Caleb Porter Calls Aljaz Ivacic "One of the Best Goalkeepers" in MLS

"When I say that, I don't want to put pressure on him. I just believe in the kid a lot."

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

Usually, a goalkeeper is being praised after a clean sheet but New England Revolution goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic had a superb showing against Nashville SC on Wednesday evening.

Ivacic made five saves in regulation time as New England drew 1-1 in regulation. The goal was more a picking apart of the Revolution back line than a failure of the goalkeeper. The 30-year-old then made a crucial save in the fifth round of penalty kicks that helped New England secure a victory in PK’s.

Caleb Porter heaped praise on the shot-stopper after the match.

“He's a really good goalkeeper,” Porter said when asked by The Blazing Musket about Ivacic. “I think he's one of the best goalkeepers in the league. When I say that, I don't want to put pressure on him. I just believe in the kid a lot. I think he's super talented. I've had some really good goalkeepers over the years and he's up there for the best I've worked with. He's so good with his feet and he's so smart in his decision making, and then one of the best shot stoppers. Just purely as a shot stopper, he's one of the best I've seen. Look at the penalty that he [saved]. I mean, the ball is in the corner. So, I think it's just his talent, his athleticism, the way he can fly around, and then his ability with his feet. He's like a field player. So, those are the things that really stand out for me and he's just a great guy. Really, really great guy. Really good energy out of him. Works really hard. A good pro.”

Penalty kicks can be tricky to prepare for. While video analysis can be done, at the moment it all comes down to reading your opponent and trusting your gut. Even when you guess the right direction, sometimes a shot just can’t be stopped.

Ivacic discussed how he prepares for penalty kicks after the match.

“We watch videos,” the goalkeeper said. “We try to analyze, but players nowadays know we analyze them, so they’re switching sides. The pressure wasn’t there. Obviously, we advanced anyways whether we lost or we won [the shootout]. So, it was fun.”

In 16 matches played for the New England Revolution, he has won eight matches while recording three clean sheets. In MLS play the goalkeeper has tallied 53 saves.

As Porter mentioned, Ivacic’s pure shot-stopping ability is impressive. Whether it be via a kick save or sprawling out across goal, he sometimes seems like he is performing dark magic in order to keep the ball out of the net. Considering that he is only taking up a supplemental roster spot, Ivacic might be the steal of the year in terms of player acquisitions.