We're one month into the MLS season and we still have yet to see future United States goalkeeper Matt Turner lace up for the New England Revolution in a regular season. Turner has been sidelined with an injury to the ankle/foot which may have stemmed from a recent appearance for the men's national team.
Believe it or not, Turner on Friday revealed that during a February Concacaf World Cup qualifier against Honduras in the brutal cold of St. Paul, Minnesota (temperatures were in the single digits), he experienced a frozen a tissue in his foot, which may have led to further complications. The USMNT came away victorious, 3-0, that night and had two players leave with hypothermia-like symptoms.
Turner spoke with Boston's CBS local WBZ-TV about it:
"After the game in Minnesota against Honduras, I developed a bit of tendonitis in my foot. It was because the tissue in my foot was frozen and I was running back and forth to stay warm," Turner said of that frigid evening. "All the running on frozen tissue sort of expedited the process of tendinitis."
There was a point during the match when Turner huddled in a blanket during a stoppage as he only faced three shots on target during the entire night, so there wasn't much to do in net. Once he got into preseason training with the New England Revolution, he suffered a hairline fracture while playing a preseason game against Los Angeles FC.
"A few minutes into the game a back-pass was left short. I came to clear it and someone left their foot in," Turner said. "I cleared the ball and kicked the bottom of their foot and got the hairline fracture in a small bone in my foot."
While Turner hopes to get the all-clear on Tuesday, his absence has hurt both the New England Revolution -- who have struggled to keep the ball out of the back of the net -- and the USMNT as Zack Steffen's struggles in net were on display during their loss to Costa Rica on the final day of World Cup qualifying.
"Mentally, I'm in a really good spot with a lot of good things happening," he said, "I had a lot of time away from soccer to organize and get things together before I head to England. I'm really eager to get back on the field. I'm itching for it, but I have to take the right precautions."
But even being in a good spot doesn't excuse the danger of playing a match in those subzero temperatures in St. Paul. Hopefully, there won't be any after-effects to the injury as Turner has a critical part to play for the Revolution before his transfer to Arsenal over the summer. I'm sure Mikel Arteta will also be keeping an eye on his recovery.
The USMNT on Friday drew England, Iran and possibly Scotland, Wales or Ukraine during Friday's World Cup draw in Doha, Qatar. The Americans will begin their World Cup campaign on Monday, Nov. 21, the opening day of the tournament, against a to-be-determined European side (Ukraine, Wales or Scotland) before a Nov. 25 (Black Friday) fixture against England and a date against Iran, the team that defeated the United States in the 1998 World Cup, on Nov. 29. For a complete look at their schedule, click here.
