LAS VEGAS, Nevada – United States GK Matt Turner was one of the many heroes for the Stars and Stripes in their conquest of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The 27-year-old New Jersey native registered five clean sheets in the U.S.’ six matches, including Sunday’s 1-0 extra time win over Mexico in the Final. In addition to being a Gold Cup champion for the first time, Turner also earned the award as the tournament’s best GK.
“It is still settling in. We enjoyed our time in the locker room. I’m just so happy, I’m so blessed. My journey has taken me a lot of places; a lot of ups, a lot of downs, but to be able to lift up a trophy makes it all worth it,” said Turner in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
Turner came up with five saves in the Final, including a big early stop on a Rogelio Funes Mori header in the first half. The calm and poise exhibited by the New England Revolution was evident, even if there were a few nervy moments in the initial minutes.
Overall, though, Turner says he was happy to form part of a U.S. team that improved with every match and capped things off with a title.
“I laid down before the game, before my warm-up and I just looked up and thought to myself, ‘This is just like every other game’. Obviously, it was loud and the crowd was pro-Mexico. There was a lot of energy and emotion and it was a final, so I quickly found out two minutes in that it wasn’t like every other game. I got the ball taken off me and luckily it didn’t result in anything. That kind of stuff was frustrating, but after that, being able to come into the game and build myself into the game, that felt really nice.
“At the end of the day, anything I can do to help this team win is all that matters, whether that’s as a number 1, 2 or 3 goalkeeper. I just want to be involved and I’m so blessed to represent U.S. Soccer,” concluded Turner.
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