FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Matt Turner is far from the first player to refer to a Premier League move as “surreal” or “a dream come true,” but the history behind the New England Revolution goalkeeper’s pending summer transfer to Arsenal provides a context that can only be described as movielike.
Turner, you see, has been an Arsenal fan since childhood. His two older sisters played club soccer for Pascack Arsenal in northern New Jersey, and when a teenaged Turner was smitten by the game during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and began searching for a European side to support, it was only natural that his allegiances were drawn to the historic North London club.
“When I’m on FIFA, I’m looking at the first team in the Premier League is Arsenal, and I said, ‘Oh, that kind of makes sense.’ And then I just kind of stuck with them,” Turner said. “Then I learned about their history, about Highbury, and their move to the Emirates, and just all – you know, The Invincibles – everything about Arsenal. Thierry Henry, who was playing with Red Bull [New York] at the time. It all just kind of made sense.
“So obviously then you dream, right? You dream and you want things to happen for you in your life, and you don’t really see a clear path of how they’re going to happen, but you just trust the work and trust your dream every single day, and continue to work hard, be self-aware, know what you need to work on, and listen to your coaches around you that have your best interests in mind.”
Turner’s circuitous route to the Premier League has been well documented, but even now is almost difficult to comprehend. He only started playing soccer seriously in high school – the definition of a late bloomer – and had limited college options before joining the team at Fairfield University. Turner went undrafted despite a stellar collegiate career and was the third-string goalkeeper when he signed with the Revolution following a brief trial prior to the 2016 season.
It wasn’t until 2018 that Turner earned his first MLS start, and as recently as 2019 he found himself down the depth chart in New England. But in the three years since Turner has been the chief architect of a meteoric rise, bouncing from accolade to accolade, accomplishment to accomplishment. His first U.S. Men’s National Team call-up came in November 2019. He made his international debut in January 2021, and followed with a Concacaf Gold Cup title that summer while being named goalkeeper of the tournament. He was the MLS All-Star Game MVP, then the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
Along the way Turner caught the eye of Arsenal, and after hearing “rumblings of interest” towards the end of last year that “always seemed like a longshot,” Turner said an official offer came through to the Revolution shortly after the new year. From there, the process progressed through late January while Turner was with the USMNT for a trio of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
“On the day we were playing El Salvador, it finally went through,” Turner said. “It was emotional. It was up and down. Sometimes it was more dead than ever, sometimes it was more alive than ever, but that’s the first time I’ve ever been through something like that, so to have it all come through and then come out and put in a good performance and get three points for the national team, it was a very sort of euphoric day for me in my life and my career.”
The timing of the move means Turner will be joining Arsenal in the immediate buildup to next winter’s World Cup in Qatar, and he’ll be thrust into a goalkeeper competition with England international Aaron Ramsdale, who has taken over the starting spot at the Emirates since arriving last August. Instead of being the clear number one – like he is in New England – Turner will need to prove himself once again and battle for playing time, similar to fellow U.S. international Zack Steffen at Manchester City.
Instead of shying away from that challenge, it’s one that Turner is eager to embrace, and far from the first time in his career.
“When I got my first chance with the national team it was only as a number three. No one ever really took me seriously, so I’m not going over there just to collect a check and ride off into the sunset,” said Turner. “I’m going to push myself, I’m going to push Aaron, and continue to help him get better and help myself get better, and obviously I’m going to try to challenge to [get] games.
“I’m 27, almost 28. I’ve been playing really well for the better part of three years, and this is the first club to make a concrete offer, and I understand that it’s really challenging to get your foot in the door, so it’s really hard to say no to not only the chance to go fulfill a dream, but also to go challenge myself at the highest level and play for one of the biggest, most recognizable brands in the world in Arsenal.
“I just want to keep going and challenge myself at the highest level that I can possibly get to, and then I’ll rest on my laurels after that and see if I’m happy with what I was able to accomplish. This is a dream move, a dream come true, and no hesitation. Seriously, no hesitation.”
Turner will soon be in England, but for now, he’s still in New England, where he’ll spend the first half of the 2022 MLS season with the club that gave him his first shot at the professional level. In terms of objectives, Turner has set his sights on a deep run in the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, a strong start to the MLS season, helping the Revolution’s newest additions acclimate to the club, and simply enjoying the rest of his time in Foxborough.
“My goal when I got here was to leave New England, leave the organization, a better place than it was when I first got here, and I think we’re well on the way to those things,” said Turner. “It’s not really like a farewell tour, it’s probably more like a see you in 10 years – hopefully – tour, where I can come back and sort of remember the memories and the way this league is growing so fast.
“I’m really excited for this first half of the season. It’ll be great to get games in and play and find my consistency heading into the summer when I make the jump.”
