Matt Miazga entered the referees' locker room. That isn't in dispute. His coach and the MLSPA both agree he did that. He's now suspended for three matches, including the rest of the playoffs.
His coach, former Sounder Pat Noonan, says it wasn't a big deal. The union? They're blaming security for not preventing it (they also accuse the referees of exaggerating what occurred).
My good people – do not listen to Pat Noonan or the MLS PA on this. Miazga thoroughly deserved his three-match suspension.
After his post-match treatment and while eating pizza nearly 90 minutes after the final whistle he entered the referee's sanctuary to yell at them about his two yellow cards during the match – one for dissent and the other for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Should security have kept him out? Yes, sure. But also Matt Miazga is an adult professional soccer player who regularly has issues acting like a professional.
He shouldn't need security to keep him out. He shouldn't need a map to the stadium where he first started his career to find his way to his own lockers as if he's some kind of lost puppy.
He shouldn't need to be protected from punishment because it's the playoffs. Noonan is completely inaccurate suggesting other leagues don't punish players in the playoffs. Does Noonan even watch other North American sports? Because it happens all the time!
Both the MLSPA and Noonan are throwing so many factors out that try to excuse Miazga's behavior. At the core of their arguments, both admit what he did.
There's no excuse needed. Just sit this one out. Take a lesson from Vancouver coach Vanni Sartini, who was suspended for entering the field after seeing red and telling jokes about him being blamed for a hypothetical dead referee.
Sartini didn't blame anyone but himself.
That's how professionals act.
- Dave
This week's news
MLS offseason dates; Reign's ownership struggles; SaH news; notes to help you seem smart
MLS roster decision day
- Dec. 1: Teams must submit contract updates
- Dec. 11: Trade window opens
- Dec. 12: Waiver process begins
- Dec. 13: Free agency opens
Seattle is expected to announce their roster decisions Monday.
What the 2023 MLS season meant for Seattle Sounders FC | MLSSoccer.com. We learned three big things about the Seattle Sounders this year:
1. Cristian Roldan is irreplaceable.
2. Nico Lodeiro, much to everyone’s surprise, kind of isn’t.
3. But also he kind of is in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
Reign
OL men fired their coach and John Textor continues to argue about how he has enough money to run the team.
Lyon sack Grosso as nightmare run continues. Lyon have sacked manager Fabio Grosso, the French club said on Thursday with the team sitting bottom of Ligue 1.
OL Reign may have entered an exclusive negotiating period with Seattle Sounders.
Sounder at Heart/Ride of the Valkyries news
- Follow Sounder at Heart on Mastodon and Bluesky.
- Want to give the gift of Sounder at Heart? Check out our Merch Table.
- We're conducting a survey about what you want from Sounder at Heart next year.
Notes:
- How MLS is trying to eradicate player-on-player racial abuse. Kai Wagner's racial slur directed at Bobby Wood was the third such incident in MLS in 2023, but the league has a plan to curb discriminatory abuse.
- Sin-bin trials to stop blatant tactical fouls as well as dissent. Competitions such as the FA Cup and Women’s Super League could be used to test giving referees the power to send players off the pitch for ten minutes.
- ‘I’m happy. I have friends who are not’: What Inter Miami lost with Messi. The Argentinian has delivered a trophy and massive attention for his new team. But some fans say the franchise has become impersonal since his arrival.
- Milwaukee Pro Soccer Will Begin Play in 2026.Milwaukee Pro Soccer will begin play in 2026. The team announced it will join the United Soccer League a year later than initially planned.
- First Fully-Electric MLS Soccer Stadium Being Built in New York City Could Transform the Whole Neighborhood. Willets Point stadium would be totally electric, partly run on green energy, and built with materials that conserve water and reduce waste.
- Cristiano Ronaldo sued for $1 billion after promoting NFTs from crypto exchange Binance. Ronaldo launched his inaugural NFT “CR7” collection with Binance in November of last year, ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
- ‘I believe in the direction of this club’: Bev Yanez is Racing Louisville’s new head coach. Bev Yanez is the third former NWSL player to become a head coach, and she got her license through the NWSL/NWSLPA-sponsored course.
- Boston reveals their NWSL stadium plan.
- RSL GM, asst. coaches depart; Kreis re-joins. Elliot Fall and many of Pablo Mastroeni's assistant coaches will leave the club while Kurt Schmid will ascend to be chief soccer officer.
- Apple, Paramount discuss bundling their streaming services - WSJ. Apple and Paramount Global have discussed bundling their streaming services at a discount, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
