USA’s Matt Turner Thanks Kellyn Acosta for Captains Armband Against Mexico in Gold Cup

The USA’s men’s soccer team is rising from strength to strength as they recently beat Mexico 1-0 in their 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup final match. Miles Robinson was the hero as his 117th-minute header secured the trophy for the USMNT in a dramatic fashion.

However, one of the most underrated performances came from USMNT’s goalkeeper, Matt Turner. Turner was on fire throughout the whole tournament as his saves helped the team reach the final. He turned it up a notch when it mattered the most and made three incredible saves from Mexico’s Rogelio Funes Mori in the first half.

Turner and USA’s goalscorer Robinson played every single minute of the tournament, and their contributions were vital in the end. The goalkeeper had a great moment with teammate Kellyn Acosta who gave him the captain’s armband. His performances surely warranted it.

Turner spoke about the moment in an interview afterward, and Seth Man posted a video of it on Twitter. “The last time I was a captain was when I was at Fairfield. So, to be able to wear the armband in that game for my country, against Mexico in a final, that’s just unbelievable,” Turner revealed.

“Such an honor, such a privilege, and the way it came about was it sorta got passed around from Paul to Sebastian to Kellyn Acosta. Right when we had our little team huddle before extra time, Kellyn came up to me, and he put the armband on my arm.”

Matt Turner reveals what Kellyn Acosta said to him before handing him the captain’s armband.

The USMNT star also talked about how Acosta’s speech helped him through the anxiety-inducing extra time the match went into.

“He started patting me on the back, and he just said – ‘We’re gonna need you to step up here, and you deserve this.’ He put the armband on my arm, and it was a really special moment for me. So, I was feeling pretty tired going into extra time, and it definitely gave me the boost to stay focused and locked in,” Turner concluded.

It was a great story, and it speaks volumes about the camaraderie in this current group of players. The USMNT has made huge strides in the past few years, and the domination of Mexico is now closer than ever to ending. Matt Turner is a huge part of it all and will only get better after winning the best goalkeeper of the tournament award.

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