A Scouting Report For Henrich Ravas

Szymon Janczyk of Weszlo.com answers our questions about the Revs' new goalkeeper.

Photo Courtesy of Radio Lodz

Henrich Ravas will join the New England Revolution, according to sources who spoke to The Blazing Musket.

Polish journalist Szymon Janczyk confirmed our report, adding that the transfer fee will be approximately $1.2 million, 15% of the Slovak's next transfer, and bonuses.

Ravas, 26, most recently played for Widzew Łódź of the Polish First Division. He has been called up to camps for the Slovakia national team but hasn’t made an appearance.

The Revs are looking for a full-time starting goalkeeper after using both Earl Edwards Jr. and Jacob Jackson at the end of last season. Tomas Vaclik, who was brought in after Djordje Petrovic was sold, didn’t play a single minute.

To gain more information about Ravas, TBM spoke to Janczyk.

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TBM: To start, tell us a little about yourself.

Szymon Janczyk (SJ): I'm vice editor-in-chief of the Polish site Weszlo.com. We are one of the biggest football sites in Poland, kind of our version of The Athletic. I cover the two highest divisions in Poland mainly.

TBM: What can you tell us about the history of Henrich Ravas?

SJ: Henrich Ravas was bought when Widzew Łódź were in the second division. The goalkeeper got injured which was a huge problem cause they were fighting for promotion and he was one of the best players.

I remember that Ravas’ team - Senica - had some financial problems. Widzew took the opportunity to take him because of that. He had very good stats in Slovakia in terms of saves, prevented goals, etc. And he was fantastic in Poland also. They won promotion. The injured keeper came back but they decided to play Ravas as the first one cause he was better and better. He deserved that for sure.

Fans love him. He is a nice and good guy, a hard worker. The first part of his first season in Ekstraklasa was very good just like the whole team. They were a revelation. The second part of the season was a bit worse. The whole team slowed down. He was solid still but without something special.

Now he played the best round in Lodz, he was one of the best goalkeepers in whole league. Very good stats—I shared his StatsBomb radar. He was better than the average in everything.

I know that the coach is disappointed that he will lose him.

TBM: What are Ravas’ strengths?

SJ: I think it’s his reflexes and positioning. He is a very solid saver, that's for sure. He doesn’t commit many mistakes and easy goals and he can win the games, so it’s everything that clubs are looking for. He is effective.

I appreciate his character also. I never heard anything bad about him.

TBM: What are some areas where Ravas can improve?

SJ: I don’t know if he can be much better than now. I wouldn’t say that he has the potential to be a goalkeeper for a top 5 league, but I suppose that your scouts and goalkeeper's coach see it better.

I think he is good in many terms, but maybe the build-up play is the one where he can become better and step up for the next level? But he is solid in that part.

For sure he improved many details here, Widzew has a good goalkeeper's coach who helped him.

TBM: Why is it the right move for Ravas to come to the United States?

SJ: I think he needs the new challenge. He isn't the young talent. He lost a few years in England on the bench. The bigger stage, the better opportunities - it is not easy to become a starter in the national team when you are in the middle of the table in Poland.

I think the stories of your keepers inspire him. It’s easier for him to promote himself to the Premier League from MLS than Ekstraklasa.

(Video courtesy of @rozmowysportowe on Twitter)

TBM: The Revs recently transferred two goalkeepers to the English Premier League. What is Ravas' ceiling? Could he one day play in a top European league?

SJ: I don’t know if he has the potential to play in the top leagues but for sure it’s his dream to come back to England one day. There were rumours about the offer for him last year, from what I know it wasn’t true, but I’m sure that there were clubs interested in him after that one-and-a-half seasons in Ekstraklasa. Many scouts are coming to Poland, so for sure they saw him as someone worth knowing.

TBM: Is there anything else we should know about Ravas?

SJ: The interesting fact is he has a wife from Great Britain and after so many years in the UK we can call him half-Brit, I guess. Nice guy. He has a degree in sports science but there were no interviews with him here so I can’t say anything more.

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We want to thank Szymon Jancyk for taking the time to speak to us. You can follow Jancyk and his work on Twitter (@SZ_Janczyk) or by visiting Weszlo.com.