FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner has been voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 8 following New England’s 3-2 away win at New York City FC on Saturday, June 19.
Turner submitted a season-high seven saves in the Revolution win, also denying a penalty kick attempt in the 12th minute from New York City’s Valentin Castellanos. Turner denied Castellanos again when he saved a point-blank effort from inside the six-yard box (WATCH SAVE). In the second half, the Revolution goalkeeper made a double save to preserve his side’s 3-2 lead. He saved Ismael Tajouri-Shradi’s initial 1-v-1 opportunity and quickly got back up to block Jesús Medina’s effort on goal from the rebound. In added time, Turner secured the win and three points with his seventh and final stop, a one-handed denial of Maxi Moralez’s well-hit volley.
Turner is the first Revolution goalkeeper ever to be named MLS Player of the Week, and the first Revs player to claim the honor since 2017 (Kei Kamara – Week 26). In addition to his Player of the Week honor, Turner was also named to the Week 8 MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week. Bruce Arena and Carles Gil earned spots on the league’s Team of the Week as well. Gil tallied two assists in the win, including his third game-winning assist, to raise his MLS-best total to seven helpers on the season.
Turner’s penalty save against New York City was the fourth of his Revolution career across all competitions, and his third stop in the last four penalty attempts faced inclusive of his time with both the Revolution and the U.S. Men’s National Team. The Park Ridge, N.J. native has faced 10 penalty kicks across all competitions with the Revs, giving him a 40 percent save rate on bids from the spot. He also became the first USMNT goalkeeper to save a penalty in his senior team debut in the modern era when he recorded the stop in his first cap against Trinidad & Tobago on Jan. 31, 2021.
The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.
The Revolution (6-1-2; 20 pts.), currently in first place in the Eastern Conference through nine games played, will host the New York Red Bulls (4-4-0; 12 pts.) on Wednesday night for a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution will go for a fifth consecutive win in the second of three encounters this season between the sides. The match airs locally on WSBK-TV38 and myRITV and is also available on the radio on 98.5 The Sports Hub and 1260 AM Nossa Radio. CBS Boston’s exclusive pregame coverage begins with “Revolution Kickoff” at 6:30 p.m. ET on TV38.
