‘I didn’t understand tactics!’ – USMNT No.1 Matt Turner reveals surprise age he started playing soccer & names his goalkeeping hero
Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner revealed he only started playing football at the age of 16 before becoming a USMNT star.
What happened?
This goalkeeper has come a long way since starting out playing at the college level for the Fairfield Stags, eventually playing for local team Jersey Express, and then making his way to MLS with the New England Revolution. Arsenal quickly signed him and he spent a year in north London before joining Forest in the summer.
OVERVIEW
The 29-year-old also joined the US national team late, making his career in 2021, but he has already become a star, establishing himself as the country’s first-choice goalkeeper me.
But Turner admitted that he arrived late to the match and chose to become a goalkeeper because he did not understand football tactics and because of his experience playing other sports.
WHAT THEY SAID
“When I was 16 after the 2010 World Cup, that’s when I really fell in love with the sport,” he told BBC Sport. “I definitely felt like it was very late, being 16 years old and just starting out. At that time, I didn’t understand the tactics, I didn’t really understand the technique, so the only way for me to get involved was to be a goalkeeper.
“I played baseball, basketball and American football, which were my three main sports growing up. You also need to have many of the necessary qualities to succeed in these sports as a goalkeeper. »
Turner had some great examples to follow, highlighting his fellow New Jersey native and former Manchester United and Everton player. star Tim Howard as a model.
“The first goalkeeper I really watched closely was Tim Howard,” he said. “He’s also someone who has experience playing multiple sports and he’s also from New Jersey, which was another part that I really felt like I could fit in. Just because someone told me that I I can’t do it, I don’t want to stop.” Do that, I’d love to play in next week’s match against Liverpool.
