For the first time representing his new club, Matt Turner entered a U.S. men’s national team camp getting a version of the question that one of his compatriots and his chief competition for World Cup minutes has heard for quite some time. It goes something like:
Can you really stay in form and sharp if you’re not getting regular matches?
That question had been lobbed at Zack Steffen for the last two years, as he deputized as Manchester City’s backup while also continuing to start with regularity for the U.S. And although Turner rose to prominence and the U.S. stage by playing for the New England Revolution, where he emerged as a star in MLS, he left those confines, like Steffen before him, for the cauldron of a Premier League Big Six side. Now at Arsenal, Turner is backing up England international Aaron Ramsdale, and game time is predictably limited. He’s made one competitive appearance over the first month of the season, against FC Zürich in the UEFA Europa League, and as the World Cup beckons, the concerns over his readiness for the grand stage are growing.
