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‘It was a trying time’: Matt Turner discussed Lyon ‘limbo’ prior to Revolution move
"It's good to be back in an environment where you're loved."
Matt Turner made his first official appearance back in New England as a member of the Revolution on Monday. While it was always likely that Turner — who experienced some of his best professional moments with the club — would potentially return to the Revolution after leaving for Arsenal in 2022, the recent circumstances that led to the moment have been anything but foreseeable.
Turner, 31, is back in New England on a one-year loan from French club Olympique Lyonnais. Originally, Lyon appeared to be the answer to the question Turner has sought essentially since heading to Europe: Could he find a (stable) club that would make him the consistent starter?
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After cycling through Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace in the past three seasons, Turner seemed to have secured a transfer to Lyon from Forest in June for $8 million. But after the French club was hit with charges of financial mismanagement by the league’s watchdog organization (DNCG), and received a subsequent penalty of being relegated to Ligue 2, Turner shifted quickly to looking for another move.
While Lyon have successfully been able to appeal the forced relegation since it was first issued, the club nonetheless sought to clear its books as much as possible, including an effort to move on from Turner.
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In a piece of quick thinking, the Revolution front office moved to sign him during the midseason MLS transfer window.
“Credit to the staff here,” Turner said at his press conference. He noted that the team has always been “monitoring my situation, keeping in touch with my agent over the years.
“I think for me it was always New England. It was always my home, it was always [about] coming back here when the opportunity presented itself,” he added. “It’s a good situation. It’s the right time for us.”
As for his time overseas, he had a characteristically upbeat interpretation.
“My European adventure didn’t go perfectly to plan, but I did learn a lot along the way,” Turner said.
“Had some misfortunes, had some opportunities that I didn’t make the most of as well, so it just didn’t go perfectly to plan,” he acknowledged, but continued by saying that he had “zero regrets about my time in England.”
The recent period, in which the potential move to Lyon fell apart within weeks of it originally being put together, Turner cited his family for helping him to get through it.
“It was a trying time. It was difficult to be in limbo for a while,” he said of the uncertainty regarding Lyon’s status.
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A turning point in the decision to come back to New England may have taken place at a Revolution game that Turner attended in July. In town, he opted to turn up for New England’s home match against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on July 10.
Reconnecting with Revolution fans was a positive experience for Turner, who has increasingly been relegated to the bench for both club and country over the past few seasons.
“The way I felt the love from them is special, and it’s been awhile since I’ve felt those arms sort of around me, and it was eye-opening for sure,” Turner said of the warm response he received in New England. “It’s good to be back in an environment where you’re loved.”
“But at the same time, I don’t want to sour any milk,” Turner explained. “I want to work. I want to continue the journey that I’m on here, and for this to be a huge part of launching that journey as well. I’m not here just to parade around and be Matt Turner. I know and I understand that this club has [been] going through some difficult moments this season, and I want to bring that winning mentality back and create relationships that will last a lifetime with the supporters and the guys in the locker room.”
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The “difficult moments” Turner alluded to are not past tense. New England is currently stuck in a nine-game winless run, and has fallen to 10 points behind the current Eastern Conference playoff line (sitting 11th in the conference).
With 10 games to go, the Revolution’s playoff prospects are dim at best. Both of the club’s supporters’ groups have recently released statements, with one (“The Rebellion”) calling for head coach Caleb Porter and sporting director Curt Onalfo to be fired.
It is into that context that Turner reconnects with his old team and a few old friends, even following multiple major roster overhauls since he left. It hardly feels like a reunion that is destined for short-term success given the team’s many other issues, but a major turnaround is exactly what New England leadership is hoping for in the current moment.
Exactly what the plan will be in the next few days remains to be seen (Turner’s status for Saturday’s home matchup with D.C. United is uncertain), with previous starting goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic also still very much on the team’s roster.
Expecting a goalkeeper (or really any individual player) to change the whole fortunes of a professional soccer team is asking too much. Still, if Turner can inject some much needed confidence into the Revolution back line and at least halt the winless run, it could help to build some momentum.
And, in general terms, bringing back a player of Turner’s caliber and charisma will be a net-positive for a club searching for something to be positive about. In Turner, the Revolution have a rarity. He’s a bonafide international — having started for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup — who also is well-versed in the idiosyncrasies of MLS.
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He represents everything that can be good with New England’s MLS team, hauling himself up from the lowly status of being an undrafted free agent into becoming the best goalkeeper in the league in 2021 (helping to guide the Revolution to a Supporters’ Shield in the process).
“When I left, I never stopped being a Revolution supporter myself. This club has meant so much to me, and to my family.”
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