“I decided to join this league because I was watching this league a lot prior to joining it and the league here. And I think that this league is becoming better and it’s improving a lot.
While it will take some time for goalkeeper Djorde Petrović to adjust to the style of play in the United States but that doesn’t mean he isn’t familiar with MLS.
Petrović met with the media for the first time since joining the club and was asked by Território MLS’ Gustavo Lopes how familiar he was with the league and if he had watched any games.
“I decided to join this league because I was watching this league a lot prior to joining it and the league here,” Petrović said. “And I think that this league is becoming better and it’s improving a lot.”
There was one team that caught Petrović’s eye. The Serbian goalkeeper has had teammates come to the United States to play in the league.
“I watched a lot of Chicago Fire FC games and some of my teammates used to play there, like Luka Stojanovic moved here, too, and that’s why I decided that,” he said.
Stojanovic came to MLS in 2020 and has appeared in 29 games. The midfielder has scored eight goals and two assists for the Fire.
Petrović has been training with the New England Revolution for just under a week so far. With Revolution goalkeepers coach Kevin Hitchcock garnering praise from future Arsenal goalkeeper and current Revs goalkeeper Matt Turner, the 22-year-old has already been able to learn from his new coach.
“He was helping me through my game, and we were talking about the small things that he feels can actually add a lot to my game and improve my game,” Petrović said.
Petrović comes to the Revolution after an impressive start to his career in Serbia. The 22-year-old played 86 games and recorded 33 clean sheets along with a 0.99 goals-against average across all competitions over three seasons with FK Čukarički.
While fans in New England will be excited to see the goalkeeper make his debut, they will have to wait as Petrović is still adapting to playing and living in the United States stating that his English is not perfect.
But when he does they will likely be impressed.
“He is a young goalkeeper with excellent physical qualities and potential,” head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena said when the deal was announced. “His play in the Serbian SuperLiga has been impressive, and we feel he has a great future with our club.”