CNBNews

When Matt Turner joined Arsenal in the summer of 2022, it was considered another giant leap forward for American soccer.

Not only did the United States have another Premier League player to call its own, but one that would be plying his trade at one of the most prestigious clubs on the planet.

Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out for the New Jersey man in London, but a switch to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023 was expected to revitalize his career.

The goalkeeper started the season as first choice for the Tricky Trees, but after being deposed by Mats Selz in the second half of the campaign, Turner was left kicking his heels in frustration on the sideline.

Will he be able to force his way back into the Forest starting lineup this coming season?

Back to Basics

The football odds suggest that the Midlands club has a job on its hands to avoid demotion this term.

The Premier League title odds give them just a +50000 chance of lifting the EPL trophy, which in itself shows the size of the challenge facing them. Meanwhile, they are +200 to be relegated, with only Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton considered to have a higher probability.

What’s interesting about that is that if Forest do struggle out on the turf, changes will have to be made – perhaps in terms of their head coach, or maybe with respect to the players pulling on the red jersey.

🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QVSJEiyO29

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) August 17, 2023

When a team is conceding too many goals – as is generally the case with those in the heat of a relegation battle, it’s typical that the goalkeeper is amongst the first to be jettisoned. So even if Selz does start as Forest’s first-choice goalkeeper, Turner must remain vigilant and continue to work hard in training – there’s every chance he’ll be given the opportunity to impress between the sticks during the 2024/25 season.

Big Reset

Although Turner’s position at his club is in the balance, he remains the top goalkeeper for the United States national team. There were high hopes for the USMNT heading into the summer’s Copa America tournament, but a bright start – a 2-0 win over Bolivia – soon gave way to back-to-back defeats against Panama and Uruguay.

It’s an early exit from the event that Turner described on his social media as ‘shameful’, and nods to the reset and rebuilding work that the new head coach – however that may be, following the firing of Gregg Berhalter – will have to undertake.

The U.S. has been eliminated from the Copa America with a 1-0 loss to Uruguay, a defeat that will increase pressure on the U.S. Soccer Federation to remove coach Gregg Berhalter before the 2026 World Cup. https://t.co/sDmfvhl7ng

— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 2, 2024

One of the most pleasing aspects in that regard is just how many players who are eligible for the national team are now moving to Europe to play their club soccer – that really is the best ‘education’ for them, and should lead to improved standards internationally.

Turner, Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Antonee Robinson are well-established overseas, while Haji Wright and Josh Seargent will likely find themselves in a promotion battle from the Championship, the English second-tier, with Coventry City and Norwich City respectively this season.

If there’s improved fortunes to be had at club and international level, Turner will be hoping to be in the thick of it.