Matt Turner is 31 years old. As a part of his previous experience, he has begun all four matches of the United States at a World Cup. His caps are 52, clean sheets are 27, and a total of 29-15-8 career international record with 43 goals conceded. The USMNT won the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup with five clean sheets in six games. He was named Best Goalkeeper of his tournament and was the first American since 1930 to play back-to-back shutouts at a World Cup when he did so in Qatar in 2022. He was part of the Crystal Palace squad that won the 2025 FA Cup, though he did not appear in the final. He has worked at Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace in England.
But with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the question is not whether or not Matt Turner is going to be on the plane. It depends on whether he is going to be on the field.
The Goalkeeper Situation
According to ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle on May 6, the USMNT heads to the summer tournament facing uncertainty, despite earlier confidence. The goalkeeper pool includes Matt Freese (NYC FC), Matt Turner (New England Revolution), Chris Brady (Chicago Fire), Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati), and Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), all in MLS. Former USMNT goalkeeper Kasey Keller stated, “No one in Europe is going to be staring at Matt Freese.” Goalkeeper coach Tim Hanley commented, “I do not know if it’s a weakness or strength, but it’s certainly not a strength… They are likely to start Freese.”
The Battle Freese vs. Turner.
Freese has played all 14 of the last 15 matches of the USMNT under head coach Mauricio Pochettino. He would experience the 2025 Gold Cup, including a penalty shootout victory over Costa Rica with Keylor Navas in the net.
Meanwhile, a statistical push is being made by Turner. According to ESPN, as far as MLS is concerned, Turner is the second-best in goals prevented (5.96), whereas Freese is in -0.19. Turner has a much better save percentage of 77.4 as compared to Freese at 65.5.
In March 2026, Turner was invited to the final USMNT training camp prior to the selection of the World Cup roster to play friendlies with Belgium and Portugal. His first international game since June 10, 2025, was a match against Belgium on March 28. The USMNT lost 5-2. Turner had five saves. Freese made his debut three days later, playing against Portugal in a 2-0 defeat.
The European Experience Gap.
According to ESPN, the goalkeepers currently working in the USMNT are not as experienced in the club as they previously were. Before the 1998 World Cup, Kasey Keller had played 281 first-team games, 270 of them in Europe. At the start of the 2002 World Cup, Brad Friedel had made 201 first-team appearances, of which 156 of these were in Europe. Prior to the 2010 World Cup, Tim Howard had 360 first-team appearances, 261 in Europe. Matt Turner has appeared in 142 first-team games, of which 31 have been in Europe during a period of three years. Matt Freese has 120 appearances all in MLS.
Turner made a one-season stint in Europe with Nottingham Forest (17 EPL appearances), followed by a loan to Crystal Palace, where he made four appearances across cup competitions. He was part of the Crystal Palace squad that won the FA Cup, though he did not feature in the final. He then transferred to French club Olympique Lyon, from whom he is now on loan to the New England Revolution for the 2026 season. He has made no league appearances for Lyon.
The 2026 MLS Form
According to FotMob, during the 2026 season of the MLS, Turner has played 270 minutes in three games with an average rating of 7.33. His game history includes: a 1-4 loss at Nashville on February 22 (rating of 7.0), a 0-1 loss at New York Red Bulls on February 28 (rating of 6.7), and a 6-1 win over FC Cincinnati on March 15 (rating of 8.3, seven saves). Turner, back on international duty, made four saves on April 6, in a 3-0 victory over CF Montreal and, in the 87th, made a full-stretch save ( The Blazing Musket ). This was the first New England shutout of 2026. According to FootyStats, in 10 games this season of the MLS, Turner has allowed 12 goals and has earned 3 clean sheets.
The Pochettino Decision
On May 26, Pochettino will announce his final World Cup squad in New York City. Turner will be expected to be on it. It is yet to be established whether he will be a starter or a backup.
Turner played every four matches in the 2022 World Cup. He has not only 10 Gold Cup starts, but also three Copa America starts, and 13 Concacaf Nations League A starts. In June 2025, he was the captain of the team in a friendly match with Switzerland. He was the reserve goalkeeper at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Former USMNT goalkeeper Brad Friedel, who gave Turner his first starts with New England back in 2018, told ESPN: “I think they’re all there — I think they’re all at a level where it’s not going to be the goalkeeper that is the reason that we lose a game.”
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