Djordje Petrovic Makes History With 5th MLS PK Stop
Djordje Petrovic Makes History With 5th MLS PK Stop
Romney: “We’re following up every single penalty as if he’s going to save it. [It’s] just the confidence that this guy is so good so hopefully he can save anything.”
Djordje Petrovic continues to show why he’s the best goalkeeper in Major League Soccer.
On Saturday, the 23-year-old became the fastest player in league history to make five penalty stops, doing so in his 31st match. Petrovic has faced 14 penalties since joining the New England Revolution.
The most recent attempt came after referee Alex Chilowicz deemed that Justin Rennicks committed a handling offense in the box. Head coach Bruce Arena wasn’t sure about the call, but he did like how Petrovic stepped up to deny Lucho Acosta.
“It looked like our player was outside the penalty area,” Arena said. “I don’t know why we use VAR. Whatever. Big save by Djordje. No question about that.”
Penalties are supposed to favor the kicker, but the Serbian has a knack for doing the spectacular.
“We’re following up every single penalty as if he’s going to save it,” Romney said. “[It’s] just the confidence that this guy is so good so hopefully he can save anything.”
Petrovic isn’t just good at stopping penalties. According to Opta, the goalkeeper has outperformed his Expected Goals on Target by 16.2 since joining the league in June 2022. This is far better than any of his peers.
Petrovic, who is gaining attention from European teams, is a frontrunner for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. National pundits are regularly recognizing the youngster’s talent.
For Romney, it’s not just the big saves that make Petrovic elite; it’s also his attention to detail.
“He made a lot of other really big saves,” Romney said. “Even simple saves that he parries wide for a throw-in instead of spilling something for one of their attackers to get. So there’s just little things like that that he’s extremely good at. It’s always nice as a defender knowing that you’ve got that behind you.”