One-on-One With Turney Humphrey

Afterburn Soccer had the pleasure to sit down with MLS SuperDraft pick and North Texas SC defender Turney Humphrey.

On game day, you’ll spot him in the starting lineup with ease, his height in that ideal mold for center backs at 6’4”. His form too has been a key to one of the stingiest defenses in MLS Next Pro. We’re talking Turney Humphrey, the 44th pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft for FC Dallas, signed to North Texas earlier this year.

The Southern California native is rapidly gaining experience as a professional soccer player, and he’s the first to admit to that. Growing up, he wasn’t part of any academy and has always had a learning curve to the tactical side of play. His dream was to head to college though, and he followed that path, first with the University of California-Davis and then with Oregon State. His growth was enough to have FC Dallas reaching out to his agent and making sure his name was called on draft day.

The jump has been steep but good.

“I think it’s been pretty smooth. There is a big jump between college and MLS for sure,” Turner said to Afterburn Soccer last month. “Next Pro gives you time to build and get ready for it. It’s a good platform and starting path.”

He’s played 26 games for North Texas this season, starting 18 of those matches and helping the squad secure the No. 1 seed as the best team in Next Pro.

North Texas wasn’t on his radar to be fair.

“I came here once for Dallas Cup when I was 17. Before that, it had never crossed my mind to live in Dallas,” he said, admitting he didn’t get his hopes up when his agent mentioned the interest by FCD.

The transition to being a professional soccer has been with its fair amount of adjustments.

“It’s a lot different than college. College is a grind, but it’s like four months where you are locked in. This is different from the standpoint that without classes and stuff, there is more time in your day but it is just way more consistent,” Turner said. “The season is like 10 months long. Even though there is maybe a little more free time, it’s consistent every day, day in and day out. There are things you might want to do, but you can’t do as a pro athlete.”

As part of that grind, Humphrey is facing off against other talent that he may not have been exposed to at the college level. He highlighted Pedrinho in particular as someone who inspires him and pushes him, noting the Brazilian’s skill on the ball. His fellow backline mates, Nico Gordon and Mads Westergren, were crucial to some of the growth he needed to make in defense.

But even beyond the talent on the field, the coaching staff has been key to the team’s success in 2023.

“We have really talented players on the team, but I have to give credit to (former head coach) John Gall. He instilled a really good mentality. Tactics are important for him, for sure, but tactics don’t mean anything if you don’t put the work in,” Turner said with a smile. “Michel came in and picked up right where Gall left off, doing a really good job putting us in the right position. And it doesn’t hurt that we have a better team than other Next Pro teams, though I am biased.”

North Texas has had an unusual storyline in that they lost their head coach, not because of poor play and dismal results, but because former head coach John Gall got promoted. Interim head coach Michel, no stranger to the squad, has ensured that the team has not missed a bit, even as he has brought his own flavor.

The broader coaching staff, pulling from the academy, has also been a lift to the 23-year-old as he has sought to grow and improve.

“There are so many coaches on staff that are there for different reasons. They have been super helpful for me in the preseason. I played at a low level growing up. Even my first college wasn’t super helpful on the tactical side, so here they are helping me a lot - decision making, composure, speed of play, quality on the ball, showing me on film proper movements,” Turner shared.

A quick lesson for Turner was the passion surrounding the long-running Houston Dynamo rivalry. It didn’t take long, preseason in fact, for the young centerback to figure out that he would have to step up his game when facing their in-state rivals.

“I didn’t know how serious it was,” Turner said, remembering a preseason match against Houston that set a new tone for him. “It was not our greatest game. I think we might have lost 2-0. The energy in the locker room from the coaches was… not even that we lost but the way we played and the fact that we lost to Houston. They were fuming.”

Turner has the physical tools that a lot of Major League Soccer coaches want, and with an option year for 2025, he has time to continue to develop.

His dream is to make the next jump.

“Ever since growing up, growing up in Southern California, going to a lot of LA Galaxy games, the MLS is my dream,” he said.

Of course, he didn’t get there alone. Yes, youth and college coaches have played a part in his ascent, but you can frequently spot his parents at North Texas games, cheering their son on. Afterburn met them when North Texas played LAFC 2 in Fullerton, California.

“My parents have been super supportive. My parents were always taking me to practice, even if it was 45 minutes away,” Turner beamed. “My mom maybe missed four games in my life. My dad is a pilot. My mom is just about every game no matter where it is at.”

As for extracurricular stuff, Turner couldn’t think of a preferred taco spot, but he did recommend the BBQ spot down the street as his go-to - Hutchinson BBQ.

We’ll be posting some of the raw audio from the interview later this week right here on Afterburn Soccer.