Matt Miazga, the youngest player on the Red Bulls, flew home to New Jersey earlier this summer after one of the busiest weeks of his life. He had signed a sponsorship deal with Nike, accumulated the first red card and suspension of his pro career and played in the inaugural Major League Soccer Homegrown Game in Portland, Ore.

But when Miazga got home, he couldn’t escape another list of crucial tasks: He had to make sure his bedroom was spick and span. He needed to take out the garbage. And he also had to check with his mom to see if it was his turn to clean the bathroom he shares with his brother and sister.

Miazga, 19, is half-teenager, half-pro athlete. He lives at home in Clifton with his parents, surrounded by lifelong friends who are starting college, and he also juggles a budding pro career with the Red Bulls — one heaped with enormous responsibilities for the 6-3, 185-pound defensive back.

“Obviously, I like to hang out with my friends,” Miazga said. “But I have to be smart. You need your rest when you’re practicing against (Red Bulls and international soccer standouts) Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill the next day.”

Due to his considerable talent, Miazga, with his spiky gelled hair and boy-band good looks, has become a well-known commodity. He’s perhaps the only pro athlete lifting weights with friends at the LA Fitness in Clifton and hanging at the local Applebee’s while his buddies devour half-price appetizers.

And on the pitch, he’s become an important cog for the Red Bulls, starting seven matches in all competitions along the backline. Miazga is also a shining example of one of U.S. Soccer’s new visions for cultivating talent. He’s been a member of the Red Bulls organization since joining their Under-14 Academy team in 2009, and he turned down a scholarship to Michigan and several pro offers overseas to stick with his hometown club.

Now, he’s been selected to play with the United States Under-20 national team, and his coaches say he has potential to one day join the full national team.

“He’s an inspiration,” said Bob Montgomery, the Red Bulls director of youth programs. “We have about 110 players in our Academy system each year and their goal and their dream is to do what Matt’s doing.”

Miazga, who earns a base salary of $65,000, gets to live out his dream from the comfort of home. His mom cooks his favorite meal of steak and cucumber salad and each Friday his grandmother makes pierogis. (Miazga’s parents are Polish, giving him dual citizenship and making him eligible for both the U.S. and Polish national teams.)

And no matter how far he travels, he always returns to his childhood bed, covered with an old green bedspread decorated with basketballs, baseballs and footballs.

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Seven years ago, U.S. Soccer created the Development Academy system — a partnership with top youth clubs that focused on cultivating elite players who get nearly year-round instruction and oversight from top coaches. The strategy resembles the academy structure overseas.

Now, all 19 MLS clubs have created academy teams, grooming their own local talent for both their top team and, perhaps, the national team.

The Red Bulls academy team was a natural progression for Miazga, who started playing soccer at age 6 and spent the next seven years hopping from one elite club to the next.

By high school, he was juggling nearly year-round training with his academy team that won the U-16 national championship in 2011-12, and also playing with friends at Clifton High. Then, before his senior year, U.S. Soccer required academy members to stop playing for their high schools.

“At that point, it was all about Red Bull,” Miazga said. “I was trying to, like, pursue a career.”

During his senior year, when most friends were making summer plans and enjoying the final days of high school, Miazga had been elevated to play in reserve games for the Red Bulls first team and was traveling the world competing internationally for both the U-18 U.S. national team and the Polish U-18 national team. He was also wavering on his verbal commitment to Michigan.

“I had so much on my mind about my future — go pro or college, and finishing high school because I missed so many days,” Miazga said. “It was so hectic.”

Miazga stuck with the Red Bulls.

“I was like, ‘It would be best for me to stay here. My family’s here. Red Bull groomed me,’ ” Miazga said. “I wanted to play here at home.”

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Just after 6 one night earlier this month, Miazga and Anthony Mbayed, one of his best friends, sauntered into LA Fitness. Miazga had returned from Portland the night before, and then practiced 90 minute with the Red Bulls during the day.

Still, he lived for devouring burrito bowls from “Chipolte” and working out with Mbayed. They navigated the rows of machines and started sets of dumbbell shoulder presses, admiring their muscles in a mirror.

“You’re so dark!” Miazga said, surveying Mbayed’s tanned skin.

“I went to the beach today,” Mbayed said, then paused. “And Cancun last week.”

Miazga shook his head. “I couldn’t go,” he said.

For Miazga, playing out his career close to home means constantly having to turn down social invitations from friends. He can’t stay out late or head to the Shore on a whim.

But his friends say they understand.

“It kind of feels weird that he is a professional athlete,” Mbayed said. “But honestly, I see him just as Matt.”

The demands also include high expectations from the Red Bulls, who see Miazga as an important part of the future. Coach Mike Petke steadily increased Miazga’s minutes this season and said he was pleased with how Miazga has responded.

“He’s a player that I hope one day is going to be a captain of this club,” Petke said. “He just turned 19 — but he doesn’t have the build and the demeanor of a 19-year-old. He’s a big boy and he’s strong.”

Still, Miazga’s play has included several teaching moments. Against Columbus in July, he whiffed on clearance attempt, leading to a goal by the Crew and a tongue-lashing from Henry. Then against New England earlier this month, Miazga earned a red card in the first half when he misplayed a ball and collided with an opponent, leaving the Red Bulls a man-down the rest of the way.

“We knew before we put him in that it wasn’t going to be completely smooth sailing,” Petke said. “But he’s where we wanted him to be. He’s done well.”

He’s also received high marks at home, where his room is usually clean and the garbage piled in the bins. His parents, Adam and Elizabeth, enjoy having him around.

“You get him to do things for you — chores, run the errands,” Elizabeth said, smiling. “It’s great. You don’t have to do it yourself; you have your kid to do it for you. We did enough, right?”

Matthew Stanmyre can be reached at mstanmyre@starledger.com. Also, follow him on Twitter here.