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Siddhant Lazar

'He's on the outside looking in' - Former USMNT star Stuart Holden fears Matt Turner's absence from Mauricio Pochettino's November squad could have World Cup implications

Former U.S. international Stuart Holden believes Matt Turner’s 2026 World Cup hopes could be in jeopardy after the goalkeeper was left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT roster for November 2025. Holden pointed to Turner’s lack of competitive minutes as a growing concern, warning it may be damaging his standing within the national team setup.

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    Turner's omission raises concern

    Holden pointed out that Turner, currently with the New England Revolution, faces a challenging situation as he is unlikely to feature in a competitive match until February or March if he remains with the club. The American is currently on loan with the MLS side from Olympique Lyon. 

    “More concerning, I think for Matt Turner is that there was a recent article in The Athletic which said that he's training with Crystal Palace currently,” Holden said on the State of the Union podcast. “A team that he was under contract with before….And it said he was training to get fit and to stay sharp, to be a part of this November window.

    “And then the roster comes out and Matt Turner is not on that roster. If he's going to stay through the next season with the New England Revolution, which is part of the the deal, he's not going to play a competitive game now until late. February or March? That's a long. Time for a goalkeeper who, by the way, has not played a lot of minutes over the past two years.”

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  • 'I don't know what he can do'

    From Holden’s perspective, Turner is presently on the periphery of the USMNT, both in terms of securing the starting goalkeeper role and even earning a spot on the roster. 

    “So as far as I'm concerned, Matt Turner is not only on the outside looking in at a starting position, he's on the outside looking in at a roster position, which is cause for concern for him,” Holden said. “And I don't know what he can do other than play a great start of the season in the spring to put himself back in that position.”

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    Turner’s 2025 numbers

    Turner returned to the New England Revolution on loan from Olympique Lyonnais in August 2025, a move intended to secure him regular minutes. Since his arrival in August, Turner played 10 matches and allowed 16 goals. He kept two clean sheets for a struggling team that failed to make the playoffs. 

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    The current USMNT group

    Pochettino called up NYCFC's Matt Freese along with Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena), and Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew).