Chelsea's defensive record is in shambles: they've allowed 34 goals in 23 matches this campaign. Last season's title winning defense allowed only 32 goals throughout the entirety of the season. More worringly for the Chelsea heirarchy is that the situation doesn't have any immediate remedies in the form of contracted players. Their backline is comprised of ageing stalwarts John Terry, 35, Branislav Ivanovic, 31, and Gary Cahill, 30.
Chelsea's only real option is to delve into the January transfer market, a historically hit or miss affair, in an attempt to rebuild a backline that is on its last legs. Chelsea's first target? Matt Miazga, a 20-year-old American central defender with 38 MLS appearances to his name.
They've moved quickly to capture the signature of Miazga ahead of reported interest from Leicester City and Stoke City. For Chelsea, the rapidity of the transfer was heavily impacted by two factors which favored the club: the price and Miazga's family history.
Miazga was born in New Jersey, the son of Polish immigrants. Accordingly, he also holds a Polish passport, he spent a lot of his time growing up in both the United States and Poland, so he won't need a U.K. work permit to play in England. The work permit has proven a stumbling block to American players before, Juan Agudelo was unable to sign for Stoke City due to this constriction.
Miazga's contract situation with the New York Red Bulls also opened to door to an immediate transfer. Miazga only has one year remaining on his current contract, running through the 2016 MLS season.
Rather than see Miazga transfer for free at the end of the season, the American defender refusing to sign a new contract as he was keen to develop his career in Europe, the Red Bulls have decided to cash in on their homegrown talent for a reported $5 million.
For Chelsea, this isn't your typical overpriced panic buy that will attract the interest of every major news outlet and commentator. With 28 players currently out on loan, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this is just another example of Chelsea's fervent accumulation of talent. However, SI.com's Grant Wahl is reporting that Miazga will not join the legion of Chelsea's young players out on loan.
For fans of the United States national team, this is both exciting and intriguing news. While Miazga will certainly not be thrown to the wolves immediately, here is a young player that may well be given a chance to impress this season. He's spent all of January training with the USMNT, so his fitness levels aren't exactly at a preseason level.
Chelsea's league position also puts them in a place where the future is a more pressing concern than the present. They're not in any danger of relagation, they're assuredly out of the Champions League race and the prospect of surging up the table to grab a Europa league spot doesn't set the pulse racing.
Chelsea are in a position to see what's best for the club moving forward, next year and beyond. Part of those plans will almost certainly be to see how far along Matt Miazga can develop in a short period of time.
Although Miazga isn't a seasoned international, his first and only cap to date came on November 13, 2015 against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, he's developed at a phenomenal rate since his senior debut as an 18-year-old in 2013.
He was instrumental for a side that captured the MLS Supporters' Shield for the best regular season record in 2015. The New York Red Bulls allowed only 43 goals in 34 regular season matches, good for the best defense in the Eastern Conference. At 6'4'', he's strong in the air, in the tackle and is an efficient passer of the ball.
His decision to represent the United States over Poland was as uplifting for the US as it was devastating for Poland.
His only real weakness at this point may be his lack of discipline. He's guilty of his fair share of fouls, collecting four yellows and two red cards in 2015.
With American defenders Geoff Cameron, DeAndre Yedlin, Tim Ream, Eric Lichaj, Jonathan Spector and Danny Williams all plying their trade in England, the United States defense will not be lacking in experience or competition for the forseeable future.
