Is Matt Turner the USMNT’s No. 1 GK?: ‘That’s a fully loaded question for me’

2 days ago

Laken Litman

College Football & Soccer Analyst

Matt Turner doesn’t necessarily see himself as the No. 1 goalkeeper for the U.S. men’s national team and goes into every training camp with the mindset that he has to fight for his job just like anyone else.

So with the Gold Cup beginning on June 14 and the World Cup almost exactly one year away, how does he see the pecking order of USMNT goalkeepers shaking out and what does that mean for him?

“That’s a fully loaded question for me,” Turner told reporters Wednesday. “I don’t see myself as the ‘No. 1 No. 1’ all the time. I think that’s my mindset going into every camp right now is that every inch, every opportunity needs to be fought for and every opportunity that I’ve had under this current staff I’ve earned by my performances within training and the opportunities that I’ve had this past season with Crystal Palace.

“I never think to myself, ‘Oh, I’m going to come in and I’m going to play, I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that.’ And I think anybody could attest to the work that I’ve put in to earn each opportunity that I get. I mean listen, there’s lots of good goalkeepers in the pool right now. I think a lot of guys are performing well, especially some of the guys here in MLS, so it’s nice to be around them, to train with them, and just keep pushing myself and pushing them to get better and hold the standards true to what we want to build on this national team.”

Turner, 30, was the Americans’ starting goalkeeper at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has been the top choice for the squad since, which included two disappointing performances at the Conacacaf Nations League Finals in March. The U.S. was first stunned by Panama, 1-0, and then by Canada, 2-1.

Turner has not played much for club side Crystal Palace, which won the FA Cup last month. His last competitive match for the team was a 3-1 FA Cup win over Millwall on March 1; he didn’t play in a league match this season.

USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino recently commented on Turner’s lack of minutes as a backup, acknowledging that he needs to “find the way to compete every week” before the 2026 World Cup. If not, another goalkeeper could overtake him as the Americans’ new No. 1.

“It’s open in our mind,” Pochettino told reporters last month regarding the starting goalkeeper position. “It’s open for another player maybe to challenge in between and maybe to try to give the possibility to play another player.”

Turner has an entire summer to prove himself. Pochettino initially called up Turner, along with Zack Steffen, Matt Freese and Patrick Schulte as part of a 27-player roster for two upcoming friendlies against Turkey (June 7) and Switzerland (June 10). Chris Brady recently replaced Schulte, who left camp with an oblique injury, and the Colorado Rapids announced Wednesday that Steffen suffered a knee injury and has returned to his club for further examination.

Zack Steffen was among the initial goalkeepers called into the USMNT camp, but a knee injury has forced him out. (Photo by John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

The USMNT opens Gold Cup group stage competition against Trinidad and Tobago on June 15, followed by Saudi Arabia on June 19 and Haiti on June 22.

Turner reflected on the Gold Cup in 2021, when the U.S. beat Mexico in the final to win the tournament. He believes those performances solidified his place on the roster ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

“I’m pretty sure that Gold Cup is essentially what launched me to get my move to Arsenal and now fighting my way through Europe and trying to make it work over there right now,” Turner said. “Since then, I’ve been through a lot. I’ve had two kids, I’ve moved to three different teams, so I’ve had a lot of change.”

Back then, Turner was playing for the New England Revolution and was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021 before moving to Premier League side Arsenal. Since then, his club play has been inconsistent, with just 31 total appearances for the Gunners, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace.

If he’s to get more reps between now and next summer, could Turner potentially return to MLS? He’s previously stated that his preference would be to stay in Europe.

“I think I’d always be open to coming back home,” Turner said. “But I’ve had a lot of positive talks with a lot of different clubs and think the important thing for me is finding the right situation for me to play in and to maximize what I feel is my potential as well.

“It’s not as cut and dry anymore in player movement in general. If you look around the European soccer world — especially with a lot of new financial rules and regulations in place — clubs have to do business and get creative with the way they do business in certain situations. So it’s not always just, ‘I point my finger to this club, this is a good situation, I want to go here, let’s make that happen.’ [There are] other factors at play. You have to weigh the family side, you have to weigh the personal side, and obviously the playing side and what works from club to club as well.”

Turner said Wednesday he hopes he’ll have news regarding his future this summer. But no matter what happens on that front, he has an opportunity to influence Pochettino’s decision-making with quality performances at the Gold Cup.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.