Arsenal and USA’s Matt Turner: ‘Arteta makes your mind work in different ways’

The goalkeeper didn’t play football seriously until he was 14. He reflects on his time at the World Cup, Arsenal’s title challenge and family visitors

DEPUTY: Matt Turner of Arsenal. Pic: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Matt Turner’s football journey is not what you might call traditional. He didn’t start playing the game until he was 14 – and that was because he wanted to stay in shape for basketball and baseball. Even then, he only played in goal when another player went down with an injury. From there he has progressed from MLS standout to Arsenal to USA’s starting keeper at last year’s World Cup. But he always wants more, something that is clear when he looks back at the team’s performance in Qatar.

“There’s a hunger,” Turner says, reflecting on the US loss to the Netherlands in the round of 16. In the group stages, they had impressed with their style of play and went toe-to-toe with England in a 0-0 draw. The Americans had also achieved the main objectives born in the wreckage of the disastrous qualification campaign for the 2018 World Cup: make it to Qatar and reach the knockout stages.