FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After a long few weeks awaiting the necessary paperwork, Dor Turgeman has finally touched down in Foxborough. The striker was welcomed to the New England Revolution Training Center earlier this week and wasted no time getting down to business. The 21-year-old Israeli international laced up his boots on Tuesday morning and instantly began to impress in his first week with the squad.
“He’s obviously had a whirlwind of the last three, four days in terms of getting here. Now that he’s here, he’s comfortable. I spoke to him this morning. He has Ilay [Feingold], a familiar face. We have, like I said, an incredible locker room, so he feels very welcomed,” explained interim head coach Pablo Moreira following Turgeman’s first session. “We’re excited to see what he can do. Obviously, he did well today on the pitch, great day of training.”
Turgeman was sure to speak with fellow Israelis in the league before making the move, including Charlotte FC forward Idan Toklomati and Philadelphia Union striker Tai Baribo. In particular, Revolution teammate Ilay Feingold played a big role in his decision to join New England from Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israeli’s Premier League.
“With Ilay, I spoke with him about the crew, about the players, and he said it’s an amazing place and that I should come here,” Turgeman said on Thursday, speaking with local media for the first time via translator.
Turgeman could be in line to make his Revolution debut at home this weekend as the team takes on Atlanta United FC this Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET) at Gillette Stadium. While he’s focused on getting a feel for life in New England and settling in amongst his teammates, he knows how important it is to help the team finish strong through the final three games.
“It was very important to me to come before the season ends, so I will have a feel for the league, to feel the club and to finish the season in a very good way,” he said. “I’m very excited about my first game with the team. I really hope we will succeed and win.”
With Maccabi Tel Aviv from 2020-25, Turgeman recorded 32 goals and 10 assists across his 114 appearances with the club. It’s that attacking threat which first caught the eye of the Revolution, but his versatility up top cemented the belief in his potential to be a transformative presence in Foxborough.
“He can turn on a dot, he has very good, soft feet, can lay the ball off, run the channels. So, he’s not your prototypical nine in the sense that he’s not like a target striker, but he’s very versatile in what he can offer,” explained Moreira. “We are very happy to have him here, see that in person, and very excited for what’s to come.”
When asked what he thinks he brings to the club, Turgeman’s answer was simple and indicative of a true striker: “I think I can contribute a lot of goals for the club.”
