Ethan Horvath to start in Matt Turner's absence for USMNT
09/11/2023 06:51 PM
Matt Turner’s departure from U.S. men’s national team camp will provide Ethan Horvath with the opportunity to earn some much-needed playing time on Tuesday night.
Horvath will start in goal for the USMNT in Tuesday’s final September friendly vs. Oman, USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter confirmed Monday in his pre-match press conference. The Nottingham Forest goalkeeper has yet to feature at club level this season with Turner currently occupying the No. 1 spot in Steve Cooper’s squad.
Turner featured in the USMNT’s 3-0 win over Uzbekistan on Saturday, but departs camp ahead of his daughter’s birth.
"Ethan's gonna play in goal tomorrow," Berhalter said. "That's pretty clear. We're gonna mix up some players, but it will be a very similar lineup to what we saw last time."
Horvath, 28, remained with Nottingham Forest this summer despite being linked with a potential permanent move to Luton Town at the end of last season. The Colorado native enjoyed a stellar loan spell with the Hatters during the 2022-23 English Football League Championship season, registering 20 clean sheets for Rob Edwards’ squad.
Despite helping Luton Town earn promotion to the English Premier League, Horvath’s purchase option was not exercised and he ended up back at Nottingham Forest. The veteran shot-stopper featured during preseason camp prior to Turner’s arrival from Arsenal.
Turner has claimed the No. 1 job at The City Ground, forcing Horvath to sit and wait for his opportunity.
Horvath, who made his USMNT debut in 2016, has earned eight caps to date, last featuring in a 1-1 Concacaf Nations League draw vs. El Salvador in June 2022.
