USMNT's Matt Turner continues to push for World Cup starting role: 'The door is always cracked'

IRVINE, Calif. – No two World Cups are alike, even for those who have experienced them before; Matt Turner is a quintessential example. As the U.S. men's national team barrel closer to their opening match of the tournament on Friday against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, though, Turner is still fighting to be exactly where he was nearly four years ago – in the lineup as the team's starting goalkeeper.

"Given the fact that I haven't played a ton in the last year for the national team, of course for me, that makes me feel like the door is always cracked," Turner said on Tuesday. "Everyone has a chance."

This time a year ago, the longtime U.S. shot-stopper relinquished his spot to newcomer Matt Freese, who only earned his first cap in June of 2025. Freese has been head coach Mauricio Pochettino's pick since – he has only sat on the bench in three of their last 18 games since making his debut and is incredibly likely to start on Friday. There is an asterisk next to his presumed starting spot, though. Turner has been in better form than Freese over the course of the 2026 MLS season thus far. Even third-choice U.S. goalkeeper Chris Brady has fared better than Freese in some ways this season in MLS, even though the 22-year-old with just one cap to his name is very unlikely to see the field during the World Cup.

USMNT World Cup goalkeepers in the 2026 MLS season

It has offered Turner a flicker of hope, even when things have not always gone his way in the last year with the national team. He has just three games under his belt since last June, conceding a combined nine goals in a 4-0 defeat to Switzerland a year ago and a 5-2 loss to Belgium in March. He was not the main antagonist in that defeat three months ago but it felt like a missed opportunity to claw his way back into the lineup. He did, though, redeem himself in a first-half outing during last month's 3-2 win over Senegal. The visitors pulled one back just before the half but that goal from Sadio Mane came after Turner made several important saves and other proactive interventions, restoring confidence in the fact that he can take his strong club form to the national team.

"Not a ton of clarity," he said about who's starting against Paraguay. "But I think my messaging for me is just to always be ready. Obviously, I didn't play in the last game. I started the first game [of this window] so for me, it's about training really well. Keep fighting and then the decision will be made on Friday."

The road to this World Cup has varied drastically for Turner, who started in 2022 despite the fact that he was mostly sitting on Arsenal's bench and lacked freshness in Qatar. That was the case over the course of a few years in England, bouncing around different clubs in an unsuccessful attempt to find playing time. Turner joined the New England Revolution last August, returning to the club where he initially broke onto the scene, a place that has afforded him the confidence to stay calm in these final days before the World Cup opener.

"I think playing consistent minutes at the level that I've been playing at this year has helped me tremendously with that, with staying ready," he said. "Unlike in the past where I was kind of scrapping for minutes at the club level and then when you show up to the national team, you're not as sharp when your number is called, so it's obviously been really great to be playing consistently, be an important player for my team as well. Of course, it just helps me with my preparation on a weekly basis, daily basis and if my number is called, everybody knows I'll be ready."

The goalkeeper battle has underscored the sense of competition Pochettino has hoped to foster in the player pool since he took the job in the fall of 2024, and is something Turner championed on Tuesday.

"I think it's a great thing," he said. "I think he's constructed a roster of guys that buy into that and it creates competition in training for spots on a weekly basis. Just because one 11 starts one game doesn't mean the next 11 is going to be the same. Everybody knows that they're looked at in the same light in the coach's eyes and if they merit and deserve an opportunity with this coach, they're going to get one."

Turner ultimately feels that Pochettino and his staff will make the right call, prepared for whatever answer he is given in that all-important team meeting at the end of the week.

"I think the coach will always pick the guy that's playing the best and he's going to make the right decision for the team," Turner said. "Whatever my role is going to be, I'm going to be ready to do it to the best of my ability."

A fully fit squad trains for the first time

The USMNT may be nearly two weeks into their World Cup training camp but Tuesday's session marked a first – all 26 players trained together as a group, fitness issues now behind them.

Defender Chris Richards took part in his first full training session on Monday, nearly a month after sustaining an ankle injury, while Tyler Adams re-joined the group on Tuesday after skipping the previous day's activities through load management. Richards has been the big absence since camp opened on May 27 at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville, Ga. but Adams missed two sessions as the staff worked not to overload him, while Brenden Aaronson missed one day of training to attend his wedding in New Jersey on May 29.

It means that all 26 players on the World Cup are likely to be available for Friday's game against Paraguay, only adding to the sense of competition amongst the group – and reinforcing the options available to Pochettino when it comes time to make team selections.

"I think that we're going to have to play differently and I think that if we can change the way we have a midfield setup," midfielder Cristian Roldan said. "it's going to be really important for Malik [Tillman] being in there versus Sebastian [Berhalter], myself  or Weston [McKennie]. Malik is more of a playmaker. If you play against teams that play more in a low block, you have more of a creative guy in there, it gives you a good chance of scoring more goals and then in the end, we have to be strong defensively. We have to make sure that Tyler's communicating really well but it helps the team being able to be a little bit more offensive versus defensive or sitting in a low block."

Roldan said each player brings their own unique attributes, which allows Pochettino to set up his team in the fluid tactical style he prefers.

"It seems really funny to say but being a dog in there, right?" Roldan said about his own attributes. "I think in the end, that's what got me here, being intense, making sure that I be proactive, get into to do things, making sure that I energize our group entirely so my role can change. Obviously, if I'm not in the starting lineup, how I help the boys off the field or even at halftime but I really do think that being intense is what got me here and I gotta keep doing that."

The lack of clarity on Friday's starters has not rattled the group, the U.S. team riding the high of two weeks of celebratory moments and strong performances against Senegal and Germany, even in defeat.

"Of course, we won't know exactly who's playing until he obviously gives the lineup in the meeting but you just try to keep the right habits every day in training, being competitive with each other but it's a really healthy environment," midfielder Gio Reyna said. "Of course, everybody wants to play but everybody understands how this game works. Whatever it is, I'm sure we're all just willing to put our egos aside and do whatever it takes to help the team."

Much like it is in goal, though, it feels as if there is still opportunity for many members of the 26-player squad to play a sizable role at this World Cup.

"I think it's whoever's back there, it doesn't matter," Roldan said. "To be honest, the whole starting lineup is kind of up for grabs. We don't know who's starting in any position and things can change from game to game and so it's important for Matt Turner, important for Matt Freese to be ready but it's really important for all 26 guys to be ready 'cause injuries happen, things happen, tactical things happen where we might have to change a little bit and so it's really important for everybody to be ready so I don't think we're unsettled. I think that we are all on our toes and we have to be ready to go."