It didn't take Matt Miazga long to get off the mark during his second stint in Major League Soccer.
The US men's national team center back scored in his second appearance for FC Cincinnati after inking a deadline-day deal from English Premier League side Chelsea FC, heading home the opener in the 13th minute of Saturday night's 1-1 draw at the New York Red Bulls.
Ironically enough, Miazga’s powerful header came against the club he debuted for in 2013 as a homegrown player, eventually earning a reported $5 million deal to Chelsea in January 2016. That produced a half-decade of loans across Europe before returning stateside earlier this month.
Miazga's last MLS goal came from an eerily similar position.
The defender headed home a Sacha Kljestan free kick that give the Red Bulls a 3-1 win over arch-rival New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on June 28, 2015 – seven years, one month and 23 days ago. In all, 2,610 days elapsed between MLS tallies for the 27-year-old New Jersey native.
After leaving MLS seven years ago, Miazga scored eight goals: five times for Vitesse in Holland's Eredivisie, twice for Reading in England's Championship and once for Anderlecht in Belgium's top flight.
Brought back to shore up Cincinnati's defense, his ability to find the net from set pieces is an added bonus for the Orange & Blue – and could boost his own case for making the USMNT's 26-man roster that'll head to the Qatar 2022 World Cup in November.
