Arsenal's Matt Turner extended his magnificent penalties record with two saves from the spot to send the USMNT into the semifinal of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
The Gunners goalkeeper sits behind Aaron Ramsdale at club level, but has been a shining light for his country over the lpast couple of seasons. He shouldered the responsibility in the penalty shootout after the US and Canada could not be separated after 120 minutes of play in a dramatic 2-2 draw.
The Stars and Stripes had looked to have booked their place in the semi finals of the competition after Brandon Vazquez after his strike in the 88th minute to make it 1-0 but the Canadians had other ideas when they equalized from the penalty spot deep into injury-time.
A similarly fraught half an our of extra time then ensued with Canada taking the lead, before Scott Kennedy's own goal made it 2-2 to send the epic encounter to penalties. From there, captain Turner's exploits did not disappoint as he saved two efforts from twelve yards to send Canada crashing out of the flagship CONCACAF competition.
The 29-year-old had played in the encounter between the two teams in the CONCACAF Nations League final last month, with the US having been far more assured in that game — winning 2-0 within 90 minutes.
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Turner was the only player from the starting lineup to play in the 2-0 CONCACAF Nations League final between the countries last month.
The stopper showed no sign of mental or physical fatigue, however, as he kept out efforts from goalscorer Vitoria and Liam Fraser. Turner was unable to prevent the former from scoring from the spot during regulation time but read his mind second time around to parry his attempt.
Then, he was able to dive to meet the latter's attempt to give the USMNT a major advantage in the shootout before Canada's Charles-Andreas Brym's penalty struck the crossbar to seal their fate. Incredibly, Turner's saves meant that he has now stopped 11 of the 25 spot-kick efforts he has faced in his professional career, denying the opposition on 44 per cent of occasions from twelve yards, per Sporting News.
United States celebrate with goalkeeper Matt Turner during the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Quarter Final between United States of America and Canada at TQL Stadium on July 9, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)Following his heroics, the Gunners stopper opened up on the secrets behind his exemplary record in these situations, he asserted that a big part of his aptitude comes as a result of preparation. Going on to also explain that his own instincts are also a factor, he said:
"A lot of the penalties that I had seen on my sheets or in my preparation.
"Most of those guys were off the pitch by the time the pens were there. I just trusted my instincts, really, and typically when I do that, I find myself having a lot more success."
The former New York Revolution star could now lead his country to another Gold Cup triumph, following on from their tournament victory back in 2021. The USMNT will now face Panama in the semi finals, before a clash with either Mexico or Jamaica in the final if they can get the better of their next opponents.
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