Matt Turner living on the fence in net

Matt Turner has been a life saver for the New England Revolution these past two seasons but recently he has shown that he is in fact mortal.

Since the goalkeeper has returned from United States Men’s National Team he has had some interesting moments between the sticks. Whether it be some interesting travels getting caught out of position or getting his hand on shots but they somehow still find a way into the back of the net.

The fact that you can even question Turner’s play is a testament to just how well he has been playing the last two years. He has and still is the best goalkeeper in MLS and should be the top keeper for the United States heading into the next World Cup.

To put in perspective how well Turner has been playing, Saturday’s win was his 25th at Gillette Stadium in his career and he has yet to lose a game at home this season. His 14 wins in 2021 is a career high as well.

But how has the 27-year-old adjusted to juggling the responsibilities of international duty along with competing for his club? Turner admitted that it has been a grind.

“It’s no secret it’s been a grind,” he said. “I’ve been playing a lot of games. When things are going really well and games are coming thick and fast, you have no time to think so you just kind of keep going. The hard part is when things aren’t going so well, you might not have as much time on the training field as you might like to sort of correct some things. So, I was able to feel like I corrected a few things. Technically and unfortunately, sometimes things happen and when it rains it pours. So, as a goalkeeper you live on that fence. A good play, a bad play, can be a game changing moment. So right now, sort of in the midst of some serious peaks and valleys in this past game in particular. It just is what it is. My teammates have picked me up from tough moments and that just speaks to how this team is. It’s always been the next man up. Everyone’s picking each other up when someone makes a bad play, someone else makes a good play, to ride it. You don’t win 19 games by accident. Yeah, it’s just time, I’ll be fine.”

Even in the midst of his struggles, it’s clear that his teammates have his back. Just look at what Tajon Buchanan had to say after being asked about Turner’s performance against Orlando and his stop on Nani.

“Yeah, best goalkeeper in MLS,” Buchanan said. “I think we all know that. He’s been saving us a lot in situations like that. So yeah, I’m super happy for him and obviously super happy that he’s on this team.”

With a Wednesday night matchup against CF Montreal, Turner has an opportunity to head into a slight break on a high note and continue to build momentum before the playoffs arrive.