Matt Turner’s journey from teenaged soccer newbie to U.S. Men’s National Team starter and English Premier League goalkeeper has been well documented, and rightfully so. It’s an absurd story, and one that still has several chapters to be written as the 27-year-old embarks on his European adventure this summer and prepares for this winter’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
But to this point, much of the setting for Turner’s story has been New England. The cast of characters has included his Revolution coaches, teammates, and supporters. The twists and turns of the past seven years have been both his and ours, the (many) successes celebrated as a family and the (rare) disappointments shouldered together. Born and raised in New Jersey but largely built in New England, Turner truly is one of us.
As this chapter of Turner’s story ends and a new one begins, it’s worth revisiting the tales that have brought us to this point. Call it a refresher before we turn the page.
March 3, 2016
Turner signs first professional contract with Revolution
It was with little fanfare that Turner joined the Revolution in 2016, signing on to be the club’s third-string goalkeeper following a preseason trial. In fact, Turner didn’t even have top billing in the press release announcing his signing, as New England’s second-round SuperDraft selection that year, Michael Gamble, was highlighted after appearing in all four of the Revs’ Desert Diamond Cup matches.
Turner’s numbers at Fairfield University were intriguing, though – 21 clean sheets to go along with a 0.85 goals against average – and his preseason showing was enough for the Revolution to take a chance.
April 30, 2016
Turner makes professional debut with Richmond Kickers
Third on the depth chart behind Bobby Shuttleworth and Brad Knighton, Turner went on loan in search of minutes to aid his professional development. He made his pro debut less than two months after signing with the Revs, but it was with the Richmond Kickers, and Turner would go on to make 27 starts for the USL Championship club between 2016 and 2017, keeping seven clean sheets in the process.
During those first two seasons, Turner did not make an appearance for the Revolution.
March 3, 2018
Turner makes Revolution and MLS debut at Philadelphia Union
Having not appeared in a single match his first two seasons and with only a handful of appearances on the matchday squad, it was something of a surprise when Turner beat out Knighton and Cody Cropper for the starting job to begin the 2018 season.
“Matt has been exceptionally good throughout preseason, and he deserved the right to play today,” said then-head coach Brad Friedel, who had taken over to start the 2018 campaign.
Turner wasn’t given the easiest of introductions – the Revs had a pair of defenders sent off, including Antonio Delamea in the 24th minute – but he was solid nonetheless, making four saves in a 2-0 loss. Postgame, the message was clear: Turner was the starter.
March 10, 2018
Turner saves penalty in home debut at Gillette Stadium
It didn’t take long for Turner to endear himself to the Foxborough faithful – less than an hour, in fact – as the young goalkeeper made a game-changing save on his home debut at Gillette Stadium. With the Revs leading 1-0 in the 54th minute, Turner dove to his right to push away Jack Price’s penalty attempt, leading to an emotional celebration with teammates Andrew Farrell and Jalil Anibaba.
The Revs went on to win the game in dramatic fashion with Chris Tierney’s stoppage-time free kick providing the difference, and Turner had his first MLS win.
March 31, 2018
Turner makes six saves to keep first clean sheet in MLS
The month of March saw Turner first make his MLS debut, then earn his first MLS win, and on the final day claim his first MLS shutout with a six-save effort in Houston. Teal Bunbury scored the game winner in the first half and Cristian Penilla’s first MLS goal provided insurance in a 2-0 road victory for the Revs.
Turner would go on to keep four more clean sheets in 2018 and 23 total in his MLS career … with, of course, one more potential opportunity on Sunday night against Minnesota United FC.
October 19, 2019
Turner makes MLS Cup Playoffs debut at Atlanta United FC
Turner hit a few speedbumps early in the 2019 season – at one point he appeared to be third string behind Knighton and Cropper – but he eventually worked his way back into the squad and once again grasped hold of the starting job after Bruce Arena was appointed head coach in May.
Solid goalkeeping helped spark the Revolution’s resurgence through the second half of that season as they rose from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to a playoff spot, and Turner was called upon to start in the Round One meeting with defending champions Atlanta United. He racked up four saves – and one famous GIF – but the Revs ultimately suffered a 1-0 loss as their storybook season came to an end.
November 29, 2020
Turner saves Nani penalty as part of magical run to Eastern Conference Final
We don’t need to rehash 2020 and everything that unfolded that year. We’ll leave that one to the history books. But there was plenty to celebrate in New England towards the end of that season as the Revs turned their 8th-place finish in the East into a magical run to the conference final.
Wins over the Montreal Impact and Philadelphia Union kicked off that run, but perhaps the biggest highlight came in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Orlando City SC, when Turner again showed a penchant for saving penalties in big moments. With the Revs leading 2-1 in the 74th minute, Turner leapt right to deny Nani’s attempt from the spot and stifle Orlando’s best attempt at a comeback as New England ultimately secured a 3-1 victory.
November 2020
Turner rakes in year-end awards after standout campaign
There were very few things about 2020 that were consistent, but Turner’s performances most certainly fell into that category. He started 22 of the Revolution’s 23 regular season games and helped set a club record for lowest goals against average at 1.08, and finished the year ranked top 10 leaguewide in saves percentage, goals against average, and saves.
It was no surprise, then, that Turner was recognized both by the fans as the Revolution Team MVP – the first goalkeeper to earn that honor since Matt Reis in 2011 – and by his teammates as Players’ Player of the Year. Turner came so close to one more accolade as he finished second in Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year voting behind Philadelphia’s Andre Blake … but more on that later.
