“I was ignorant of tactics!” The USMNT No. 1 Matt Turner names his goalie hero and discloses the surprising age at which he began playing soccer.

Prior to becoming a star for the USMNT, Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner disclosed that he had only begun playing football at the age of 16.

-The goalie’s first game was at age 16.
-became the top option for USMNT
-cited Tim Howard as an exemplary.

AHEAD OF TIME?
Since joining the Fairfield Stags at the collegiate level, the goalkeeper has advanced significantly. He later played for Jersey Express in his hometown and joined the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer. He was quickly signed by Arsenal, and after a year in north London, he joined Forest in the summer.

THE LARGER IMAGE
The 29-year-old also joined the American national team later than most, having started playing in 2021, but he has since developed into a superstar and established himself as the team’s first choice goalkeeper.

However, Turner acknowledges that he arrived late for the game and decided to play goalie because he was unfamiliar with football strategy and because of his background in other sports.

WHAT IT SAYS
“When I was 16 after the World Cup in 2010 that’s when I really fell in love with the sport,” he stated to BBC Sport. “It seems like a very late age to be 16 and only getting started. I really didn’t understand technique or tactics at that point, so the only way I could contribute was as a goalkeeper.

“My three main sports as a child were American football, basketball, and baseball. A goalkeeper kind of needs to possess many of the same qualities that make one successful in those sports.”

Turner set a good example for others to follow when he named Tim Howard, a fellow New Jersey native and former star of Manchester United and Everton, as his role model.

“The first goalkeeper I really watched very closely was Tim Howard,” he stated. “He’s from New Jersey and has experience in multiple sports, which was another aspect with which I felt like I could connect. I loved playing, so even when someone told me I couldn’t do something, I didn’t want to give up.”

UP NEXT: WHAT HAPPENS?
Turner will concentrate on the match against Liverpool the following week after starting in goal for Forest against Luton on Saturday.