Matt Miazga: The opportunity is right in front of us

The US U20 team prior to their first tournament game vs Russia. Foto: US Soccer

Matt Miazga has just came back from the U20 trip in Spain. The Red Bull defender is happy about teams performance and hopes to be on the roster for the upcoming CONCACAF championship in Jamaica.

Tomek Moczerniuk (www.papatomski.com): You just came back from Spain, where the U20 team participated in a Football Impact Tournament in Marbella. The team started off really well with two straight victories, but then came the surprising defeat to Canada. What happened?

Red Bull teammates Miazga and Castano in Marbella. Foto:
ussoccer.com

Matt Miazga: At the beginning of the game we made one mistake and it proved to be costly. Canada went up front in the 5th minute and then sat back the rest of the game. We were high-pressing them, but this time - despite multiple scoring chances especially in the first half - could not grind the result out. I have to give the Canadians credit though - they are a really good team. A few days before they played us they beat Russia 2:1 and tied England 2:2. So we expected them to be a tough opponent and prepared a good game plan. It did not work out because of that mistake at the beginning, but with a little bit of luck we could have gotten a much better result.

But in the first two games you had plenty of luck. Perhaps you just ran out of it?

M.M.: Yes, in the first game vs Russia we were a bit lucky to get a victory. We were down twice in that game, but managed to come back. The game winning goal was scored in the extra time while we were playing a man down (Emerson Hyndman was ejected in 83rd min). Russians were a very good team. I was impressed with how they moved the ball and passed it between the lines. It took us a while to figure them out. In the game against Ireland we knew what to expect. We had a good scouting report and we saw tapes with their games. We went up early and did not let them get on board. Overall we did very well in all three games we played in Spain. The whole experience was great and brought us even closer together as a group. And one step closer to our goal - competing for the CONCACAF Championship in January.

Miazga said the practice and game fields were "simply
awesome". Foto: ussoccer.com

You were the only player to play full 90 minutes in all three games. Does that mean that your name is on the final roster already?

M.M.: I guess that means that coach Ramos trust me and knows that when I am on the field I give everything I got. But there are no guarantees, I still need to be consistent and play well every time I am in the lineup. I cannot slip up now, because everybody is fighting for these 20 spots on the roster. The competition is tough, every player wants to prove something and impress the staff. But at the end I trust that coach Ramos will pick the best 20.

When will that announcement be made?

M.M.: Our last trip this year was to be to Jamaica in December, but since we have them in our group we will play Honduras away twice. After that we will have our last camp in Florida so I think that all the call ups will be announced somewhere in between.

Apart from the hosts you will get to play Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba, Guatemala and Panama. Only the group winner automatically qualifies, second and third teams will have to play an additional wild card game. Is this group of players capable of going for the first place?

M.M.: I think we have a good depth of players and the system is good as well. I believe that we can win this group, but nothing is guaranteed. The approach will be to take it one game at a time and hopefully at the end the spot in the 2015 U20 World Cup in New Zealand will be ours.

A few days after you beat Ireland the first US team got demolished by the Irish 1:4 in Dublin. Does that mean that you are better than the Klinsmann's squad?

M.M.: (laughter) Of course not! I think the team played well, but the result did not go our way this time. We watched both games - previously with Colombia as well - as a team, supported the team and rooted for our U20 teammate Rubio Rubin. We all see him as an inspiration and coach Ramos always tells us that if we are successful on U20 coach Klinsmann will sooner or later give us a chance. The opportunity is right in front of us and if we work hard we will get that highest honor - represent the country on the first national team.

You take a good care about your career not only on the field but outside of it as well. You have signed a contract with the Wasserman Media Group sport agents, who also represent Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore and Tim Howard. The last one has just become the US Soccer Male Athlete of the Year. Were you surprised it was him and not Clint Dempsey?

M.M.: No, we all know that Tim Howard's impact on the US team was huge. He was incredible all year at Everton and even better at the World Cup. To me he was one of the best players of the World Cup hence the award was all deserved. I have never met Tim, but I hope our paths cross sooner or later.

US U20 results at Football Impact Tournament in Marbella:

• Russia U21 - USA U20 3:4 (Karavayev 13', Morgunov 55', Koryan 71' - Gall 19' 90+2' (pen), Novakovich 45' Yomba 77' (pen)USA: Ethan Horvath - Shaq Moore, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Matt Miazga, Luis Martir, Russel Canouse, Joel Sonora (Tommy Thompson 67'), Junior Flores, Emerson Hyndman, Andrija Novakovich (Dembakwi Yomba 67'), Romain Gall
  
• USA U20 - Ireland U21 1:0 (Yomba 13')USA: Santiago Castano - Tyler Turner, Tommy Redding, Miazga, John Requejo, Canouse (Lynden Gooch 46'), Kellyn Acosta, Hyndman, Thompson (Flores 74'), Yomba (Gall 56'), Armando Moreno (Novakovich 84')
  
  
• USA U20 - Canada U20 0:1 (Carreiro 9')USA: Castano: Moore, Carter-Vickers, Miazga, Turner, Flores, Thompson, Canouse, Acosta, Yomba, Gall