Matt Turner will miss second consecutive game, likely more

Matt Turner is poised to miss his second consecutive game and he’ll likely miss more.

Turner was unavailable for the New England Revolution’s season opener against the Portland Timbers on Feb. 26 due to a foot injury. The ailment was first made public by Levan Reid of WBZ on Feb. 22. Reid said that Turner hadn’t been an active participant in practice.

My colleague Sam Minton reported that Turner wasn’t present during this Wednesday’s training session.

On Thursday, head coach Bruce Arena told media, “We don’t expect Matt to play this weekend.” He later told Zolak & Bertrand, “Matt won’t be able to play this game, but there’s a chance he could be back next week.”

The Bent Musket has been told that Turner’s injury is minor. We’ve also heard that Turner will be out for the next two weeks, possibly longer. ESPN pundit Taylor Twellman said that he would “be shocked if [Turner is] ready for USMNT camp.”

The Revs will look to Earl Edwards Jr, Brad Knighton, or Jacob Jackson to serve as the team’s backstop while Turner works his way back to full health.

Edwards Jr. was the starter last weekend and performed well in his first MLS start since Aug. 4, 2018. Knighton will be a contender now that he’s returned to full training after dealing with a head injury.

Arena stated that he’s confident in the options he has at goalkeeper.

“Earl did very well I think in his first game with us in Portland,” Arena said. “We’re happy with the pool of goalkeepers we have, with our draft pick Jacob Jackson, as well as Brad Knighton.”