FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – He started the season on the bench as a third-stringer.
He has finished it as a starter and United States men’s national team hopeful.
New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner’s season ran parallel to that of his team. It was a roller coaster.
But Wednesday evening, just four days removed from the Revolution’s 1-0 loss at Atlanta United in Round 1 of the MLS Playoffs, Turner said he’s finally had a chance to reflect.
“I’ll look at [this season] as a step in the right direction for me personally and as a whole for this team,” he said from inside Gillette Stadium during New England’s final availability of 2019. “We’re up there. We’ve got guys that can compete. We went toe-to-toe with Atlanta and it felt like we deserved more out of the game.
“Also, we dug ourselves a hole. If we played the way we did in the second half of the season for the whole year, we probably would have been hosting a playoff game, and you’ve seen how most of the teams that hosted won their first round game.”
The hole – a 2-8-2 start that led to the firing of both head coach Brad Friedel and general manager Mike Burns – seemed impossible to climb out of when Bruce Arena was hired as coach in early May. But the Revolution did, with just three losses in their final 22 matches, to clinch the Eastern Conference’s seventh and final playoff berth.
Turner played in only one of the Revolution’s matches during their woeful 12-game stretch to start the season – a 5-0 loss to the Chicago Fire on May 9.
But the coaching staff, first helmed by interim manager Mike Lapper and then Arena, kept Turner as the starter in the weeks and months that followed.
Turner finished the regular season with 87 saves and four clean sheets in 20 appearances. His performances helped bolster New England – which entered the Arena era with the worst defense in the league – and preserved results.
His contributions got him into the conversation for the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year Award. Now Turner, who was reluctant to discuss his personal ambitions during the regular season, said Wednesday that he hopes to be included in the United States men’s national team’s January camp.
“How can you not think about it?” Turner said of potentially representing the U.S. “It’s something everybody dreams about when they’re playing this game, is putting on the crest and colors of their nation. To represent the U.S. at the international level would be a dream come true.
“I’ve never liked talking about personal goals. Because they really revolve around the team. As the team does better, it’s better for me. I really just want this team to be a top contender in the Eastern Conference and around the league, and to do well in the U.S. Open Cup.”
While Turner helped the Revolution reach the postseason for the first time since 2015, he also said the team’s expectations will change. More will be expected of him as well, as his new contract starts on Jan. 1.
“There’s a new monkey on our back. Now we need to go and win a playoff game. Just making it isn’t enough for us or our fans. It’s about winning games in the playoffs – meaningful games in the playoffs – and bringing a championship back to New England.
“Personally, I’m really hungry for next season… This was the first year I’ve been on a team that made the playoffs, so we have a taste for it now… I’m just really looking forward to 2020.”