Matt Turner Rules Out MLS Return, Waiting For His Euro Moment
“I know I can play at the level that I’m currently at. It’s just about finding that consistency, that opportunity where I feel comfortable.”
Former New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner might be struggling to find playing time in Europe but he isn’t ready to return to MLS just yet.
After suffering a similar state with Manchester City and Bundesliga clubs, Zack Steffen returned stateside where he found new life with the Colorado Rapids. After being dropped by the United States Men’s National Team in favor of Turner, Steffen is once again competing for the starting goalkeeper job with Maurcio Pochettino at the helm.
While returning to MLS worked for Steffen, Turner still believes his best moment is yet to come abroad.
“I’m not quite there yet,” he said of an MLS return. “I know I can play at the level that I’m currently at. It’s just about finding that consistency, that opportunity where I feel comfortable.
“Obviously in a perfect world at some point I’m going to get my break and I’m going to get a run of games and I’m going to find that consistency and I’m going to find that manager that trusts me over everybody else no matter what, and I’ll get that rhythm again,” he added in a press conference ahead of the USMNT’s Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal first leg at Jamaica on Thursday. “And so I’m just going to keep plugging away, keep controlling what I can control right now.”
Turner currently plays club soccer at Crystal Palace and made his debut Selhurst Park Stadium in October securing a 2-1 win over Aston Villa. It was his first club match since February.
“For me that was a big moment because Oliver Glasner made it very clear to me and to my team that it wasn’t a handout,” Turner said. “It was something that’s well earned and that gave me a lot of confidence for how I’ve been training, how I have been preparing, how I’ve been approaching every single day.”
But playing time is crucial for a goalkeeper. It was the main reason Revolution fans were shouting for Turner to get a chance over Steffen when the current Palace goalkeeper was still in New England. Pochettino himself said that he likes his players to have consistent playing time.
But Turner isn’t worried. He feels that he knows how to prepare himself to be ready to jump into a starting role on the international level.
“I found myself in these positions quite a few times now where I’m not consistently playing, but not to hype myself up too much — but I give a lot of credit to myself for the approach that I can bring every day,” Turner stated.
Turner has occasionally shown his rust in net while struggling to get playing time in Europe. The goalkeeper has become prone to making errors playing the ball out of the back or failing to get to shots he should be keeping out of the net.
But recently Turner has looked better in goal for the USMNT. He has made a good first impression on Pochettino. Thursday’s match against Jamaica will be yet another opportunity for the goalkeeper to prove he is the United States’ best option in net.