Chelsea defender Matt Miazga scores for Vitesse

Matt Miazga notched his first European goal in Vitesse’s 4-0 KNVP Cup victory over Jodan Boys of the fifth division.

Nats Abroad has video of the goal:

And another angle:

Miazga is currently on loan with the Eredivisie club after moving from the New York Red Bulls to Chelsea in January. He’s split time with the Vitesse senior team and the reserves, making 14 combined appearances.

The 21-year old center back had a run of four starts in October and November, but has found himself struggling to earn league minutes lately. He’s played one Eredivisie minute in the last four matches.

These are the trials and tribulations of a player attempting to make his way in Europe. Miazga could have stayed in MLS with the Red Bulls and held down a spot in the starting lineup for the next ten years. However, he took the high risk, high reward option and has essentially put his national team status on hold while searching for regular playing time in Europe.

Miazga is still young and has almost his entire career ahead of him. Center backs peak later than every position other than goalkeeper, so there’s plenty of time to work his way up through the ranks. Where he ranks among Chelsea’s army of players on loan remains to be seen; we’ll find out more when his time with Vitesse ends next summer.