On Sunday, USMNT players were given a rare off day. Saturday was a regen session following Friday’s big win but, Sunday? That was for the players to take a second, breathe and prepare themselves for a gruelling week leading up to the Australia game.
Everyone used that time differently. Matt Turner, for example, was able to throw out the first pitch ahead of Monday’s game between the Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays. Turner has plenty of experience as a former baseball player, and he was happy with his overall performance with that first pitch.
“The highlight of the day was the fact that I did what I set out to do, which was to throw a perfect strike,” he said. “I popped the mitt a little bit, the catcher’s mitt. Logan O’Hoppe was like, ‘Wow, man, that was an awesome first pitch’. I got some good compliments. Obviously, also meeting Mike Trout, a superstar, one of the best to ever do it, a Jersey guy, it was cool. Everything about it was nice.”
One thing that struck, Turner, though, was the discussions with Trout and other players. Even in the midst of their own season, the Angels’ players were locked in on the World Cup and, in particular, the USMNT’s performance against Paraguay.
“He said, ‘Good luck, everyone’s watching, we’re rooting for you and pulling for you’,” Turner said of his conversation with Trout. “After talking to their manager, I tried to lobby for the guys to come out to the game next weekend. I think they had an off day on the 25th, so hopefully they can come out to our game against Turkey.
He continued: “I got to meet a lot of the guys and really feel the excitement that they also have for the World Cup. In the wake of that first game, the excitement that it created, there’s a wave that we plan to ride and continue with going forward.”
