FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga has been handed a three-game suspension by MLS after a confrontation with referees following a playoff match.

Miazga will miss Saturday’s Eastern Conference final against the Columbus Crew, as well as MLS Cup should Cincinnati advance. The additional discipline will carry over into the 2024 MLS season, as Cincinnati can only play a maximum of two more games in the ongoing playoffs.

MLS announced the ban on Wednesday following an investigation into allegations from the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) that a player had confronted referees in their locker room after FC Cincinnati’s penalty-kick win over the New York Red Bulls on November 4. Reports later identified that player as Miazga.

‘The MLS Disciplinary Committee has suspended FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga for three matches and issued an undisclosed fine for his misconduct following FC Cincinnati’s match against the New York Red Bulls on November 4,’ read a league statement announcing the suspension.

‘Additionally, Miazga will undergo a behavioral assessment through the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health (SABH) Program and may petition for a reduction in suspension based on continued commitment and compliance with any recommended treatment programs.’

Miazga, the MLS Defender of the Year for 2023, had already served a suspension for yellow-card accumulation in his side’s 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union in the Eastern Conference semifinal.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that FC Cincinnati has already appealed Miazga’s suspension, and have had that appeal rejected.

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Matt Miazga incident disputed by FC Cincinnati

The events leading to Miazga approaching referees are convoluted, and were notably disputed by Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan. The center back received a second yellow card for gesturing to fans after having successfully taken a penalty during the tiebreaker that saw Cincinnati advance past the Red Bulls.

Miazga’s gestures were apparently interpreted by referee Victor Rivas as provocative, while the 28-year-old held that he was showing affection for fans of the club where he started his career.

In either case, the yellow cards he got in Harrison, combined with a booking from the first leg of that best-of-three series, resulted in a one-game ban for Miazga.

Not long afterward, some kind of confrontation took place, but the details from there are murky.

‘After the Nov 4th NYRB/FC Cincinnati match, a player gained unauthorized entry into the Officials’ locker room & was forcibly removed by stadium security while acting in an aggressive & hostile manner,’ read a social media post from the PSRA. ‘No one’s safety should ever be at risk & we expect MLS to act accordingly.’

Noonan admitted that Miazga had spoken with referees in their locker room, but characterized that moment as lacking intensity.

‘It’s an hour and a half after the game, he’s got a pizza box in his hand. I think people have this notion that he was in his cleats, running into that room. It’s been fabricated, what happened,’ Noonan told reporters in the days before FCC took on Philadelphia. ‘That part’s also disturbing… My hope is they’re going to make the right decision, having taken all the information over these last couple of weeks.’

Without Miazga and injured starter Nick Hagglund, Noonan had to improvise for the clash with the Union. Yerson Mosquera moved into Miazga’s place in the middle of Cincinnati’s back three, with veteran fullback Alvas Powell improvising as a right-sided center back alongside him.