In a game that could go down as one of the most crucial of New England’s season, goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič put in a massive shift between the sticks to help keep the Revolution’s playoff hopes alive. He may have only been credited with three saves against Nashville SC when all was said and done, but anyone who watched the game knows just how vital each of those saves was. And for those acrobatics and heroics, the Slovenian has earned himself a place on the MLS Team of the Matchday presented by Audi for Matchday 35.
Despite not featuring in the league before joining the Revs in late April, Ivačič appears on the Team of the Matchday for the third time this season, a tally level among goalkeepers with St. Louis CITY SC shot-stopper Roman Bürki and behind only New York City FC’s Matt Freese (5). Revolution assistant coach Pablo Moreira said after Saturday night’s win that he believed Ivačič to be the best keeper in MLS, and he has certainly made his case for that claim over the course of this campaign.
Ivačič was first called into action in the seventh minute, when a ball pinballing around the box found Nashville’s Alex Muyl six yards out; the keeper stayed calm, making himself big and swallowing up Muyl’s shot at the near post. Later in the first half, Ivačič was made to oppose striker Sam Surridge one-on-one, but he again rose to the occasion, parrying the Englishman’s close-range shot to deny the ‘Yotes an opener.
But perhaps the Slovenian’s proudest moment of the game came in the dying moments. After having denied Hany Mukhtar from long range earlier in the second half and desperate to preserve his side’s lead, Ivačič was called upon at the 90’+2 mark to again keep the German out, this time from a powerful shot inside the box. An offside call would likely have rendered moot any Nashville goal from the opportunity, but Ivačič certainly wasn’t going to take any chances, diving to deflect the attempt, and that attitude may well have saved the three points for New England.
After the game, Ivačič said that his focus in crucial moments was simply to maintain his composure and force the opposition into making a choice.
“I’m just trying to stay calm in every situation,” he said. “In the end, they have to make a decision. They have to score. If I hold my ground as long as possible, I put pressure on them. That’s what I’m trying to do and I’m very happy that I helped the team tonight.”
He added that the win felt good, but that the team didn’t have any time to celebrate.
“We needed those three points,” Ivačič said. “We’ve been struggling for a couple of games now. I think this was a final for us. We needed three points and we achieved that. But now we have to keep going, because we have a new game on Wednesday, and we need three points again.”
On the other end of the pitch, defender Brandon Bye nodded in the late winner, his first of the season, and won a spot on the Team of the Matchday bench for his efforts. Along with fellow outside back Peyton Miller, Bye performed well on both sides of the ball, contributing to chances in the final third while working hard to keep Nashville at bay.
