FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Goalkeeper Matt Turner will add another line to his resume this afternoon as the Fairfield University graduate will walk onto the pitch as a member of the United States Men's National Team (USMNT) that begins competing in the 2022 World Cup. The United States drew Wales for its opening match which is scheduled to begin at 2 pm on Monday afternoon. The match will be televised by FOX with a pregame show slated for 1 pm.

Turner has been part of the USMNT for more than a year now, gaining his first appearance in an exhibition game against Trinidad Tobago. The New Jersey native has 20 caps for the United States which included an incredible run in the Gold Cup where he earned five clean sheets in six matches to help his team capture gold. He in turn was awarded the Golden Glove which is awarded to the top goalkeeper in the tournament.

Now, his international experience will be a critical part of the national team's run in the upcoming World Cup which takes place in Qatar and runs through the final on December 18. The United States is part of Group B which includes England, Iran, and Wales. After today's match with Wales, the USMNT is scheduled for a November 25 match with England before finishing up Group B play with a November 29 match against Iran.

There are 32 teams in the 2022 World Cup which is broken down into eight groups of four teams. The two teams with the most points from each group will advance to the Round of 16 which then becomes a straight knockout tournament. Teams earn points in group play based on their results with a win earning three points, a tie gains one point, and a loss brings about no points. 

Turner currently plays for Arsenal in the Premier League, the top tier of football in England. Before joining Arsenal, Turner spent seven seasons with the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer (MLS).  He started all 102 of his appearances as a member of the Revolution, collecting 22 career shutouts while in New England. He was selected the 2021 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year after posting a 17-4-7 record with 101 saves and five clean sheets that season. He signed with New England after playing his collegiate soccer at Fairfield University.

As a member of the Fairfield University men's soccer team, Turner was the team's starting goalkeeper as a junior and as a senior. In his final campaign with the Stags, he played in all 18 games in 2015 and recorded a .793 save percentage with a 0.98 goals against average. Turner collected seven shutouts in just over 1750 minutes of action, playing every minute of the season. He earned a berth to the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) second team.

In his junior campaign, Turner led the nation in save percentage by stopping 89 percent of the shots he faced in 2014 (78 saves, 10 goals allowed) and helped the Stags lead the nation in shutout percentage by not allowing a goal in 72 percent of the games in which he played. He ended his season with a 0.50 goals against average. He earned two MAAC defensive player of the week awards and was named to the MAAC All-Tournament team after helping the Stags reach the championship game.