January 31, 2021
Turner makes U.S. Men’s National Team debut … and saves another penalty
A pair of previous call-ups to USMNT camps hadn’t resulted in an international debut for Turner, but that changed in January 2021, when he finally pulled on the Red, White, and Blue to backstop the U.S. in a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Turner had just one save to make on the night – the Americans steamrolled their way to a 7-0 win – but in most fitting fashion it was once again from the penalty spot, diving right to save Alvin Jones’ spot kick before corralling the rebound.
“It’s just a fantastic story,” said USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter. “Picked up goalkeeping late – late bloomer – really performs well in the league, gets his opportunity with the national team, debuts, saves a penalty to maintain the shutout. I mean, it’s a storybook type of saga that Matt’s been going through.”
In hindsight, Turner’s USMNT story was just beginning.
August 1, 2021
Turner caps memorable Concacaf Gold Cup with title, Golden Glove award
It wasn’t long before Turner’s opportunities with the USMNT were coming thick and fast, and he was the clear-cut number one for their run through the Concacaf Gold Cup in the summer of 2021. He was also the clear-cut best goalkeeper throughout the tournament, and was recognized as such.
In six appearances in the competition Turner kept five clean sheets, conceding just a single goal, from the penalty spot in a 6-1 win over Martinique. He went 6-0-0 with a 0.16 goals against average and earned the Golden Glove as the tournament’s best goalkeeper, capping his performance with a shutout of bitter rival Mexico in the final as the U.S. claimed a 1-0 win in extra time.
There was no longer any doubt: Matt Turner was one of the best goalkeepers in Major League Soccer, one of the best American goalkeepers period, and people were paying attention.
August 25, 2021
Turner named MLS All-Star MVP with another heroic performance in penalty shootout
During a first-half, in-game interview with the FS1 broadcast team of John Strong and Stu Holden, Turner made a prediction about his involvement in the 2021 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target.
“What’s my approach?” Turner asked. “I’m just going to be ready to come on at 60 and see what happens. Hopefully we can get a goal, and who knows? Maybe penalties after.”
There were, in fact, penalties, as the MLS All-Stars and LIGA MX All-Stars battled to a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes. And Turner was, in fact, the hero, making two saves on five penalty attempts while watching another sail over the crossbar to lead the MLS side to a 3-2 win in the shootout.
Turner’s efforts put him in elite company, as he became just the second Revolution player to be named MLS All-Star MVP along with the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, Taylor Twellman, in 2005.
September 2, 2021
Turner makes World Cup Qualifying debut with shutout in El Salvador
Heading into the Octagonal round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying, it appeared as if Turner was still the backup to Zack Steffen despite a 7-0-0 record and six clean sheets with the USMNT. But as news trickled out that Steffen was carrying an injury ahead of the opener against El Salvador, Berhalter announced that Turner would be making his WCQ debut at Estadio Cuscatlan.
"We just felt at this given moment, Matt is the goalie in better form, and we went with him,” Berhalter said of the choice between Turner and Ethan Horvath. “I have complete confidence in him and what he can do and his ability, and the next step is going to be for him to translate it into these ultra-competitive matches and see how he can manage that."
Turner, of course, managed just fine, making a single save in keeping yet another clean sheet as the USMNT kicked off qualifying with a 0-0 draw.
It was months later before additional context around Turner’s emotional debut came to light, as told in this powerful story from The Athletic’s Sam Stejskal.
November 22, 2021
Turner voted MLS Goalkeeper of the Year as Revs claim Supporters’ Shield
After narrowly missing out on Major League Soccer’s top award for goalkeepers in 2020, Turner wasn’t going to be denied in 2021, voted Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in a unanimous decision by claiming 38 percent of the player vote, 45.5 percent of the club vote, and 47.3 percent of the media vote. All told Turner claimed 43.6 percent of the vote, distancing himself from second place Andre Blake (10.43 percent).
Turner set a Revolution record for wins (17) in 2021 and maintained a 1.25 goals against average and a 73.2 saves percentage in 28 starts. Perhaps most importantly, he was one of New England’s emotional leaders as they set the MLS single-season points record (73) en route to the first Supporters’ Shield in the club’s 26-year history.
February 11, 2022
Turner officially set to join Arsenal in summer transfer
It’s no surprise that Turner’s rapid rise caught the attention of European suitors, and when English Premier League giant Arsenal came calling, Turner set sights on his next adventure. The 27-year-old had been upfront about his desire to eventually test himself on the biggest stage, and as an Arsenal fan himself, there was yet another storybook element to Turner’s latest chapter.
New England agreed to an undisclosed fee and it was announced that Turner would be leaving for England in the summer, giving him a few more months to say his goodbyes in Foxborough and continue representing the club that gave him his first shot at the professional level.
It was a bittersweet announcement for Revolution fans, thrilled to see one of their own realize a dream of playing in one of the world’s top leagues, but sad to say bon voyage to one of the best players to ever put on a New England Revolution jersey.
June 19, 2022
Turner plays final game for New England Revolution
There is so much more to be written in Matt Turner’s story, and Revolution fans will continue feverishly reading as they follow the remarkable journey of one of their heroes. But the New England chapter has but a few more sentences to be written, as Turner will pull on the jersey one last time on Sunday evening when the Revs host Minnesota United at Gillette Stadium.
It’s sure to be an emotional occasion – for Turner, for the supporters, for his teammates and coaches – but most of all it’s an opportunity to celebrate all that’s happened over the past seven years, and a chance for both Turner and the fans to acknowledge a bond that will span the Atlantic.
