New England Revolution

Matt Turner With A Sensational Performance To Allow New England Comeback

Published

2 months ago

May 31, 2018

Tanner Rebelo

Matt Turner With A Sensational Performance To Allow New England Comeback, Show’s That He Is One Of The Best American Goalkeepers In The World

The New England Revolution drew with Atlanta United FC on Wednesday night at Gillette, but without one man it could have been a devastating home loss.

Matt Turner, New England’s goalkeeper, made 6 saves on the night and the ones he made in the second half were next level saves that helped keep his team in the game. But this isn’t anything new for the 2018 New England Revolution, Turner has been exceptional for them this season keeping them in games in key moments.

Turner’s teammates have certainly taken notice:”All year long he has been unbelievable” said Revs Forward Teal Bunbury.” He’s man of the match, saves plural of the year. Keeping us in-games non-stop.”

No one was getting past @headdturnerr down the stretch. 🚫 #NERevs pic.twitter.com/U804f0P59H

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 31, 2018

So how exactly does Matt Turner make a save like that? Well Friedel says its “reflexes, on a save like that, reading the game”. Friedel a former goalkeeper himself has some high praise for Turner and says he earned the job in preseason with the coaching staff carefully analyzing their options week-after-week.

When we came into preseason-everyone had the chance to shine…when the staff and I got together we all sort of decided what the pecking order was with the goalkeepers…Every two weeks in the preseason we reevaluated on every position, who we thought the starters were and who would possibly come off the bench. And as with each two week cycle sort of went on, Matt Turner’s name sort of coming up. And no frills to it, it’s his hard work, not that he worked harder than Cody or Brad, as all three of the goalkeepers work exceptionally hard. Whenever I was working on something here and saw a save out of the corner of my eye that looked really good I’d look over there and it was usually Matt. Then he took his chance in a couple of preseason games, we liked his demeanor and he won the starting spot.

Matt Turner Went From Number 3 To Number 1

Turner was a major shock to win the starting job to start the 2018 season with the now well-know keeper being a relative unknown to even the most hardcore Revolution fans: “He went from number 3 where not many people had heard of him to number 1”.

Many wonder what the ceiling is for Turner who is still young and clearly has a lot to show. His potential at the moment looks very high with Friedel saying:” As long as he stays grounded, humble, and focused, his potential is really high. There’s not too many American goalkeepers that are better than him, anywhere in the world.”

High praise from a former standout goalkeeper and Friedel didn’t stop there. The Head Coach went on to say” he will have the ability to play at national team level.” But that comes with a caveat with Friedel saying “if, and only if he continues to work the way that he does.”

Definitely high praise for the Revolution netminder not only from his head coach but from his teammates as well. So far this season Turner has been one of the leagues best keepers. But despite having a phenomenal performance against Atlanta Turner after the game was disappointed he wasn’t able to make the save on Atlanta’s goal.: “I was really disappointed with how the goal went in the first half. I didn’t do my normal thing. I cheated a little bit and got punished. We came in here down 1-0 and I felt like I should have done better in that moment. So, I challenged myself in the second half to go back out there and make a difference in the game. I think I did a good job of that tonight. That’s all I can really do—try and make saves to keep my team in the game.”

Turner was notified of Friedel’s high praise during his media availability and said:”That means a lot, but he still expects more of me and I expect more out of myself. To be in that category right now is great, but I know I can do a lot better. I would have loved that clean sheet tonight. Like I said before, I sort of blame myself for the first goal for moving my feet a little too soon and guessing. I’m still growing every day and trying to learn. It’s cool, but there’s still a long way for me to go before I’m on that level.”

As of the writing of this post Turner is 4th in MLS with 48 saves on the season through 13 matches. Despite having success Turner continues to try and learn week-after-week as he continues to try to work hard and get better .

“I’m just trying to learn every single game. I try to learn after we lose, I try to learn after we win, and see how I could do things in a game differently and continue to grow as a player because I know I’m not where I want to be yet. That’s always been my mindset is to learn and work hard.”

Turner and the New England Revolution will will be back in action on Saturday night as they host the New York Red Bulls.

New England Revolution

Revolution Talk: Can They Bounce Back After Gut Punch Loss At Home?

Published

3 weeks ago

July 16, 2018

Tanner Rebelo

Revolution Talk: Can They Bounce Back After Gut Punch Loss At Home? Season Might Be In Jeopardy After Lackluster Homestand

In front of a season high 36,573 fans on Saturday night at Gillette the New England Revolution gave up 2 goals in stoppage time to lose 3-2.

A brutal loss, a kick in the balls, and something that is rather disappointing for a team that had played rather well for much of the night and looked like a squad on the rise in MLS.

While one game, actually just 2 minutes of play doesn’t describe or define an entire season, it will be hard to bounce back on a short week.

New England is traveling to Minnesota for a mid-week match on Wednesday against Minnesota United FC.

Can they bounce back?

Well according to defender Jalil Anibaba, there is certainly positives to take away from Saturday’s match despite the ending, and that the team should still be proud of what they put into the game.

