Goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic passed the audition.

New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter and goalkeeper coach Kevin Hitchcock got to test drive the Slovenian import for a week in training before signing the MLS veteran on April 23 to a free agent contract through the 2005 season.

Ivacic, 30, is slated to get his first start when the Revolution (1-7-1) engage Chicago Fire FC (2-4-4) in the opener of a two-game road swing on Saturday night (8:30) at Soldier Field. The Revolution and the Fire battled to a 1-1 draw on March 23 at Gillette Stadium.

“We had him in for a trial, that was huge,” said Porter. “Anytime you can get a guy in to train with you before you sign him, that’s ideal.

“My experience is typically, the mistakes in signings happen when you don’t evaluate a guy as thoroughly as you should, live especially. So, in this case, we were able to see the guy live for a full week. To be able to see him train live, for me, the talent is obvious to see.

“He’s very athletic. He’s composed, he’s confident, he’s good with his feet. I think he fits the way we want to play. I think that’s really key, finding pieces that fit our game model.”

The Revolution appeared to have filled their vacancy for a true No. 1 goalkeeper when Sporting Director Curt Onalfo acquired Henrich Ravas on Jan. 6 from the Polish club Widzew Lodz. The Revolution spent an undisclosed fee and Ravas was tendered an MLS contract through the 2026 season with a team option for 2027.

The deal looked like a home run when Ravas recorded three clean sheets and one goal allowed in four Concacaf Champions Cup matches.

But Ravas initial success in Champions Cup did not cross over to MLS play, resulting in the Revolution’s race to the basement of the Eastern Conference. Veteran back-up Earl Edwards Jr. didn’t fare any better during Ravas’ international absences. That put the Revolution in the market for an experienced keeper eight games into the regular season.

Onalfo didn’t stop with Ivacic. In a move to bolster the back line in Porter’s 4-2-3-1 scheme, once considered a team strength, the Revolution acquired center back Xavier Arreaga on the same day in a trade with the Seattle Sounders. Arreaga made his Revolution’s debut in their 4-1 loss to Inter Miami FC on April 27 at Gillette Stadium.

“They are footballers, they bring confidence, they bring composure in our ability to play out the back a bit, get control in games,” said Porter. “They are also very experienced players in this league. It’s great to have them.”

Ivacic found Hitchcock, a former player and coach in the English Premier League, to be the kind of instructor he can work with to get acclimated at an accelerated pace.

Hitchcock was hired by Bruce Arena and retained by Porter based on his resume and successes in New England. Hitchcock is the “horse whisperer” of MLS goalkeeper coaches and the spinoffs of his tutorial wizardry are currently laboring in his old stomping grounds.

Since 2020, the Revolution’s back end was manned by two of the most dominant goalkeepers in MLS, Matt Turner and Djordje Petrovic, both of whom crossed the Atlantic to play in the English Premier League.

Turner was the 2021 MLS Goal Keeper of the Year and a starter on the U.S. Men’s National Team when he left to compete for Arsenal in the EPL. Turner has since transferred to Nottingham Forest.

Arena signed Petrovic on June 12, 2022, to replace Turner and the Serbian national performed above and beyond expectations. Despite beginning his MLS tenure well into the 2022 season, Petrovic finished second in the Goalkeeper of the Year voting.

Petrovic was an MLS All-Star in 2022 and the favorite to win the 2023 Goalkeeper of the Year award when he transferred out of MLS to compete for Chelsea in the EPL.

“It’s something new for me, but I like it,” said Ivacic. “(Hitchcock) is a hard-working guy, and this is something that I like and that is a part of me.

“It’s how I grew up and it’s the work that I believe in. It’s the hard work, that’s the only way, and he’s that guy and he has been helping me a lot. I still need to adapt to his training, but I love it and we’re really getting along.”