Matt Turner brings USMNT experience, "winning mentality" back to New England | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

Matt Turner defied the odds just to make it to NCAA Division I college soccer, let alone the professional level and the US men’s national team’s starting XI at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He didn’t play organized soccer until age 14, inspired by the United States’ stirring run at South Africa 2010, an incredible journey by any measure.

So the goalkeeper held his head high as he made his official return to the New England Revolution on Monday, picking up the No. 30 jersey again as he rejoins the Revs on a yearlong loan from French side Olympique Lyonnais.

After three and a half thrilling, frustrating years in England following his $6 million-plus transfer from New England in 2022, it’s time to get back on the pitch with next summer’s World Cup looming.

“My European adventure didn't go perfectly to plan, but I did learn a lot along the way,” Turner told reporters in a press conference at the Revs’ training facility in Foxborough, Massachusetts. “I had some misfortunes, I had some opportunities that I didn't make the most of as well.

“However,” he added, “I started my beautiful family over there. I have zero regrets about my time in England, and, yeah, I really loved it, so I would never shut the door on a return, either. But it's good to be back here right now, and I need to find my form leading into the World Cup. I think this is a really important opportunity."

Ups and downs in Europe

Turner earned an FA Cup winner’s medal with Crystal Palace last season, and competed in the rarified air of the English Premier League and UEFA Europa League across his time at Palace, Nottingham Forest and Arsenal. Yet a consistent starting role proved elusive, which ultimately led to his benching by USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino in favor of Matt Freese during this summer’s Gold Cup.

On Monday the 2021 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, All-Star and Best XI honoree touched on the circumstances around that cold reality, reeling off the names of the ‘keepers on his teams who produced career seasons and the like to keep him off the pitch in England. Then a promising summer move to Lyon was quickly cratered by that club’s financial difficulties and internal politics, serving up another dose of disappointment; “it was a trying time, and it was difficult to be in limbo for a while,” he noted, particularly with the logistical aspects of two young children in tow.

USMNT-influenced decision

So Turner, his wife Ashley and their kids have gone back to where his dream really took flight, and where they can lean on family, friends and a supportive club and fanbase as he aims to win over Pochettino.

“I was frustrated. Anytime you're a competitor and you have the opportunity to play, you want to play,” he said of losing the USMNT starting job, explaining how it led him towards a different sort of leadership role with the Yanks. “Sometimes you're just in a cycle and you need somebody to help you snap out of it a little bit. And I think it took him [Pochettino] to help me take a step back and look at things from a different perspective. Because obviously, I wasn't playing at my best leading into that.

“So I was grateful for the opportunity that he gave me with that sense. And now I think I can sort of see with this journey that I've been on, that being in New England was the right place for me to continue to hone those skills, to create new relationships, to play games, to find my happiness in the sport and then in turn, I can give my best to him and to the national team as well.”

Back where it all began

The Revs are eager to have him back. Sporting director Curt Onalfo said the club already had Turner on their discovery list and gladly navigated a complicated deal with Lyon to secure his services.

“Matt's a game changer,” said Onalfo on Monday. “He'll be a really important part of our locker room. And then in games, when you have those unfortunate moments when the momentum is shifting, you need key leaders to step up to help change those moments and turn them into settling the team, and then all of a sudden, pushing forward to get the results that you need to get. So we know his leadership will be invaluable.”

Turner’s got his work cut out for him. The struggling Revs are 10 points out of the Audi MLS Cup Playoff places in the Eastern Conference with 10 matches left on their regular-season slate, and incumbent starter Aljaž Ivačič is surely keen to compete for every minute.

He’ll take those odds, though.

“I back myself to help propel this team to win games. I've been in late playoff hunts before,” Turner said, alluding to New England’s run to the 2020 conference final in his first stint. “MLS has always been a league of streaks, and if we can get hot at the right time, anything's possible. I'm really excited to see what we can achieve.”