“I think playing again. Obviously, us having a quick turnaround is going to help us in a situation like this. Everybody has a bitter taste in their mouth after Saturday’s game, but there are a lot, a lot, a lot of positives to pull out from the game. Any time you lose in that fashion, you tend to be really down on yourself, but there’s so many positives to pull from the guys. Spirits are high and we have all the reason to be proud of what we put into the game for the most part.”

While the approach seems to be right, it just seems rather optimistic to think the Revs will bounce back. For certain players like Juan Agudelo who played one hell of a match on Saturday, feeling rather let down by his team wouldn’t be shocking. But when asked about his incredible performance. The veteran forward is just satisfied with helping the team win games rather than individual success.

“This year, not thinking too much about scoring. I know it helps the team, but as long as we come up with three points, I’m fine with putting in the work. I seem a bit happier this year with putting in the work and being satisfied with giving it my all [rather] than scoring.”

Either way, even if the squad bounces back as a whole, three players are suspended for the match against Minnesota. This is something that Head Coach Brad Friedel believes the team will overcome.

“We have some outstanding players that can come in the positions for the players that are out. This is a big opportunity for some of the players to come in and show what they can do. Like every position and every player, if you do lose your place for one reason or another, you’re going to have to fight to get it back. ”

New England will be down Antonio Delamea, Luis Caicedo, and Cristian Penilla.

After a disastrous loss in the final minutes at home, the Revs have their work cut out for them.

Out of 6 possible points on their three-match homestand the Revolution took just 3 points. That is simply not good enough with only 5 home matches remaining compared to 10 on the road.

Only time will tell if Saturday’s loss will affect the squad and their performances, but one thing is for certain, that loss will come back to haunt them one way or another.

New England Revolution

World Cup Flashback: New England Revolution

Published

1 month ago

June 25, 2018

Brian Enos

With the World Cup finally here and in full swing. Lets take a look back at some past Revolution players who have featured for their respected countries in the World Cup.

Clint Dempsey
The USMNT star started his career with New England. After 25 goals in 2 seasons with the MLS side, he transferred to Fulham in the Premier League. Dempsey’s superb goalscoring record for both club and country, made him an obvious selection in 3 consecutive World Cups. (2006, 2010, 2014)

Alexi Lalas
The 1994 World Cup was where a lot of people first heard the name Alexi Lalas. Lalas was a standout at the tournament, as the U.S lost to Brazil in the knockout stage. This lead to a transfer to Italian side Padova for Lalas. In doing so, he became the first U.S born player to play in Serie A. Alexi played 1 season in New England. (1996-1997)

Mike Burns
Current Revs GM Mike Burns made the U.S squad for 2 World Cups. He dindnt feature in any games in the 1994 World Cup. He again made the 1998 USMNT World Cup squad. That time around he played a big role, featuring in 2 out of 3 games in the tournament.

Jermaine Jones
Jones became an established USMNT player by 2011, plying his trade in Germany, England and Turkey, before moving to the Revs in 2014. Jones played in the 2014 World Cup, scoring a memorable goal in the group stage against Portugal.

Avery John
John was a dependable versatile defender in his 4 year span with the Revolution from 2004-2008. The same was true for his counrty, as Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the 2006 World Cup. Unfortunately things didnt go as planned for John, as he was sent off in his first World Cup match for 2 yellow cards versus Sweden.

Other Notable Revolution Players to Have Made World Cup Squads
Eric Wynalda (Revolution 2000-2001)
Chris Albright (Revolution 2008-2009)
Gabriel Badilla (Revolution 2008-2009) (Costa Rica 2006)
Giuseppe Galderisi (Revolution 1996) (Italy 1986)

New England Revolution

Revolution Talk: Consistent Approach Paying Dividends For New England

Published

2 months ago

June 11, 2018

Brian Enos

Revolution Talk: Consistent Approach Paying Dividends For New England

As the Revolution left B.C Place, there was a sense of frustration. Normally securing an away point against a playoff contender in the West would be a positive, but a series of defensive mistakes left the Revolution disappointed. Cristian Techera was left unmarked three different times in the 2nd half , as the Revs blew a 2-0 halftime lead and escaped with a draw.

Frustration aside, Brad Friedel remained calm, insisting that the Revs would sort out their defensive issues. That they did, as they held the high powered Atlanta United F.C to just 1 goal, and earned a resilient home draw against a conference opponent. A massive 2-1 home win against rival New York Red Bulls had the Gillette Stadium faithful in good spirits. Then it happened. The defensive inconsistencies emerged again. This time in conceding three goals in a disappointing 3-2 U.S Open Cup defeat to Louisville City F.C.

A key thing to consider here, is that typically after a really disappointing defeat, the coach will make dramatic changes. Leaving coach Friedel with a few decisions to make leading up to the game against Chicago. As he has done throughout his first season in New England, Friedel’s move to restore perhaps the Revolutions most consistent back four (Dielna, Anibaba, Delamea, Farrell) paid off, as the Revs secured a late point against a very potent Fire attack. A bounce back coach Friedel will be pleased with.

The “never satisfied” approach will continue for the Revs will continue Wednesday night as they travel to San Jose to take on the Earthquakes at 10:30 PM.