Turner prepares to say goodbye to Revs fans, who made him feel like a superstar

On Sunday, Matt Turner will say goodbye to a place and team that he loves, though the door is open for a return one day.

Turner will suit up for the New England Revolution’s home game against Minnesota United on June 19 before heading overseas to link up with Arsenal. It will be a bittersweet moment for the goalkeeper as he’s been a resident of New England since joining the Revs in 2016.

“New England is home,” Turner told media on Friday. “New England’s home for me, for my wife. She’s from Maine. It’s the place where I became an adult. It’s the place where I realized many of my dreams.”

Originally undrafted, Turner signed with the Revs after a brief trial. He spent two seasons getting minutes with the Richmond Kickers of the United Soccer League before then-Revolution head coach Brad Friedel named him as the starter for the 2018 opener.

Turner experienced highs and lows as he solidified his place as one of the best goalkeepers in MLS. Now he’s heading to England before possibly starting in net for the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2022 World Cup.

“It’s going to be an amazing journey, amazing step in my story,” Turner said of joining Arsenal. “But that novelty will wear off pretty soon because I understand that going there, it’s going to require a lot of focus. It’s going to require a lot of dedication and sacrifice, and I’m going to have to put my best foot forward every single day if I want to have even a sniff of success.”

Before he starts his European adventure, Turner will put a close to his time with the Revolution. This includes a proper goodbye to the fans who have supported him throughout the years.

“I’m just going to focus on saying goodbye to the fans who hold a really special place in my heart, who’ve welcomed me to this team, made me feel like a superstar even when I was playing games in Richmond,” Turner said.

He continued, “And it’s been tough, no question over the past few seasons with COVID and everything, not getting the chance to be with them one-on-one as closely, signing autographs, those kinds of things as frequently. That’s been challenging, but I hope that Sunday we’ll sort of be able to rectify all that, and then leave on good terms.”

Turner admitted that it’s hard to predict the future, noting that he’s currently focused on Sunday’s game and the move to Arsenal. That said, he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of returning to New England one day.

“I would never close the door for that possibility,” Turner said when asked about a return. “I love it here. I love the facilities. I love the Kraft family. And it would be really, really nice to get to play for them again down the road, but sometimes things happen out of your control, with the way the MLS order is, you know, coming back to the league, it can be a little chaotic, so I’ll deal with that in a long time I hope.