FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Will Matt Turner be the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. men’s national team at this summer’s FIFA World Cup?
That’s arguably the Americans’ biggest unresolved question heading into the tournament, which they kick off June 12 against Paraguay.
With just over a month to go before the games begin – and with U.S. national team coach Mauricio Pochettino set to name his roster later this month – the New England Revolution shot-stopper is locked in competition with New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese for the starting role.
That said, Turner is passing the eye test and leading Freese in several statistical categories. Turner, who started all four of the U.S.’s matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, secured his third shutout of the MLS season in the Revolution’s 1-0 victory over Charlotte FC last Saturday night.
Turner leads MLS in goals prevented (7.2) and boasts an 80.3 save percentage – a healthy 13 percentage points higher than Freese, according to advanced statistics tracker Fotmob.
“We already know he’s a good goalkeeper, so besides the stats and his general form there are other factors that go into evaluating whether someone can start in a World Cup,” said former Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis, who also served as the U.S. Goalkeeper Coach from 2017-18.
“Looking at his highlights, he’s doing what he needs to do. When you look at when he started in the last World Cup, he was making saves. For me that’s the biggest thing a goalkeeper can do -- make saves...game-changing saves. He’s done it, and he’s been part of a World Cup, so that’s in his favor.”
The biggest impediment to whether Turner starts may be intangible: Pochettino gave Freese the starting role last year. And so it’s possible that, despite Turner’s previous World Cup experience and his success in MLS this season, Pochettino sticks with Freese, who would be a World Cup debutant.
“I think [Turner] will be one of the three called up, but the staff has played Freese a lot and he seems like their guy,” added Reis, an alternate call-up for the U.S. roster at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. “Turner just needs to be available and be ready when he’s called. As a goalkeeper, you have to put your head down, do your job, make saves, help the team win, and if the coach picks you, you have to be good – if not great. When the other team isn’t scoring on you, you have your best chance to keep the position.”
This true yet obvious insight from Reis brings up another problem facing Turner: The U.S. lost 5-2 to Belgium in his last international start.
It wasn’t a good look, even if Turner wasn’t to blame for most if not all of Belgium’s goals.
When asked how he would evaluate such a performance, Reis was candid.
“A goalkeeper, any time you let in five, it’s on you...it’s one of those things. At the international level, you don’t have a lot of time. Getting in games and doing well is super important. It’s not all on Turner when you look at it from the outside, but it does open the door for the staff to say ‘We’ve been putting Freese out, and when we put in Turner we lose and let in five.’”
While Reis would not say on record which of the two Matts he would start in the World Cup, he’s confident Pochettino’s staff has already determined which one is the first choice.
“If they do go with Freese, they’ll have a backup that’s played in the World Cup,” Reis said. “In the end, your role on that team is whatever the coach needs out of you.”
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