Goalkeeper remains a question for USMNT, but Turner continues to show why he can be the man on the road to the World Cup
Matt Turner knew what the moment meant, both for himself and for the big picture. Staring down Demarai Gray, Turner surely knew that the upcoming penalty kick would be a turning point on a personal and collective level. And, in that moment, Turner won. He pushed away the shot, preserved the lead and, ultimately, led his team to a crucial win.
The U.S. men's national team needed that moment to escape Jamaica with that 1-0 win. Turner needed it even more.
Since the 2022 World Cup, Turner has found himself as a topic of discussion. With an uncertain club situation, he'd fallen into a similar trap as Zack Steffen before him, the one that, ironically, led to Turner's rise in time for that World Cup. In pushing his way up the ladder to the Premier League, Turner had reached a level that he could not dominate or, in this case, start at. Playing time has been hard to come by and when that dries up, so does timing, form and confidence.
Turner, by and large, hasn't let it impact him. His USMNT performances have remained strong throughout his difficulties at Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and, now, Crystal Palace. Even so, when you aren't proving it on the club level, you have to prove it for your national team and, on Thursday, Turner made sure he did just that with a massive save to earn his team a win.
Getty ImagesTurner's big save
It was a series of errors, not one in particular. Joe Scally gave the ball away. Mark McKenzie and Tim Ream failed to deal with the danger. Turner, ultimately, was the one to give away a penalty, as his last-gasp dive in brought down Shamar Nicholson. Up a goal, the USMNT were now about to give it right back as Gray stepped to the penalty spot.
Ultimately, Turner prevented that from happening. He dove to his right, pushing Gray's shot out of play before being swarmed by teammates. It was Turner's third save in eight penalty kicks while in the U.S. goal.
"I'm a goalkeeper," Turner said. "I think that's the first penalty that I've ever conceded… but a goalie is going to be a goalie anyway. It was a big moment for me. I didn't want to compound mistakes. You do your homework and you try to cover the side that you dive to as far as you can. I was able to turn it around the post, and it ended up being a huge moment."
Turner had one other big moment. Late in the game, he was required to push away an Olimpico attempt, making a save that was much harder than it looked. Turner saw the ball through traffic, reacted and preserved the clean sheet, and that shutout will serve as a huge boost to the USMNT going forward.
AdvertisementAn important game for the defense
The USMNT defense, as a whole, a game like this. They suffered a 2-0 defeat down in Mexico last camp, a game with one very avoidable goal. Prior to that, they struggled in September, too, in a 2-0 loss to Canada.
Going into a game against Jamaica, any defense knows they'll be tested. The have legitimate Premier League quality all over the field. There will be moments where Gray or Leon Bailey will make any defense uncomfortable, and it'll all come down to how a group handles those big uncomfortable moments where Jamaica gets forward.
By and large, the U.S. handled them well. There were some nervy ones. Tim Ream's pace was always going to be tested. McKenzie had one or two nervy sequences before settling down. Scally and Antonee Robinson had tall tasks defending against Jamaica's pacey wingers. Turner was called upon to make the saves that defined the game. Yunus Musah's incredible last-gasp tackle may have been best of all, inspiring a huge response from his teammates.
In the end, though, that zero remained, as the U.S. preserved a clean sheet.
"Jamaica have some great attacking players, so I thought Tim, Jedi, Mark and Joe, in particular, had a great game," Turner said. "Everybody was making plays all over the field, even defending from the front, turning them over, creating opportunities. Yunus clearing the ball off the line, you can see how much it meant to the players. In those moments when guys were making the big-time tackles, they celebrated them like they celebrated scoring a goal. They're just as valuable, and I think this team's learning, learning that again."
Getty ImagesBuilding momentum
Outside of USMNT duty, Turner has played just six club matches in 2024. It's tough to find a rhythm when you're playing maybe once a month, and it's even harder to keep any confidence when you don't get to build on it.
Turner, though, headed into camp fresh off a strong performance on the club level. Handed his first Crystal Palace start, Turner helped lead his new club to a 2-1 upset over Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup. USMNT goalkeeper coach Toni Jimenez was in the stands to watch on as Turner made his first impression with his new team.
“For me, that was a big moment because [Crystal Palace manager] Oliver Glasner made it very clear to me and to my team that it wasn’t a handout,” Turner said ahead of the USMNT's match Thursday. “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.”
Turner put on a show in that game, making eight saves against a Champions League team in Villa. He's not quite pushing Dean Henderson for the starting job, but it was a game that showed Turner can be better than he showcased during his rough spells at Nottingham Forest. As for the future, though, that remains a talking point.
GettyThe long-term situation
As long as Turner isn't starting for his club, the conversation will persist about who should start at goal for the U.S. With the World Cup closing in quickly, determining who is the long-term fit in a critical position is important.
Right now, there's no obvious candidate to leapfrog Turner. Ethan Horvath, who has struggled on the club level, won't do so any time soon. Zack Steffen still needs to earn, and take, a second chance with the USMNT. Patrick Schulte needs more seasoning. Gabriel Slonina or Diego Kochen may be the goalkeeper of the future, but neither is experienced enough to be the goalkeeper of now.
Turner, meanwhile, isn't panicking – at least not yet. For the moment, he's ready to push at Crystal Palace and fight for a starting job that would all but solidify his case to be the USMNT No. 1 on the road to 2026.
“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 said. “And so I’m just going to keep plugging away, keep controlling what I can control right now.”
And that perspective comes from experience.
“I found myself in these positions quite a few times now where I’m not consistently playing," he said. "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. My wife understands that it’s more than just being a backup goalkeeper; it's about preparing every single game like I’m playing the same way and taking that same approach no matter what and because I want to be ready when my number is called upon.”
Turner's number was called upon on Thursday. It likely will be again in the second leg on Monday. And, as long as he continues to answer those calls, the USMNT goalkeeper spot is his.
