USMNT
Goalkeeper Matt Turner hints at mentality problem for USMNT
The USMNT No. 1 acknowledged that the October loss to Mexico has served as a wake-up call ahead of the game against Jamaica.
The United States men’s national team will take on Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League this week, the first competitive fixture under recently-appointed head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
The new boss also oversaw two friendly games during the October international break, ending with a drab 2-0 defeat to rivals Mexico.
US goalkeeper Matt Turner reflected on that loss at a press conference on Tuesday and acknowledged that the defeat in Guadalajara had exposed weaknesses in this USMNT setup. While this is undoubtedly a talented group of American players, Turner hinted at certain areas, particularly the team’s mentality, that need to be improved to make the US harder to beat.
He explained: “I don’t want to open the doors too much because sometimes the messaging between coaching staff and the players can be personal and we want to keep it at home. But from my perspective we didn’t do enough of the little things in the game, I’m not talking about tactics or quality.”
“There‘s the game and the tactics, and then there’s the game within the game. We lost that part in a big way and obviously the result reflected that. It was a disappointing night in Guadalajara."
Turner on the sidelines in the Premier League
While he has been a consistent starter for the national team, Turner’s situation presents a key decision for Pochettino going forward. The 30-year-old left MLS for the Premier League in 2022 but has struggled for playing time this year, making just one club start in eight months.
Most worryingly, that spell covers both Nottingham Forest and the first few months at new club Crystal Palace. With such little first team action, can Turner be relied upon for USMNT?
Turner told reporters: “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.”
“I’m just going to keep plugging away, keep controlling what I can control right now.”
Turner was the first-choice at both the 2022 World Cup and this summer‘s Copa América, keeping his place for Pochettino’s first two games in charge last month. But with the likes of Patrick Schulte and Zack Steffen impressing in MLS this year, and 18-year-old Diego Kochen getting game time for Barcelona B, Turner will soon come under real pressure.
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