FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – When head coach Brad Friedel said it was an open competition for the New England Revolution’s starting goalkeeper job this preseason, many assumed that veterans Cody Cropper and Brad Knighton would fight it out for the number one shirt while 23-year-old Matt Turner continued to learn the ropes as the third-string goalkeeper.
Of course, we all know what happens when people assume.
Turner beat out both Cropper, fresh off the U.S. National Team’s January camp after making 28 starts last season, and Knighton, an 11-year veteran with 60 appearances in the league, for the honor of starting last weekend’s season opener against the Philadelphia Union.