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Tim Howard ‘baffled’ by USMNT goalkeeper situation after Senegal World Cup tune-up
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- Tim Howard ‘baffled’ by USMNT goalkeeper situation after Senegal World Cup tune-up
Tim Howard 'baffled' by USMNT goalkeeper situation after Senegal World Cup tune-up appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The USMNT played its penultimate World Cup tune-up on Sunday, beating the No. 14-ranked team in the world, Senegal, 3-2 . While many things went great in this match for the squad, it did illustrate that the goalkeeper situation is still unsettled, less than two weeks ahead of the World Cup. Veteran Matt Turner started in goal and youngster Chris Brady finished in net, while presumed starter Matt Freese didn't get in the game, which perplexed national team legend Tim Howard .
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"Congratulations, Chris Brady. Amazing first cap," Howard started, congratulating the young third-string keeper before jumping into the situation. "I've been a goalkeeper for a long time at a very high level, and I know the ins and outs. I'm baffled a little bit by what's happened there. So, Matt Turner gets the start. Well done. Then Chris Brady comes in, gets his first cap. Well done. Trying to figure out where Matt Freese is in all of this."
Turner, who turns 32 during the 2026 World Cup, started in goal for the USMNT four years ago. However, a move to Arsenal followed by Nottingham Forest , Crystal Palace , and Lyon in Europe resulted in just 17 appearances, all for Nottingham. He's since moved back to MLS with the New England Revolution and is playing well. Freese, 27, is also in solid form for NYCFC , but he's never played outside of MLS, and may not be up to facing the top talent in the world.
The USMNT has one more friendly against Germany ahead of its World Cup opener vs. Paraguay on June 12. Watching to see if it's Matt Freese or Matt Turner in goal will now be the biggest question surrounding Mauricio Pochettino and the national team. And which keeper starts that game will tell Tim Howard and the rest of us what the manager plans to do on the world's biggest soccer stage.
Related: Former USMNT defender predicts Matt Freese in goal for World Cup despite not starting vs. Senegal
Related: Christian Pulisic goal vs. Senegal draws rave reviews from Landon Donovan
