal in order to automatically qualify.

 

Well, the US did their part. Miazga (DNP) and company go 3-0-0 in the group stage. Ironically, the U-23s will face their next opponent on the same night as the men take on Mexico. That team will most likely be Honduras, but if they win their last group match, it could well be Mexico.

USMNT U-23s Beat Panama 4-0, Win Away From Qualifying for Olympics

 

The opponent will be Honduras at 3:00 P.M. on Saturday. Mexico will play Canada in the second Semifinal at 6:00 P.M.

 

It's probably a good thing no one was there to watch the deflation that was just a prelude to the men's deflation later on.

 

They better pull it together or the Olympics are going off without them.

 

Sooner than I expected, but certainly not undeserved.

Matt Miazga ready to continue meteoric rise with USMNT call-up

 

And cap-tied Since it was an official FIFA match, Miazga is committed to the USA. I'm sure his parents are a little disappointed.

[Note: He can still make a one-time switch for Poland, but only through the filing of paperwork and there would be no coming back.]